Kaʻū News Briefs, Thursday, June 15, 2023

Prebuilt home manufacturing was on display at the National Mall last weekend during an Innovative Housing Showcase, sponsored by HUD, which put Hawai'i's housing shortage front and center at Hawai'i on the Hill Policy Summit on Wednesday.
Photo from HUD

MEETING HOUSING NEEDS IN HAWAI'I was center stage Wednesday at Hawai'i on the Hill Policy Summit in Washington, D.C. U.S. Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Marcia Fudge focused exclusively on Hawai'i. She attended the session along with local officials from Hawai'i, including Hawai'i state Senator Tim Richards and representatives of businesses and agencies. Hawai'i on the Hill is sponsored by Sen. Mazie Hirono, Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i and others.
   The HUD Secretary pointed to Hirono's efforts to end homeless, to make housing affordable and increase home ownership. She said she has also talked with Gov. Josh Green and that she plans to visit Hawai'i in July. Fudge said that housing is a crisis, particularly acute in Hawai'i. 

    Richards talked about large families living in small homes  this island and said those needing housing are probably undercounted in statistics. He said such large families are in small houses because "we house our people because we take care of our people."

    The HUD Secretary said, "It's hard to count somebody who is sleeping on a couch in their cousin's house or parents' house. They may in fact be homeless. but if we never can find that person because they are couch surfing, then it's hard to count them."
    The HUD Secretary said this country is short about 3.8 million housing units. "By 2025 Hawai'i is going to need about 50,000 additional housing units." She said people are being pushed to the point of  spending half their resources on rent or mortgages and can't afford neighborhoods of their choice where their children can go to good schools where they have access to work.

    In addition, Hawai'i has one of highest percentage-wise homeless populations in the U.S. The HUD Secretary said that 500,000 people in U.S. sleep on the streets in any one night. Almost 200,000 of them are veterans. "It is a tragedy." She also noted that "Unsheltered rural homelessness is growing fast in this country," and said that U.S. Department of Agriculture can help.
    Concerning other high costs here, she said she was told about eggs in Hawai'i being $9 a dozen. She said Hawai'i is the most expensive state in the United States to live.
    Addressing the cost of housing construction, the HUD Secretary promised that $85 million in grants will be offered to communities that are making progress in improving their zoning practices to assist in tackling the issue. Zoning alone can increase cost of a home by 25 percent, she said.

U.S. Housing & Urban Development Secretary
Marcia Fudge focused on Hawai'i's challenges
with affordable housing and homelessness at
Hawai'i on the Hill Policy Summit on Wednesday.

 She also suggested that cost can be reduced through new innovations in prebuilt home manufacturing. HUD sponsored an Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. June 9-11.    See https://www.hud.gov/Innovative_Housing for a list of innovators.
   The Secretary of HUD said, she needs "to hear more from people on the ground working on these issues everyday." There are more resources today in communities all across this country than there has ever been. "If we cannot do it now, we can not do it."
   She urged the public to become more involved, to make a plan....so that the money is used for improving housing.

    During a roundtable discussion including people from Hawai'i who attended Hawai'i on the Hill, Sen. Mazie Hirono said housing is probably the number one issue in Hawai'i and noted that zoning is a county issue. Hawai'i Island state Senator Tim Richards and County Council member Sue Lee Loy both attended and pointed not only to local building codes but also to federal agency "codes" and requirements for funding that are often different from one agency to another, complicating coordination for funding.

     Richards pointed to water and wastewater infrastructure as a big barrier to affordable housing. The HUD Secretary said "the real money" is in the federal Department of Transportation and EPA and that she 
would help connect Hawai'i to the funders.
     She also suggested renovation of commercial buildings for housing, saying costs are often lower since the existing structures often require less compliance than new buildings. She also urged for existing housing to be retrofitted for energy efficiency and said HUD is giving grants and that the Climate Bill has money. She said USDA helps to fund lots of rural housing. "We need to find ways to help people where they are."

    She suggested financing accessory dwellings ('ohana dwellings),  making low cost loans to developers to construct more affordable housing and more incentives in providing low income tax credits to builders of housing.
    State Senate President Ron Kouchi, from Kaua'i, attended along with Kaua'i Mayor Derek Kawakami. 

