Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 31, 2011

Green jobs for the New Year are available on the state Department of Labor website. Photos from DLIR

BRITTANY SMART will not run in the 2012 election for the District 6 County Council seat that serves Ka`u. In the middle of her first term in office, she made the announcement yesterday, saying it was for personal reasons, but she would not rule out running for public office in the future. 

Brittany Smart

     Smart defeated Council member Guy Enriques to take her first elected position last year. This followed graduating from University of Hawai`i – Hilo with a degree in political science. Smart is 28, married this past June and lives in Discovery Harbour. Her husband works in the composting and recycling business. 

     BRENDA FORD issued her own statement saying she will run for County Council District 6. She said, “New Council District 6 is a very large area and needs a person who understands agriculture, business, infrastructure and the need for jobs and services. I have always worked diligently to provide for rural areas throughout the island.” Her home became part of District 6 with the recent redistricting, which added Napo`opo`o and Captain Cook. Should she win in Ka`u – South Kona, she would serve for the fourth and last time, given term limits. Ford said has been working more than full-time on the part-time Council position after a career in business management.
     Ford said she would champion completion of projects supported by Smart, including the Ka`u High School shelter and gym, the Ocean View Well, Ocean View Transfer Station and the Ka`u satellite County Council office where constituents could testify and attend Council meetings remotely. Ford said she plans a series of “listening” meetings for District 6. She said she lives in a rural area in South Kona and appreciates the issues of Ka`u. 

Brenda Ford

     During her three terms as a Council member, Ford has championed the Two Percent Land Fund that has contributed to the preservation of Honu`apo and Kawa and the pending purchase of 3,000 acres at Road to the Sea near Manuka.
     Smart endorsed Ford, saying Ford is “completely dedicated to this job and has my utmost confidence in accurately representing the district. Ford is very knowledgeable in issues that face rural areas, such as lack of government access and infrastructure, agricultural issues, and sufficient police presence.” Smart said Ford “has promised to follow through on any projects that may remain at the end of my term.”
     THE OTHER ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE for the County Council race is Lee McIntosh, 30, of Discovery Harbour.
     Candidates can pull nomination papers beginning Feb. 1. The primary election is Aug. 11 and decides the winner, unless a runoff is required in the general election. The Council members take their seats in December. 

THE GREEN JOBS INITIATIVE has a boost from the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations, which has launched a web-based directory of Green Employers. Green employers in renewable energy, natural resource conservation and other green enterprises post profiles to describe operations, core occupations, and skills and education they want in employees. 

     The Hawai`i Directory of Green Employers includes results from a 2010 survey. The online directory allows employers to update their information and new employers to add themselves to the directory.
     “Hawai`i has hundreds of Green Employers operating thousands of work sites — and through our Hawai`i Green Jobs Initiative we are investing in the state’s workforce by providing training needed to work with green companies,” state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director Dwight Takamine said. “Now we have developed a comprehensive, centralized tool for matching existing employers with potential employees. This is an important step forward as we continue to build a sustainable economy.” To access the directory, visit lmi.ehawaii.gov/green.

    

DRINKING AND DRIVING is a major target of the Hawai`i Police Department through the weekend. New Year’s revelers are warned to take along a sober designated driver. AAA has also offered free tows and rides home for up to five miles. For longer distances the partier can pay the difference to the tow service. 

PROTECTION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES is the New Year’s Eve aim of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Consumption of alcohol and fireworks are prohibited in all state parks, forests, and small boat harbors, said William J. Aila, Jr., the DLNR chairman.

FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE IN NA`ALEHU, Hana Hou will offer special New Year’s Furikaki Ahi, crab cakes, pork roast and prime rib dinners during normal hours. Shaka’s will be open until midnight with specials. 

Gingerbread House Hawaiian Style is one of the KMC cottages
decorated for the holiday. Photo by Leyna Rego/KMC

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP is offering up New Year’s Eve and New Year's Day activities. Vote for the best decorated KMC cottage and receive a Holiday Dollar to redeem at KMC venues. Tonight’s New Year’s Eve party features music by the Edge starting at 9:30 p.m. inside the Lava Lounge, with no cover charge. Tomorrow, KMC’S Crater Rim Café will serve up a New Year’s Day brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Park entrance fees may apply.

