Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 29, 2011

The Disaster Shelter and Gym will be constructed between the tennis court, the weight room and school cafeteria. It
could cover some 40,000 square feet of the field. Photo by Julia Neal

THE KA`U DISASTER SHELTER/COMMUNITY GYMNASIUM, already funded with $16.8 million from the state, is up for more community comments through Tuesday, Jan. 10. PBR Hawai`i, the engineering and consulting firm based in Honolulu, has been hired by the county, which will own the facility, to conduct the Environmental Assessment. PBR sent letters this week to area residents saying, “As part of the scoping process, we are seeking concerns, issues, and comments on the proposed project.”
     Comments can be sent to tkapali@ pbrhawaii.com or by mail to PBR Hawai`i, Tammy Kapali, 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650, Honolulu, HI 96813-3484.
     The proposed complex went to public meetings in December at Pahala School cafeteria with the chosen architect and design firm Mitsunaga & Associates on hand. The county Department of Public Works, which will oversee construction of the project, and the county Department of Parks & Recreation, which will operate the building, also weighed in.
     After two days of meetings, the big picture came into focus with a plan for a complex of about 40,000 square feet, with possibly two separate buildings made of concrete with traditional plantation rooflines and painted to fit in with the other school buildings.
     The main purpose for the funding of the facility is to create a regional disaster shelter, and still being planned is whether the main shelter room – the gym –will have the ability to clean the air from vog. Planners promised that smaller rooms could be air conditioned to help clean the air.
     Also still in planning is the amount of ground around the complex that would have to be paved to accommodate parking requirements of one stall for every four permanent seats in the gym. County public works representatives said they may seek a variance that would allow continued parking in the grassy area around the building.
     Another question is whether the parking lot will be required to have light poles and lighting that would pollute Ka`u’s famous dark night skies and preclude the open area from being used for events and field sports.
     The proposed location for the disaster shelter and gym is makai of the Ka`u High School offices and between the current gym and the tennis courts.

Mufi Hannemann

MUFI HANNEMANN has won the endorsement of the 6,000-strong Hawai`i Teamsters & Allied Workers Union that represents 6,000 people in this state and Guam. In a statement, Teamsters president Ron Kozuma said that “Mufi knows and understands firsthand the needs of working people and their families.” Hannemann is running for the congressional seat of Mazie Hirono, who is running for Senate. In the Democratic primary, Hannemann faces Hilo attorney Bob Marx, Honolulu City Council woman Tulsi Gabbard, state Office of Hawaiian Affairs advocate Esther Kiaaina and patients’ rights advocate Rafael del Castillo. 

Tulsi Gabbard 

HONOLULU COUNCIL WOMAN TULSI GABBARD campaigned in Ka`u recently as she seeks the Democratic nomination for Congressional District 2. Her campaign literature describes her as “a public servant by nature, who possesses the humility to respectfully listen to both sides of a debate, the experience to handle any challenge and the courage to make the right decision and get the job done.” Her service has included working with at-risk youth. She is a captain and company commander in the Hawai`i National Guard, serving twice in the Middle East. She has also being elected to the Hawai`i State Legislature and the Honolulu City Council. She served as legislative aide to Senator Daniel K. Akaka, and said she works on environmental issues and projects. 

     In 2002, at age 21, Gabbard became the youngest woman ever elected to state office in the United States. While in Ka`u she said she understands and appreciates the challenges of rural life with its economic and environmental challenges. Here father is state Sen. Mike Gabbard. 

TOMORROW IS THE DEADLINE for comments on the cell tower proposed for land across from the Old Pahala Clubhouse on Maile Street. In a legal notice, Crown Castle, the company that would install the 130-foot-tall structure, asks for “comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower.” Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or monica.gambino@crowncastle.com or by phone at 724-416-2516. The company’s regulatory advisor for the project is Janice Merritts, who can be reached at 480-735-6931 or janice.merritts@crowncastle.com. 

Applications open next week for summer boarding at Kamehameha Schools, with Ka`u public school students
invited to apply. Photo from Kamehameha Schools

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS SUMMER BOARDING applications will be available starting next Tuesday. Deadline to apply is Feb. 29. Three separate weeklong programs, designed for different age groups, include field trips to fishponds and taro fields. Students learn about the different moku – the districts of the islands and the mele – the song, the culture and the ways of making a living in each place.
     For program details including information on session fees, call 534-8272. Additional information can be found at apps.ksbe.edu/enrichment.

