Ka`u News Briefs July 2, 2012

Burned out Pa`au`au Gulch makai of Ka`u Hospital and Pahala Village, where firefighting has come to an end.
Photo by Julia Neal

PAHALA FIRES ARE PAU, in terms of firefighting operations, according to Hawai`i County Fire Department who made the announcement Sunday evening. The Fire Department said the fires are 95 percent contained in the coffee lands and eucalyptus farms and pasture where 400 acres burned and 60 percent contained in the wildlands and pastures around the makai macadamia orchards where some 5,200 acres burned, including 150 acres of mac nut trees. On-duty personnel will continue to monitor hot spots within the fire breaks, fire officials said. 

CANDIDATES CARRIED their political messages down Hwy 11 in Na`alehu Saturday, walking, riding and shaking hands during the Independence Day Parade. The march followed the Friday night forum sponsored by Ocean View Community Association. Here is more from that forum:

Lincoln Ashida came to the candidate forum Friday and
the parade Saturday. Photo by William Neal

LINCOLN ASHIDA was the sole candidate for county Prosecuting Attorney to attend the forum. He talked about growing up in Hilo, going off to college at University of Michigan and law school at Creighton. He said experience qualifying him for Prosecuting Attorney began with summer internships in the Hawai`i County prosecutor’s office for three years, followed by a job offer that he accepted after law school. He named another asset as the administrative role of his current job as corporate counsel for the county. Ashida said he is up at 4 a.m. every morning and likes to be the first one in and the last one to leave the office and says he likes to lead by example. He called himself a “servant leader” and said he would seek to encourage attorneys to make a career in the prosecutor’s office by encouraging them with the question, “How can I serve you to help you to do your jobs better?” He noted that the average tenure nationwide for prosecuting attorneys is just three years. Most attorneys use the job to get started and leave for private practice. Career attorneys and electing Ashida would help give the prosecutor’s office continuity, the candidate said. 

      Ashida said he originally planned to be a tax attorney but ended up as a “gunslinger” in court and as a Hawai`i county prosecutor stayed for 13 years. He prosecuted the famous case involving the murder of Dana Ireland, leading to the conviction of the murderer, and said that he is honored that her family supports his run for Prosecuting Attorney.

Supporters walked in the parade for Lincoln Ashida for Prosecuting
Attorney. Photo by William Neal.

      Regarding crime in rural areas, Ashida recommended getting the detectives out of their offices in Kona and Hilo and into the field. He said detectives stationed in communities get to know the area, the people, “and who the snitches are.” Regarding burglaries and robberies, he noted that 80 percent of the crimes are committed by 20 percent of the criminal population. When inmates get out of jail, crime commonly goes up in their home neighborhoods. He said the most important element in catching thieves is having leads. People calling in right away when crimes occur and expanding neighborhood watch programs could help, he said. 

      Ashida also mentioned several initiatives for state laws to curb crime. One would making it illegal to drive under the influence of kava. Another would tackle the problem of people stealing identities online and pretending they are the victim when contacting people on social media.

THE NEW WATER WELL AND SPIGOTS at Ocean View will be blessed at 9 a.m. on Thursday, but may open sooner for public use. The Ocean View well is the deepest well on the island that is managed by the DWS. The powerful three-phase submersible pump must push 100 gallons of water per minute up a 12-inch pipe nearly a half-mile to the 300,000-gallon reservoir. 

      The blessing will be on site at the fill station at the corner of Lehua Lane and Hwy 11. Light refreshments will be served. The publicly funded $6 million project establishes a basic drinking water system with well, storage tank, transmission pipeline and fill station for the Ocean View community.

New tools to study information recorded by seismographs
is available online. Photo from NPS/HVO

HAWAIIAN VOLCANO OBSERVATORY seismologist Wes Thelen introduces new online tools available to interpret earthquakes at After Dark in the Park tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. Call 985-6011 for more information.

NA`ALEHU PARK is the site of Fun on the Fourth in Ka`u Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. `O Ka`u Kakou provides seniors with bingo & free luncheon, while keiki enjoy free games, hot dogs & shaved ice.

