Ka`u News Briefs March 27, 2012

The contract to operate Volcano House has been awarded to Ortega National Parks and Aqua Hotels and Resorts.
Photo from Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park

VOLCANO HOUSE, its hotel, restaurant and retail operations, will be run by Ortega National Parks, LLC and Aqua Hotels and Resorts, Inc., under an agreement announced yesterday by the National Park Service. The 15-year contract also covers operations at Namakanipaio Campground. The NPS statement says Ortega National Parks, LLC has more than 45 years of hospitality experience and over 16 years’ experience operating concessions within other national parks and monuments including Death Valley, Golden Gate, Bandelier, White Sands, Muir Woods and Carlsbad Caverns.

      The contract calls for the partnership, Hawai`i Volcanoes Lodge Company, LLC, to make renovations to the hotel costing between $2.5 million and $3.5 million. It must also pay the Park Service a minimum franchise fee of six percent “to help maintain facilities and other critical visitor services,” the statement says.

Volcano House has been closed since
January 2010. Photo by Julia Neal

      NPS has spent more than $4 million on fire and safety improvements at Volcano House, including seismic upgrades. Volcano House shut down on Dec. 31, 2009 with the end of the contract held by former concessioner Ken Fujiyama.
      Applicants were evaluated on their re- sponses to questions asked, including how to engage and educate the visiting public on the native Hawaiian culture through interpretive experiences and retail services, including the sale of Native Hawaiian handicrafts and cultural demonstrations. Additional guidelines used to evaluate proposals can be found online at www.nps.gov/commercialservices.

THE VOLCANO PROJECT, an effort led by David Howard Donald and Anne Lee, of Volcano, would have taken Volcano House into operation by a nonprofit organization. Their plan was to make it a culinary and hospitality education institution while serving visitors to the park. They attracted numerous letters of support from county, state and federal elected officials as well as business and Hawaiian cultural leaders and community members. The Volcano Project has manned a table every Sunday for several years at Volcano Farmers Market. Their website says, “The Volcano Project is going forward with our plans to open a world-class hospitality school.” See more at volcanoproject.org.

FEDERAL EDUCATION OFFICIALS could come to Ka`u schools this week, as they plan to visit “zones of school innovation” under the Race to the Top program. The federal Department of Education officials are in Hawai`i to meet with administrators and policymakers, as well as teachers union leader Will Okabe.

      The teachers are yet to settle their labor dispute with the state and are working under a “last, best and final offer” from the administration. The dispute is considered one of the reasons that Hawai`i is on probation for some $75 million in Race to the Top funding.

Hawai`i welcomed Race to the Top officials this week who could visit
schools in Ka`u. Photo from www.americanprogress.org

      Hawai`i and Florida are the only two Race to the Top grant recipients that still have a lot to prove, according to a new report from the Center on American Progress. The Washington, D.C.-based think tank for education policy reports that 10 of the 12 Race to the Top winners are scheduled to continue receiving their grants, but Hawai`i and Florida are “not meeting expectations.” 
The report gives a state-by-state review of educational progress and challenges. Regarding Hawai`i, it says, “If desire is any indication, the state is headed in the right direction. But clearly there are still significant promises to keep — and challenges to address – the months and years ahead.” The entire report, called Race to the Top: What We Have Learned from the States So Far, was released yesterday for reading at www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/rtt_states.html.
      School officials said they are planning to prove to the Race to the Top overseers that Hawai`i schools are making a lot of progress.

KALAEKILOHANA has opened up reservations to the general public for its Ka`u Coffee Festival event on Saturday, May 5. The $100 a ticket evening at the upscale B&B on South Point Road is called Ka`u Farmers’ Table: A Feast for the Senses and features with dinner by Chef Morgan Star of Mi’s Italian Bistro and an evening of music with Robert Cazimero. The gathering is one of the two new official events of the Ka`u Coffee Festival, which will hold its Ho`olaule`a on Saturday, May 12 and its educational day on Sunday, May 13. Also planned as a new Ka`u Coffee Festival event is a recipe contest, this time for cookies, candies and crackers, at Ka`u Coffee Mill on Wood Valley Road above Pahala on Sunday, May 6. See more at www.kaucoffeefestival.com.