BOYS AND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER teams played at Ka`u last night. Both games were TKOs, with boys playing ten minutes into the second half and girls playing only one half. Final score for the boys was Konawaena 9 and Ka`u zero. In the girls game final score was Kona 9, Ka`u zero.
     Top boy scorers were Gabriel Magana and John Keplogie - with a Hat Trick (3 points). Single goals were scored by Trevor Yamagata, Angel Valdovinos and Edwardo Meneses, Kona girl players Malissa Goevia and Ua Rued each scored two with Saxon Nagata, Anu McRight, Kaulana Teshima, Shaylene Nakamoto and Kaulana Ruedy each scoring one.

THREE MORE DAYS until the voting closes on competition for best decorated cottage at Kilauea Military Camp inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The staff used many lights and Christmas scenery to brighten up the accommodations. Those who vote receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at several KMC venues.

KMC’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY featuring music by the group Edge begins at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the Lava Lounge. There is no cover charge, and park entrance fees may apply. For more information, call 967-8365.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 28, 2011

Most of The Nature Conservancy's preserves on the Big Island are in Ka`u and include Kamehame Beach, where
turtles nest. Photo by Steve Rayner

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, with most of its Big Island preserves in Ka`u, has newly acquired land to oversee farther north. The nonprofit was gifted 7.5 acres valued at $6.5 million at Kiholo Bay in North Kona. The land was donated by Angus Mitchell, son of John Paul Mitchell and heir to the family hair care company.
     Paul Mitchell had a long history in Hawai`i, having started creating hair products from the Hawaiian Awapuhi shampoo ginger found here. Paul Mitchell Systems grew into a salon training company and major hair care products manufacturer.

Kiholo Bay is the new acquisition of The Nature
Conservancy. Photo from TNC

     The Kiholo Bay property is covered by two large, interconnected freshwater spring-fed pools which contain habitat for native species such as hapawai (mollusk) and `opae (shrimp). The ponds are connected by a 200-foot-long `auwai, or stone channel, to Kiholo Bay, which is rich with marine life and has a resident population of green sea turtles, which use the inland ponds to feed and rest.
     The parcel hosts threatened, migratory shore birds and abuts Kiholo State Park and a few small private landholdings. It is a culturally important site to native Hawaiians, especially those who continue to live in the area and trace their ancestry back to the land. The area remains under the stewardship of the nonprofit group Hui Aloha Kiholo, said TNC executive director Suzanne Case.
     Ka`u properties owned by TNC include the Kamehame Bay turtle preserve, Kaiholena and native forests around gulches between Kapapala and Na`alehu. The main office for TNC on the Big Island is located on Hwy 11 in Na`alehu. 

BAY CLINIC, which operates in Na`alehu and will soon start building a new clinic there, has received funding for its diabetes initiative and Chlamydia screening from AlohaCare’s Quality Improvement Incentive Program. 

     In the last two years AlohaCare has funded more than $3 million for childhood immunization, well-child visits, and improving access to care. Eligible projects are closely monitored for achieving goals through pay-per-performance measurements. John McComas, CEO of AlohaCare, said the incentives program for the clinics is “more than a pay-for-performance rewards program. It’s designed to help these centers and clinics create their own sustainable quality improvement programs that will, over the long term, help them operate more efficiently and achieve better results in terms of keeping their patients healthy. This is especially important in these tough economic times when health centers and clinics are experiencing increased patient demand, declining reimbursements and increased health care costs.”
     AlohaCare, a nonprofit, is the third largest health care plan in Hawai`i. It has 75,000 members and provides coverage for those enrolled in Quest.