They shared that one of the challenges is that no neighborhood is going to want an affordable housing project in their backyard. They said they overcame the bias by placing their current development on open land where they are building a mixed use affordable housing community where the poor and the more

wealthy are not separated. Kouchi said the key was that they started with building the shelter first on the land, then adding multi family, then single family homes. 

   Kawakami said, "We're not going to divide our people based on income bracket. These families are going to grow up the way that we all grew up, which is we had low income earners living next to high income earners. Low income earner families were able to rise up with everybody else."

    See the Hawai'i on the Hill Policy Summit on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Upv5nLSVRU

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

HAWAI'I IS THE STATE ECONOMY HAS THE MOST RACIAL EQUALITY, according to a WalletHub report released Thursday. In order to determine which states have the most racial equality in terms of employment and wealth, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across eight key metrics. The data compares the difference between white and black Americans in areas such as annual income, unemployment rate and homeownership rate. Highlights from the report show that Hawai'i ranks as follows:

1st – Median Annual Household Income
7th – Labor-Force Participation Rate
18th – Homeownership Rate
1st – Poverty Rate
1st – Homeless Rate
1st – Share of Unsheltered Homeless
15th – Share of Executives
     To view the full report rankings for all the states and D.C., visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/state-economies-with-most-racial-equality/75810/

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

THE SHIPPING SLOWDOWN AT THE DOCKS IN LOS ANGELES AND LONG BEACH is over. It began on June 9 and resulted in some supply chain issued for goods coming to Hawai'i. The two ports handle about 40 percent of all imports to the U.S. from Asia. Goods bound for Hawai'i are routed through LA because no large merchant ships come to Hawai'i from Asia. The International Longshore & Warehouse Union was on strike for 14 days before signing a tentative six year contract for 22,000 workers at 29 West Coast ports.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

Kaʻū News Briefs, Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Solid Waste Division Chief Mike Kaha and Mayor Mitch Roth untie the maile with Kahu Kimo Awai leading the blessing at the vastly expanded Wai'ōhinu Recyling & Transfer Station. Photo by Julia Neal

A BLESSING OF THE GREATLY EXPANDED RECYCLING & TRANSFER STATION was held last Friday, June 9 at Wai'ōhinu. It celebrated the end of construction and the May 1 soft opening of the improved county facility. It serves southernmost Hawai'i Island communities of Wai'ōhinu, Nā'ālehu, Discovery Harbour, Green Sands, Mark Twain and South Point. 

    The project involved building out new facilities for dumping at the lower end of the site and constructing a circular one-way road for ease-of-use and improved traffic flow. See story at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2023_04_27_archive.html.

Ramzi Mansour, Director of Environmental Management
for Hawai'i County. Photo by Julia Neal

     Attendees included Kahu Kimo Awai who blessed the facility, Mayor Mitch Roth, Department of Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour, Deputy Director Brenda Iokepa-Moses, Solid Waste Division Chief Michael Kaha, County Council Member Michelle Galimba, Environmental Commission member Lee McIntosh, and representatives of the Department of Parks & Recreation, Hawai'i Fire Department and  SSFM, the engineering consulting and construction management company that handled the job. Praise went to Loeffler Construction, which built the facility. 

    Iokepa-Moses sent out a big mahalo to former County Council Chair Maile Medeiros David who worked on the project during her four terms in office.

     Solid Waste Division Chief Kaha said he is very proud of the place. 

      Kaʻū's County Council member joked, "I kind of miss the old dump.... it's been forever, backing up to that thing, or carrying trash to that thing. It's kind of funny too because when I was thinking about running (for Council), should I run? What should my theme be? Everybody is like, well, you know, obvious one is fix the dump, cause that's what everybody really cared about." Galimba also gave credit to Maile David, saying the project was well on its way when Galimba took office. Galimba thanked those who attended and the county "from everyone in Kaʻū."

      The Director of Environmental Management noted that sustainability and environmental protection are top priorities for the mayor. He said there are many challenges, including recycling. "China stopped taking our products." He vowed that the County will work more on recycling, including energy conversion.

     Mansour praised those who work at the 21 transfer stations in the County of Hawai'i. "They work for you - the citizens." He noted that during holidays the supervisors and managers help out by taking the trucks on their routes.