Ranger John Stallman

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK ranger John Stallman discusses the natural history and conservation of Hawai`i’s ancient native palms at After Dark in the Park today at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

PANDANUS WEAVING is the topic tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon on the Kilauea Visitor Center lanai in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Participants learn how to weave bracelets from the leaves of the hala tree. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply.

THE FINAL WHALE COUNT for 2012 takes place Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at various locations throughout Ka`u. Volunteers count humpback whales and document their behavior. Sign up at http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

THY WORD MINISTRIES KA`U holds its ninth annual Easter Family Fun Day on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Na`alehu Hongwanji Hall. The event includes a craft fair, free lunch, music, hula and an Easter egg hunt for all ages. For more information, call 936-9114.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs March 26, 2012

Ka`u High students, with advisor Theodore Brattstrom, competed in FIRST over the weekend.

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY TAX CREDIT REDUCTIONS for solar hot water and photovoltaic and wind systems could be on the horizon. The state Legislature is considering several bills. Senate Bill 2288 was referred to the Senate Finance Committee last week, after going through amendments. The latest version would initially raise maximum tax deductions for solar hot water systems from $2,250 to $2,500 and photovoltaics for single-family houses from $5,000 to $7,000. It would eliminate the $500,000 cap on deductions for commercial properties. However, by 2015, the tax credits would be reduced from 35 percent to 20 percent of the cost of purchasing the systems. The new law also would prohibit the tax deductions when the system is established with a power purchase agreement with a government agency, and it would allow one tax credit per tax map key, reducing incentives for putting in solar on `ohana units and for duplexes, triplexes and other multifamily units.

Installations of photovoltaics may decline if tax
credits are reduced. Photo from forms.iapmo.org

      The Solar Voltaic Coalition opposed the reduction in tax credits over time, noting that 15 percent of all construction jobs in Hawai`i in 2011 were related to solar power installations. “The measure’s impact on the residential market will have the greatest impact on PV specialists contractors, who perform the bulk of residential installations. The disruption caused by this measure will ensure that many of these entities will be forced out of business as the market adjusts to the radically changed incentive regime,” the Coalition testified. 

      Blue Planet opposed the House Draft of the measure, saying it would significantly reduce the incentive to invest in renewable energy, likely damage the solar and wind industries in Hawai`i and deliver a major setback to the state’s clean energy efforts.” 

      The Hawai`i Renewable Energy Association also opposed the changes, testifying that they would “set the state back in its overall efforts to increase our use of renewable energy, reduce employment in the construction sector at a most inopportune time, and stymie efforts by state agencies to reduce their energy costs and thereby save taxpayer dollars.” The Sierra Club called the measure “penny-wise, pound-foolish.”
      The state, however, claims it is losing tens of millions of dollars each year to the write-offs for installing alternative energies.
      See more testimony and the bills themselves at hawaii.capitol.gov.

Thermal camera shows temperatures in lava flow field.
Photo from USGS/HVO

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY has increased its webcams from 6 to 14 webcams these days and has upgraded its website to provide more real time seismic, deformation and gas concentration data, webcam images of eruptive areas and maps, photos and videos. 

      Four of these new webcams are thermal cameras. These cameras provide a picture of temperatures in the field of view, with cool colors (blue, purple) depicting lower temperatures and hot colors (orange, red, white) showing higher temperatures. Lava at Kilauea is erupted at around 2,012 degrees F, but normally develops a cooler crust within seconds of being exposed to the air. One of the primary benefits of the thermal cameras, compared to conventional webcams, is that they can “see” through thick fume (although it may depress the measured temperatures). See more at hvo.wr.usgs.gov.