Restored cottage across from proposed cell phone tower
site on Maile Street in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

LOCATION OF THE CELL TOWER on Maile Street in Pahala has drawn some comment. Dr. Robert Domingos wrote the cell tower developer Crown Castle USA, saying: 

     “To construct a tall, ugly cell tower right on the highway at the beginning of town is ludicrous! The nearest buildings are historical plantation era beauties lovingly restored and used by the community. What are you thinking? Any place above town, upslope, out of sight, would give wider cell coverage and be much less obtrusive. Crown should reconsider the location of their planned 130-foot cell tower.”
     Other questions include whether the tower could be disguised to look like a tree and whether there are any health risks to people living nearby.
     The monopole would be 120 feet tall before putting on the antennae and 130 feet tall with the appurtenances. The company says it would be painted dark green “as coordinated with the county Planning Department.”
     Crown issued a legal notice in The Ka`u Calendar newspaper in December saying it “invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.” The deadline is this Friday, Dec. 30. Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or monica.gambino@crowncastle.com or by phone at 724-416-2516. The company’s regulatory advisor for the project is Janice Merritts, who can be reached at 480-735-6931 or janice.merritts@crowncastle.com.
     The proposal was also submitted to the county Planning Department. Earlier cell tower proposals for Pahala were mauka of the town. 

A HEAVY DOSE OF SO2 VOG blanketed Ka`u this morning. Pahala experienced more than three hours of air rated unhealthy for sensitive groups. During this kind of air, health officials recommend that everyone avoid outdoor activities that cause heavy breathing or breathing through the mouth. There were 15 minutes of air rated unhealthy when health officials recommend that everyone avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors. 

     Ocean View experienced more than five hours of air unhealthy for sensitive groups. Most of the very bad air was before dawn, and most people were sleeping.
     The County of Hawai`i and engineering and architectural firm Mitsunaga & Associates are designing a $16.9 million regional disaster shelter and gymnasium for Pahala where residents could retreat during sustained periods of unhealthy air.
     See the SO2 index at http://www.hiso2index.info/?siteid=22106

COUNCIL MEETINGS will be held in Hilo until contractors for the new West Hawai`i Civic Center finish their work, according to County Council chair Dominic Yagong. The audiovisual system, which allows the public and county employees to participate in Council meetings remotely from Hilo, Waimea and Kona, is inoperable at the new facility and has cost the county an extra $6,000 using a portable system. Other problems include overheating in some rooms, requiring design change, according to a Nancy Cook Lauer story in West Hawai`i Today. The county charter requires at least one meeting per quarter in Kona. Yagong told the reporter that bringing the problem to the public by canceling the West Hawai`i meetings could help get the contractors moving. The county administration is also retaining final payments on the project until it is finished.

VOTE FOR THE BEST DRESSED cottage at Kilauea Military Camp through Saturday, Dec. 31. This is the third year that KMC employees have put up holiday lights and decorations for the enjoyment of the community and visitors. Park entrance fees may apply.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 27, 2011

A 130-foot-tall cellular phone tower would be built across the street from the Old Pahala Clubhouse, one of the recently
restored historic buildings on Maile Street in Pahala. The Clubhouse hosts music and hula classes, band practices
and other community events. Deadline for comments is this Friday. Photo by Julia Neal

A 130-FOOT-TALL CELLULAR TOWER proposal is open for comments from the public through this Friday, Dec. 30. The tower proposed by Crown Castle USA would be a single pole constructed just off Maile Street near the intersection with Lower Moa`ula Road. The site would be across from the Old Pahala Clubhouse and near the KAHU radio building. It would help improve cell phone reception for some residents in the town. It would also impede the ocean view of some houses in the village.
     Whether the cell tower could be placed above the village so it wouldn’t be in the ocean view is one of the questions being asked of Crown. Others include whether the tower could be disguised to look like a tree and whether there are any health risks to people living nearby. The monopole would be 120 feet tall and 130 feet tall with appurtenances. According to Crown, it would be painted dark green “as coordinated with the county Planning Department.”

     Crown issued a legal notice in The Ka`u Calendar newspaper saying it “invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed tower on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.”

     Comments should be addressed to Monica Gambino, 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 or by phone at 724-416-2516.