The new Wai'ōhinu Recycling & Transfer station.
Photo by Annie Bosted

  Mayor Mitch Roth also praised the hardworking employees in the field of solid waste. "A lot of people don't really give them the due course. Really oftentimes a thankless job. People don't really understand how hard these guys are working... These guys really put in a lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of heart."

     He said the county is investing in equipment, particularly new trucks. 

     He said the County's vision is to have a "sustainable Hawai.....the goal is to have our keiki raise their keiki here and for their keiki to raise their keiki on this island." He pointed to the need for more affordable housing, more quality jobs. "We also look at energy and affordability." The mayor noted that Hawai'i has the highest gas and electricity cost and is looking at creating hydrogen fuel from landfills and wastewater treatment facilities.

   Turning to the Wai'ōhinu Recycling & Transfer Station's acres of land with an ocean view, the Mayor said it is the "best looking landfill" and the absolute "best on the island." He noted that improving infrastructure will continue and that Kaʻū's council member comes to his office about every two months and talks about the need for infrastructure.     

   The mayor said that often times "we think that this part of the island is forgotten," and vowed to continue work in Kaʻū, including further improving the transfer stations at Ocean View and Miloli'i and upgrading water infrastructure to help with affordable housing. He also said he is very proud of the Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Services, Brenda Iokepa-Moses who lives in Kaʻū. 

     Kahu Kimo Awai, with his own roots in Wai'ōhinu, gave the blessing in Hawaiian and English asking attendees to "preserve, protect, make good." He led the pa, clapping three times, each for Past, Present and Future and led the untying of the ti lei by Mike Kaha and the Mayor. See the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMwbd8j7jgs.

    The project involved building out new facilities for dumping at the lower end of the site and then building a circular one-way road for ease-of-use and improved traffic flow.  See more at http://kaunewsbriefs.blogspot.com/2023_04_27_archive.html.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

THE TEAMSTERS STRIKE AGAINST HAWAI'I GAS IS OVER after two weeks. The union and Hawai'i Gas announced Wednesday evening that they reached an agreement. Hawai'i Gas unionized

employees totaling 217 statewide will receive a 15 percent wage increase over three years and the company will also pay 90 percent of the cost of health insurance.

    The strike lasted two weeks, forcing some restaurants and other businesses to close, including KaiLoki's in Ocean View, which reopened Wednesday afternoon with an alternate supplier for the gas for its stoves and ovens.
    Alicia Moy, President and CEO of Hawai'i Gas, said, “We are very glad to have come to an agreement with the Teamsters.This situation has been tough for everyone, and we know we will need to find ways to heal and come back together as one ʻohana. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to work and servicing our customers. We appreciate our customers’ patience as we dealt with the issues that arose during the strike and are committed to getting operations back to normal as soon as possible.” 

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

THE FINAL WAIKAPUNA RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN is available online at at https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/123842/Waikapuna%20Resources%20Management%20Plan%20by%20Townscape_Final%202023.pdf. A hard copy of the plan will be available for review at the County's Hilo (25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1101) and Kona (74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Bldg C) offices by the end of June.

Waikapua Resources Management Plan is final and available
online and in hard copy. Photo by Andrew Hara

    Gabriel Sham, Associate Planner with Townscape, the consultancy which oversaw creation of the management plan said: "We would like to express our gratitude to the people of Kaʻū for welcoming us into their community and to all who provided manaʻo and contributed to the management plan."

    The Executive Summary of the Plan notes that "Waikapuna, similar to other large tracts of land on the Kaʻū coastline, has been subjected to the threat of development over the years. These threats grew considerable after the closure of the sugar plantation in the late 1990's. In 2019, Ala Kahakai Trail Association, a non-profit organization, acquired the 2,317 acre Waikapuna parcel in fee-simple for conservation and placed a conservation easement over the property to protect it from future development.
    "ATA's interest in preserving these lands is to protect the ancient trail network including the surrounding

cultural, historical and natural landscape by facilitating partnerships and creating community connections through stewardship and education. 