GASOLINE PRICES ROSE an average of 6.7 cents per gallon across the state in just one week, averaging $4.50 per gallon yesterday. The national average went up to 3.86 per gallon, a 4.5 cent increase, reports the website HawaiiGasPrices.com. Prices in Hawai`i yesterday were 29.2 cents higher than the same day a year ago and 23.5 cents higher than a month ago. The national average is 29.5 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.
      The national average rising 21 consecutive days is “a troubling sign,” said gasbudd.com analyst Patrick DeHaan. “Typically, we expect such increases to occur more so in April,” he said.
      Prices in Ka`u this morning for regular: $4.72 at Ka `u Gas in Pahala and $4.76 at the 76 Station in Na`alehu. In Ocean View prices were $4.60 at Kahala Gas and Ocean View Market and $4.55 at Kahuku Country Market.

Members of the Ka`u High Robotics Team adjust their
 machine. Photo by Andrew Suenobu

KA`U HIGH’S ROBOTICS TEAM is back from the FIRST competition at the Stan Sheriff Center at University of Hawai`i on O`ahu. The students built a robot that competed in putting balls through a hoops in a game called the Rebound Rumble. Team leader Leilani Desmond said the Robotics group is looking for financial support to help pay for their expenses. The faculty advisor is chemistry teacher Theodore Brattstrom. 

      Kohala High and Kealakehe High School teams will travel from the Big Island to the national competition in St. Louis beginning April 25. “Every year student competitors amaze everyone with their teamwork and outstanding technical skills,” said Shelley Rowley, co-chair of FIRST in Hawai`i regional competiton. FIRST means For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. To contribute to the Robotics Team, call Ka`u High at 928-2088.

INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS AND STUDENT GROUPS from public, charter and private schools, as well as for-profit or nonprofit youth organizations are eligible to apply for the county’s Student Malama Award, the first Hawai`i Island student sustainability award to highlight and celebrate youth-led stewardship and sustainability initiatives on the Big Island. Outstanding student leaders in this field will be awarded $500 scholarships.
       Projects may include, but are not limited to, topics such as renewable energy and energy efficiency; agriculture such as school gardens and local foods; resource management such as zero waste, community-based volunteerism, social and community service and environmental projects such as conservation and preservation of the ocean, land and forest.
       Scholarships will be awarded to winners in K-5, 6-8 and 9-12 grade categories. An awards ceremony luncheon with Mayor Billy Kenoi will be scheduled for the end of the school year.
      Applications are available on the Office of the Mayor’s website at www.hawaiicounty.gov/office-of-the-mayor/categories/SMA. The deadline is April 15.
       For more information, contact Barbara Kossow at 323-4448 or Lisa Robertson at 961-8211.

Loulu, Hawai`i's ancient native palms, are the topic at
After Dark in the Park tomorrow. Photo from NPS

AT AFTER DARK IN THE PARK tomorrow, Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park ranger John Stallman discusses the natural history and conservation of Hawai`i’s ancient native palms. The program begins at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. 

PARTICIPANTS LEARN HOW TO WEAVE lauhala bracelets from the leaves of the hala tree on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs March 25, 2012

Some Punalu`u condos are rented by out-of-state owners. Photo from Expedia

MAKING OUT-OF-STATE OWNERS of vacation rentals contract with a realtor or broker in order to rent them out is a bill still alive at the Hawai`i Legislature. It has drawn the ire of many owners, who claim they pay transient accommodations and general excise taxes to the state and should not be forced to give part of their income to a realtor. Realtors are claiming they can help the state better secure the taxes.
      The bill to require out-of-state owners to hire agents was all but dead until last week when it bolted back to life in the Senate Tourism Committee. The original bill to require agent involvement was initiated by Sen. Josh Green, set to become Ka`u’s senator from Kona to Honu`apo if he wins the next election. In the Senate Tourism Committee, only Sam Slom and Gil Kahele voted with reservations to let the bill move forward for further discussion. The rest of the committee voted for it, without reservations.
      A website has been launched to oppose the bill by a group called Rental By Owner Awareness Association. See http://rboaa.org.
      See a story on this issue at www.civilbeat.com.