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund in last year's Volcano Parade on July 4.
Photo by Julia Neal

VOLCANO VILLAGE’S annual Fourth of July Parade & Celebration takes place Wednesday. The parade begins at 9 a.m. at the post office and follows Old Volcano Rd. to Wright Rd., turning left to Cooper Center, site of craft fair, entertainment, food, games and silent auction. The silent auction, sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, starts at 9 a.m. in Cooper Center. Items include bed & breakfast stays, adventure tours, massage and acupuncture sessions, golf packages, admissions to area attractions, retail store and restaurant gift certificates, original art, photography, prints, jewelry, crafts & more. The auction supports volunteer and educational projects in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org for more about the auction. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP celebrates Fourth of July with a Country Hoedown & Western Dance
Party at Lava Lounge in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. with BBQ pork on a hoagie bun, corn, baked beans and warm buttermilk biscuits for $10. The Dance Party is set for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with no cover charge. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs July 1, 2012

Hawai`i County Band marched through downtown Na`alehu at yesterday's Independence Day Parade.
Photo by Peter Anderson

BIDS ARE IN FOR CONSTRUCTION of Ka`u District Gym & Shelter. All bids are higher than County of Hawai`i’s estimated cost of $16.5 million. Summit Construction, Inc. gave the lowest bid of $17,388,856. Other bids are: Jacobsen Construction Co., Inc. $18,183,000; Yamada Paint Contracting, Inc., dba GW Construction $19,972,862; Honolulu Builders, LLC $19,980,000; F&H Construction $18,573,000; Nan, Inc. $18,539,779; Isemoto Contracting Co, Ltd. $18,253,000. The final bid will be awarded after the county reviews the proposals in depth.

ALL OF THE KA`U COUNTY COUNCIL CANDIDATES marched the Independence Day Parade in Na`alehu yesterday and attended the candidates’ forum at Ocean View Community Center Friday.

Brenda Ford joined the Na`alehu Parade, campaigning for County
Council  District 6.  Photo by Charles Tobias

BRENDA FORD talked about the Ocean View trash processing station. “What’s holding it up is money.” She said it was top on the list until another transfer station collapsed and had to be replaced. She said it is next. She said she is not happy with taking on debt for the county but suggested that a bond could help pay for the Ocean View facility, which could include recycling and composting. She predicted the county “will never get to zero waste, but we can get to five percent.” She also talked about the Council receiving a lot of proposals on handling waste. “One is a Material Recovery Facility, which employs intensive reuse and recycling principals. She said one is likely to be built near Kona.

County Council District 6 candidate Maile David walked
in the parade. Photo by Charles Tobias

MAILE DAVID said the trash recycling and transfer station for Ocean View is critical for health and welfare. “Whoever gets in office needs to really bird dog and work with state representatives to resolve whatever is holding it up.” David said her proudest achievement is “coming to realization that my 30 years of community activism and community service has brought me to where I am today.” She sued and stopped dredging of shoreline at Kukui, where “they were doing it over the weekend” without permits. She said within the “beautiful reefs,” remnants of ponds they were attempting to dig can be seen. She also litigated to preserve a historic site in Kona, resulting in it being purchased for $600,000.

Lee McIntosh helped organize the parade and is running for County
Council District 6. Photo by Peter Anderson

LEE MCINTOSH said he is “a problem solver. I can identify problems and listen to problems other people have identified and look for solutions that best meet the end result that we want to accomplish.” He said, “I will work hard to represent constituents in my district and do my best to follow through. McIntosh noted the parade he and his family organized for yesterday’s Independence Day in Na`alehu. Three years ago, he and his family “were waiting for them to do the parade. I found out that they weren’t going to do it. My family scrambled to figure out the process and worked with the county and Police Department.” He said his family continues to organize the parade through `O Ka`u Kakou.

Bradley Westervelt, running for County Council District 6.
Photo by William Neal

BRADLEY WESTERVELT said he supports farm-to-table initiatives and that it is a “tragic thing we have to import so much food.” He noted that he has worked on sustainability for the island and supports building code modification to allow the use of such materials as `ohi`a and lava rock. He works with the Hawai`i Sustainable Community on modifying the building code. Westervelt also said he worked on the Ocean View temporary transfer station and called the disposal situation a tragedy with Ocean View residents driving far to get rid of their garbage. He suggested opening the transfer station north of Ocean View more hours a week so people can dispose of their trash on the way to work in Kona.