    "Funds raised from The Trust for Public Land; the State Legacy Land Conservation Program; the County Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund and private donors were utilized to purchase the property. The County holds the conservation easement over the property, which was acquired using monies from the County's Preservation Fund that is funded by two percent of the County's annual real property tax revenues. The conservation easement protects the property from future development."

    For further information on plan implementation or to get involved with stewardship efforts,  refer to Ala Kahakai Trail Association's Website at www.alakahakaitrail.org.
    For information on the County's Public Access, Open Space, Natural Resources Commission Preservation or Maintenance funds, contact Maxine Cutler via email at Maxine.Cutler@hawaiicounty.gov.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands. 

The Ka'u Calendar: 5,000 in the mail, 2,500 on stands.
Also see www.kaucalendar.com

Kaʻū News Briefs, Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Kaluapele Under the Milky Way
Going to see the crater in the middle of the night to avoid crowds has been very rewarding to many local families. This photo was posted by Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park on Tuesday along with a Haiku poem submitted by Hawai'i Pacific Parks Association: Pele sleeps and wakes. Lakes of water, lakes of Fire. Stars watch her by night.
 Kaluapele means Pele's pit. See more at https://www.facebook.com/hawaiivolcanoesnps. NPS photo by Janice Wei

GLYPHOSATE HERBICIDE SPRAYING WILL NO LONGER BE USED ALONG COUNTY ROADSIDES, DRAINAGE STRUCTURES, RIGHT OF WAYS AND EASEMENTS. The County of Hawaiʻi, Public Works Department announced on Tuesday that it will end the use of glyphosate-based herbicides by July 1. The most widely used glyphosate herbicide is Roundup.
    County Public Works Director Steve Pause said that "the Department has been working for some time to develop alternative means and methods to achieve maintenance of County infrastructure without the

reliance on chemical herbicides. We believe this day has arrived."          County Council Member from District 7, Rebecca Villegas, stated that "I'm deeply grateful for the leadership of Steve Pause and Neil Azevedo. Transitioning to alternate methods of road maintenance is the right thing to do for our people, our lands, and our waters. I cried when I heard the news. After years of working towards this vital transition, our community can celebrate positive changes in our County's land management practices."
    Mayor Mitch Roth supports using non-chemical herbicides, stating, "we have a real opportunity to put our money where our mouth is and invest in better management systems that put our ʻāina and our people's health first. This is something that the community has been asking for quite some time, and we applaud the efforts of Director Pause for his commitment to getting

University of Texas Austin study linked drop in
honeybee populations to Roundup.

this done. We also acknowledge Councilmember Villegas' continued commitment and advocacy for ʻāina-conscious county practices."
    The Department of Public Works statement says it appreciates the community's feedback and comments.
The ban was established by the County Council in 2019 through a measure initiated by Villegas. The plan was to phase the ban in over four years.                    Testimonies before the Council included the dangers of glyphosate to honey bees, claims that people were sickened when the roadsides and parks were sprayed and presentations of scientific reports on danger to wildlife, domestic animals and humans. Among the ailments from exposure to Roundup for which lawsuits have awarded victims are non-Hodgkins lymphoma other lymphatic cancers and leukemia Alternatives to Roundup include dish soap, vinegar and salt water for home and garden and commercial alternatives for sale at garden centers.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

 

THE HAWAI'I LICENSE PLATE HONORING POLYNESIAN VOYAGERS won top license plate. Automobile License Plate Collectors Association Award was recently announced after a vote by its 3,000 members worldwide.

     The art depicts the Hokulea and was designed by Todd Yamashita of Moloka'i. License Plate Collectors President Cyndi McCabe said, the Polynesian Voyaging Society plate "quickly emerged as a member favorite in the balloting and was ultimately selected by a landslide." She said the design was honored for its legibility and its stunning, colorful design."

     A pair of plates can be purchased for $35.50 with annual renewal of $25, with $20 per year going to Polynesian Voyaging Society. So far, about a quarter of a million dollars has been raised for Polynesian Voyaging Society. The plates can be purchased through County of Hawai'i Vehicle Registration & Licensing. See https://vehicleregistrationlicensing.as.me/specialtyplates.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest print edition at kaucalendar.com, in the mail and on stands.

The Ka'u Calendar: 5,000 in the mail, 2,500 on stands.
Also see www.kaucalendar.com