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES that indirectly support candidates without giving them money cannot be limited by the Hawai`i Campaign Spending Commission in the amount of contributions they receive, a federal judge ruled last week in Honolulu. According to a Civil Beat story, U.S. District Judge Michael Seabright “made permanent a preliminary injunction he imposed in 2010, ruling that limiting contributions to independent-expenditure-only committees was unconstitutional.” 

      Civil Beat reported that Campaign Spending Commission general counsel Gary Kam predicted the ruling will stand. “The commission has since begun to track independent-expenditure-only committees to better monitor contributions and expenses” wrote Civil Beat reporter Nanea Kalani. The Political Action Groups are legally known as “independent-expenditure-only committees.” The five that have registered in Hawai`i as of March 20 are: A Better Hawai`i PAC, Hawai`i Solutions, Kaua`i Women’s Caucus, MADPAC and Save Paradise.

      Civil Beat reports that A Better Hawai`i is led by Christopher Racine, who gave the maximum allowed donations to the Neil Abercrombie and Brian Schatz gubernatorial campaigns. Save Paradise is led by Steven Sue, whose company built the Ben Cayetano campaign website for his bid to become Honolulu’s next mayor. Both PACs list the same treasurer. MADPAC Hawai`i also supports Cayetano, Civil Beat reports.
      According to Civil Beat, “These groups can support or attack candidates through advertising, mailings and other means so long as they operate independently of the candidate. They can accept unlimited contributions and spend unlimited amounts. Groups cannot qualify if they make any direct contributions to candidates.” See more at www.civilbeat.com.

Sen. Gil Kahele (right), next to Alan Wong, establishing the bee sanctuary. Photos from UH-Hilo

SEN. GIL KAHELE AND CHEF ALAN WONG celebrated the campaign to save honeybees on Friday as the state Legislature honored Wong with a resolution for his Adopt a Beehive program. The program is operated by University of Hawai`i-Hilo and gives participants the opportunity to sponsor beehive care at the campus. The program was prompted by the rapid decrease of bee populations in nature and on farms, creating concern about the future of food for wildlife and humans.

Beekeepers at UH-Hilo

      Says Wong, “Bees are responsible for 90 percent of the world’s food supply whether directly pollinating fruits and vegetables or indirectly pollinating something cattle might eat.” Wong quoted Albert Einstein: “If the bees were to disappear from the face of the earth, we have seven years to live. That's how important they are.”
      Kahele said that “without the honeybee here - just imagine that - if they stopped, bzzzz, you know, pollinating a lot of the vegetables the farmers would be in deep hurt.”
      Wong said the U.H. program brings awareness and education to the community to help reverse the trend because “the bees are disappearing.” See the Adopt A Beehive program at http://www.uhfoundation.org/donor_resources/giving_opportunities/adopt_a_beehive_gallery.aspx.

THE 4.9 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE that hit Honomu, north of Hilo, yesterday at 10:47 a.m. was felt throughout Ka`u and all the way to Maui and O`ahu. The same area was rocked with a 6.2 quake that left $5.6 million in damages and more than 15 injured people in 1973. Yesterday’s quake, however, left no reported damage or injuries.

Transportation is offered for vets' medical appointments.

THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS Kona Chapter Seven offers transportation for veterans from the south side of the Big Island to and from their VA scheduled medical appointments. The vehicle runs daily and picks up passengers at homes at any location from Na`alehu and South Point to Honaunau and return. Three days notice before the appointment is required, and appointments should be scheduled in the morning if possible. For rides, call 756-1350 and leave a message. 

HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK ranger John Stallman discusses the natural history and conservation of Hawai`i’s ancient native palms at After Dark in the Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. $2 donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

MEMBERS OF `AHA PUHALA O PUNA teach participants how to weave lauhala bracelets from the lau (leaves) of the hala (pandanus) tree on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is free, and park entrance fees apply.

VISIT OUR SPONSORS AT WWW.PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND WWW.KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.