SEE TOMORROW'S NEWS BRIEFS reporting on Lincoln Ashida's participation in the candidate forum.

Antonio Rocha performs tomorrow at Ka`u's libraries.

ANTONIO ROCHA brings the sights and sounds of Brazilian and African rainforests to Ka`u in his solo shows at local libraries tomorrow. Rocha performs at Na`alehu Public Library at 9:30 a.m. and at Pahala Public & School Library at noon. All ages are welcome. 

VIRTUAL SEISMOLOGY is the topic at After Dark in the Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Hawaiian Volcano Observatory seismologist Wes Thelen introduces new online tools available to interpret earthquakes. Two-dollar donations support park programs, and park entrance fees apply. Call 985-6011 for more information.

VOLCANO VILLAGE’S annual Fourth of July Parade & Celebration takes place Wednesday. The parade begins at 9 a.m. at the post office and follows Old Volcano Rd. to Wright Rd., turning left to Cooper Center, site of craft fair, entertainment, food, games and silent auction.
      The silent auction, sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, starts at 9 a.m. in Cooper Center. Items include bed & breakfast stays, adventure tours, massage and acupuncture sessions, golf packages, admissions to area attractions, retail store and restaurant gift certificates, original art, photography, prints, jewelry, crafts & more. The auction supports volunteer and educational projects in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. Call 985-7373 or email admin@fhvnp.org for more about the auction.

FUN ON THE FOURTH IN KA`U runs from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Na`alehu Park. `O Ka`u Kakou provides seniors with bingo & free luncheon, while keiki enjoy free games, hot dogs & shaved ice. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP celebrates Fourth of July with a Country Hoedown & Western Dance
Party at Lava Lounge in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park with BBQ pork on a hoagie bun, corn, baked beans and warm buttermilk biscuits for $10 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Dance Party is set for 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., with no cover charge. Open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. Call 967-8371 for more information.

SEE OUR SPONSORS AT PAHALAPLANTATIONCOTTAGES.COM AND KAUCOFFEEMILL.COM.

Ka`u News Briefs June 30, 2012

Ocean View Well will provide water with a blessing on July 5th.
Photo by bigislandliving.blogspot.com

THE NEW WATER WELL AND SPIGOTS at Ocean View will be blessed on July 5 but may open sooner for public use. The Department of Water Supply announced this week that “new source approvals for drinking water are in order” with a June 26 final acceptance of the project. Several weeks ago, during testing, the pump began tripping as the reservoir re-filled. However, recent pump tests yielded performance analyses acceptable to the manufacturer, contractor, and Water Department. Water Department staff is working with the state Department of Health to finalize approval for the public water system, and operations work crews are preparing the system for imminent service to the public, the Water Department announced.

     The blessing will be on site at the fill station at the corner of Lehua Lane and Hwy 11 in Ocean View. Light refreshments will be served. The publicly funded $6 million project establishes a basic drinking water system with well, storage tank, transmission pipeline and fill station for the Ocean View community. To ensure encumbrance of state funds within the short legislative timeline of two years, the project was procured as design-build in two phases.
      Phase 1 included exploratory well development land and easement procurement an Environmental Assessment and design of the facility. Phase 2 entailed completing the design, hiring and overseeing contractors, obtaining approvals and permits for final design and building the facility.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE would have more power under a proposal by Ka`u County Council member Brittany Smart. The measure, which will be heard at the County Council meeting on Tuesday with public testimony allowed, will give more access to the commission to review proposals from the Department of Environmental Management and the County Council and make recommendations. Smart said she was surprised that the administration had launched a 90-day pilot program earlier this year to take Hilo garbage to the landfill north of Kona Airport without notifying the commission or the County Council. The program resulted in about 78.8 percent of county garbage going to the westside landfill at Pu`unahulu, and the county is coming up with a cost comparison of trucking garbage from the eastside to the westside landfill versus expanding Hilo landfill, which is reaching capacity.
     Kona Council member Angel Pilago has called for an audit of the county’s Environmental Management Agency, saying he was concerned that the county ran the pilot program without input from the County Council.

AN ELECTION FORUM yesterday evening at Ocean View Community Center drew all of the Ka`u County Council candidates and one candidate for Prosecuting Attorney.