TUESDAY, JAN. 3 MARKS the 29th anniversary of Kilauea’s ongoing east rift zone eruption. Geologist Tim Orr reviews highlights and talks about recent developments on Kilauea’s east rift zone during After Dark in the Park at 7 p.m. at Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. $2 donation supports park programs, and park entrance fees apply.

Ka'u News Briefs Dec. 30, 2011

Ka`u High and Pahala Intermediate Schools provide less than 5.5 hours of classroom teaching each day but more than
many other Hawai`i schools. Photo by Julia Neal

CLASSROOM TIME at Ka`u High and Intermediate Schools must increase to at least 5.5 hours a day to meet a state mandate, according to a new report to the state Legislature.
     Ka`u has fewer classroom hours than Farrington, Castle, McKinley and Campbell, which have more than 1,600 minutes of class time a week. However, Ka`u has more class time than Kaua`i, Maui, Olomana and Waiakea High Schools, which have under 1,300 minutes of class time a week.
     Ka`u is in the middle of the pack with 1,495 minutes a week, according to the state Department of Education report. Meeting the mandate for more class time for students in all public schools is expected to be a major issue at the state Legislature when it opens in January.

COUNTY COUNCIL MEMBER Brittany Smart has listed priorities for 2012 in an article in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald this morning. The Nancy Cook Lauer story said “Smart lists waste issues, increased communication with the public and completing a reasonable county building code as her top priorities for 2012.” 

Na`alehu Civic Center with its unused courtroom is
considered a possible location for a County Council
satellite office with videoconferencing.

     “Smart, who is finishing her first year on the Council, introduced very little legislation this year, but said she and her staff have been doing the research on several issues to be introduced next year,” the story says. It also states that her first priority will be “a plan to use discarded tires in rubber asphalt for road repaving. That requires coordination with the state Department of Health, as well as the county administration.” It also says another Smart priority is “reducing waste going into the Hilo landfill through the tire program.”
     Smart also told the newspaper that she still hopes to establish a place in Ka`u district where members of the public can participate in meetings through videoconferencing. Establishing a Ka`u office was one of Smart’s campaign promises. Cook Lauer’s story says Smart mentioned “using social media such as Facebook and creating a way for the public to share documents and agendas” as one of her top priorities. “We have to be able to go where the communication is taking place and not expect it to come to us,” Smart told Hawai`i Tribune-Herald.

Guy Kaulukukui, of Volcano, talks about the ahupua`a
management system. Photo from The Kohala Center

THE DIVISIONS OF AQUATIC RESOURCES AND FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE may merge under the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Deputy DLNR director Guy Kaulukukui, of Volcano, told West Hawai`i Today that putting them together would help manage resources from the mountain to the coastal regions, much like the traditional Hawaiian ahupua`a management system. “The department’s realigning its mission around the primacy of the watershed,” he told reporter Erin Miller. 

     Ka`u is the site of the most DLNR management acreage in the state, including the largest pristine native forests and the longest uninhabited coastline.

TODAY IS THE DEADLINE to send in comments on the cellular tower proposed for land in Pahala across Maile Street from the Old Pahala Clubhouse. A legal notice from Crown Castle says the company would install a 130-foot-tall structure and requests “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. 

Plantation era cottage under restoration in Pahala. Photo by Julia Neal

ANOTHER HISTORIC COTTAGE is being restored in Pahala. The small plantation home on Huapala Street was purchased through a foreclosure for a total of around $21,000. The new owner is using sweat equity, putting in new house posts and doing other improvements with his own labor. The yard was previously overgrown and looked abandoned. 

IN TWO MORE DAYS, voting closes on competition for best decorated cottage at Kilauea Military Camp inside Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The KMC staff strung lights and created Christmas scenery. Vote on the best display and receive a Holiday Dollar redeemable at KMC venues. 

KILAUEA MILITARY CAMP’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY offers up music by the group Edge beginning at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lava Lounge. No cover charge. For more information, call 967-8365.

ON SUNDAY, KMC’S Crater Rim Café offers New Year’s Day brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Park entrance fees may apply.

THE AMERICAN AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION reminds drivers that even one drink can reduce mental and physical skills, affecting vision, steering, braking, judgment and reaction time. AAA will offer free tow services and a ride home for drunken drivers over this New Year’s holiday weekend. It’s called the Tipsy Tow service and is available from 6 p.m. tonight to 6 a.m. on Sunday for towing cars home no farther than five miles. If the distance is farther, the drinker will have to pay the difference to the tow company. The number to call is 800-222-4357. 

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.