Mark Glick

STATE ENERGY CZAR MARK GLICK said the future looks bright for 2012 development of alternative energy. He told Hawai`i News Now this morning that photovoltaics, geothermal, wind and algae-based biofuel initiatives are spawning new businesses in Hawai`i. They are so promising that the entrepreneurs are taking their technology worldwide.
     Glick mentioned Sopogy, founded in Hawai`i in 2002, with its curved solar voltaic panels that concentrate solar energy to make electricity. Sopogy also invented a solar-driven air conditioning system. Sopogy just signed a large contract with investors from China and is expanding both to Asia and the mainland U.S.
     Glick said that Cellana, located in Kona at the National Energy Laboratory of Hawai`i Authority campus, recently attracted $100 million of investment. The company is partnering with Alexander & Baldwin on Maui to build a commercial algae-to-energy facility next to the Maui Electric Co. power plant.
     Pacific Biodiesel, which began with taking waste oil from restaurants to make transportation fuel, is now working in Japan, the mainland and Hawai`i. Pacific Biodiesel has teamed up with Steve Case and Kamehameha Schools to establish algae-to-oil energy farms.
     Glick pointed to geothermal from the Big Island as one of the most firm energies that could power up this county and be exported to other islands. He said geothermal is power available in abundance and said it would lower prices of electricity on the Neighbor Islands.
     One of Glick’s projects for 2012 is to help secure the ability to run a cable between the Big Island and other islands for geothermal, Glick said.

WHETHER SEARS AND KMART will close their stores on the Big Island is in question. The company announced yesterday that after less-than-expected holiday sales, the company that owns both store chains will shut down up to 120 stores nationwide. The list of stores is yet to be posted. Sears operates in Hilo, and Kmart in Kona.

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park is supported by the new Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association. Photo from HPPA

HAWAI`I NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION, which runs the bookstore, supports interpretation, education, research, publications and cultural activities at Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, is getting a new name. The Hawai`i Pacific Parks Association is the new identity and works with the National Park Service on the Big Island, Maui and American Samoa.

     “Our mission is to inspire, connect and preserve with a spirit of aloha,” said a statement from the organization. Its new identity reflects the increased scope of an organization that has “been supporting the National Park Service in the Pacific since 1933, with a lifetime of aid recently topping $13 million,” said the statement.
     On this island the organization supports Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Pu`uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park and Pu`ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. See www.hawaiipacificparks.org for more.

TUTU & ME FREE TRANSPORTATION DEADLINE is coming up Jan. 9. The pilot program requires enough families to sign up for the free rides to Tutu & Me programs in Ka`u in order for the transportation to continue. Transportation will be offered from Ocean View to Na`alehu Community Center, where Tutu & Me meets on Mondays and Wednesdays and within Pahala, where Tutu & Me meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Call 929-8571. Tutu & Me is an early education program for toddlers and their families.

Wet 'n' Wild water theme park on O`ahu is the destination
for grad night at Ka`u High School.

FUNDRAISING FOR PROJECT GRAD NIGHT has already begun at Ka`u High School. The event sends students to O`ahu right after graduation to the Wet ‘n’ Wild water theme park where the graduates camp overnight at the park. The next day, they have the entire park to themselves with other students from the other high schools. Also raising money for this grad night adventure from the Big Island are students from Laupahoehoe and Kea`au High Schools. Ka`u High athletic director Kalei Namohala, who is organizing the event, said that fundraisers to collect $405 per student to pay for the adventure include recycling cans and bottles and an after-school concession. “Our hope is to have our graduates pay little or nothing for all this experience,” she said. Anyone wanting to help out can call her at 928-2012.

Moses Espaniola III

FREE `UKULELE LESSONS resume on New Year’s Day from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Old Pahala Clubhouse. The teacher is Moses Espaniola III, who has been mentored by Cyril Pahinui and other master `ukulele and guitar teachers. Classes are free and sponsored by the Na`alehu Theatre organization. Call Espaniola at 345-6917.

KEIKI FISHING TOURNAMENT VOLUNTEERS can sign up to donate or help out by calling Wayne Kawachi at 937-4773. The annual event sponsored by `O Ka`u Kakou takes place Saturday, Jan. 14 at Punalu`u Beach. It is a catch and release, with many prizes for many categories for the fishing keiki. Some bamboo poles will be available. Last year some 250 children participated, and about 500 people enjoyed a free lunch.

KUMU MAILE YAMANAKA shares the Arts and Traditions of Hula at Kilauea today at Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Hula lessons begin at 10:30 a.m., lei making at noon and ‘ukulele playing at 1:30 p.m. Bring your `ukulele if you have one. Sign up on a first-come, first-served basis. Open to all ages and levels.

ALSO AT HAWAI`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK, Oral Abihai shares his passion for creating `ukulele from discarded or naturally fallen pieces of wood tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon on the lanai of Kilauea Visitor Center.