BRADLEY WESTERVELT said the economy is a major issue. Former owner of Tex Drive-In in Pahala, which he renamed PT Café, Westervelt said he enjoyed running the restaurant but couldn’t keep it going. He worked as a legislative aide at the County Council where, he said, he “learned a lot about what it takes to get things done.” 

Bradley Westervelt (right) during the break at the Ocean View
Community Center. Photo by William Neal

Lee McIntosh (right) during last night's candidate forum in Ka`u.
Photo by William Neal

     He said pressure from his friends in Pahala and Na`alehu led him to run for Council. He said the county has taken on too much property for preservation and contended the county does not have the tax base to maintain the parks and other preserves. He suggested reaching out for private support for these activities. He said he perceives most people supporting some kind of resort development a Pohue Bay for jobs and to gain access for the public. He said a resort project could perhaps make it open to the public sooner and that if the county owned it, it could take longer and that the county may not be able to afford “to keep it nice and clean.”

LEE MCINTOSH said his vision for Ka`u “is a community where businesses and families can thrive.” He said he wants to stabilize property taxes. He said property tax should be by square footage of buildings and land rather than value. McIntosh said he wants to prevent further cuts in services, such as keeping gyms open more often to the public. McIntosh lives in Discovery Harbour and runs his own landscape business.

He noted that he and his family helped save Na`alehu’s Independence Day Parade after organizers abandoned the event. McIntosh said he is a good listener and a person who can bring solutions to problems.
     Regarding Pohue Bay, McIntosh said he supports the county purchase and management of the parcel and access to provide entry to the public.

BRENDA FORD talked about her accomplishments on the County Council after being elected three times. She said she focuses on infrastructure for health and safety and that she decided to run because she saw that anyone living outside of Hilo was not “getting a fair share.” She said she and her husband Larry have worked in the Community Emergency Response Team. They also operate a small farm from which they sell their coffee and fruit. Ford said she is very supportive of the needs of police and firefighters and worked to build water tanks for fire suppression – two in Miloli`i and one in Kona. She said, “I put my money where my mouth is.”

Brenda Ford (left) talks with an interested voter at the
Ocean View forum last night. Photo by William Neal

Maile David (left) talks with an interested citizen at the forum
sponsored by Ocean View Community Association
Photo by William Neal

     Ford said she supports the public purchase of important lands at Pohue Bay and an access road, an initiative proposed by current Ka`u Council member Brittany Smart. Ford said the island does not need another hotel built until all of the hotels are 90-percent occupied. She said it hurts resorts that are struggling for occupancy when a new hotel comes up.

MAILE DAVID said she was born and raised in Kona, her family coming from many generations in ranching and farming. “We were economically poor but rich in family and support.” She said she could not go to college but worked in the field “that interested me so much,” and has been a paralegal since 1971. She said she worked for five years on O`ahu and when she returned, “It devastated me to see the change that had happened in our home town.” She said that Ali`i Drive developed in five years. “The shoreline disappeared, and that was the start of my activism.”
      She worked with Angel Pilago as his legislative aide, and said she wrote a lot of community benefit legislation. She said her reason for running is “that given the dynamics of the potential of the people, there is a real hope that we can make Hawai`i a good place to live for everybody.”

      Regarding Pohue Bay, David said there needs to be a “balance” regarding community needs and property rights. See more on the forum in upcoming daily Ka`u News Briefs.

COMMON GROUND, a five-day workshop for ranchers, landscapers and farmers, will offer an in-depth look at the soil food web and how to use oil biology to lower costs and increase quality. Led by Dr. Elaine Ingham, of Rodale Institute, it will be held at Makapala Retreat Center in Kohala. Participants must sign up for all three sessions: Life in the Soil on July 9 – 11, Compost Class on July 12 and Microscope Class on July 13. All sessions are at 9 a.m. The fee is $400 for the five-day workshop or $500 at the door. Ka`u Specialty Inc. will be represented on Compost Day with its compost tea brewing machines. For more information, call 884-5838.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS of Brazilian and African rainforests come to Ka`u when Antonio Rocha brings his solo shows of stories and mime to local libraries on Monday. Rocha performs at Na`alehu Public Library at 9:30 a.m., then treks to Pahala Public & School Library for his show at noon. All ages are welcome.