Ka'u News Briefs Feb. 4, 2012

While mauka rains have greened up the tabletop mountains of Ka`u, makai ranches still suffer from drought.
Photo by Julia Neal

THE KA`U IRRIGATION SYSTEM has received $500,000 in funding, released this week by Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Russell Kokubun, who chairs the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture, which will oversee the expenditures through the state Department of Agriculture, applauded the funding. “Much of the state’s agricultural infrastructure is decades old, and it is important to maintain and upgrade them and keep them in service to Hawai`i’s farmers, growers and ranchers, now and for the future,” Kokubun said. The water system to be upgraded and repaired includes tunnels dug into the side of Mauna Loa to collect water for sugar plantations in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Russell Kokubun

      Cooperatives are being formed to determine how the funds will be used to install and manage the irrigation systems. Anyone interested in irrigation water or joining one of the co-ops can call Jeff McCall at 928-6456 or Malian Lahey at 808-280-2851.

KA`U ATTORNEY RON SELF will appeal the decision by Judge Greg Nakamura to deny compensation to Ocean View residents Leiloni O’Grady and Michael Patrick O’Grady for injuries suffered when a 160-ton boulder fell from the side of Hwy 11 and crushed their car. Since the accident on March 8, 2007, Leiloni O’Grady has been unable to return to work at the state Department of Education. According to a story in this morning’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald, the judge concluded the non-jury trial by writing that “plaintiffs failed to prove ... that any breach of duty on the part of the state was a proximate cause of the harm suffered by plaintiffs.” However, the judge also wrote that the state “owes a duty to maintain its highways so they are reasonably safe for their intended uses,” and that the state is bound to “exercise ordinary care to maintain the areas adjacent to the highways and shoulders so they are reasonably safe from rockfalls.
      Self described the O’Grady’s as “devastated” following the judge’s decision and said he and his co-counsel, Peter Bersin were “shocked and stunned.” Self told The Ka`u Calendar that the state knew about the potential for the rockfall for years and that the condition was obvious following a separate rockfall there during a 1999 earthquake and by a 2004 study that specified the site as a dangerous rockfall condition. “This accident could have happened to any innocent driver or school bus,” Self said, noting that after the O’Grady’s accident, the state removed the other dangerous rocks for $1,500 paid to a consultant and using state maintenance workers to remove them.
      The state argued that there are more than 100 such rockfall sites along state highways on the Big Island and that the one that hit the O’Grady’s car was not one of the top ten most dangerous.
      O’Grady’s are seeking millions of dollars in medical expenses, wages and future lost wages. She is a speech pathologist, and he is a social worker.
      They claim the state Department of Transportation was negligent when it cut the road through the mountain, leaving rocks and a giant boulder with no place to fall but the highway.

Most Ka`u Coffee farms have been free
of the coffee borer. Photo by Julia Neal

COFFEE FARMERS ARE PROPOSING a tax of a penny a pound on green coffee beans to create a fund to fight the coffee berry borer. The plan would include ridding the island of feral coffee where the borer population could grow untreated. Farmers said they need funding to strip trees, sanitize the farms and apply the fungicide that kills the borers. However, the state Department of Agriculture has warned that the bill could be unconstitutional and could be unenforceable, given lack of funding for policing the situation. The proposal for the tax is coming out of Kona, where farms are hard-hit by the borer.

KA`U, ALONG WITH THE REST of Hawai`i County, has been designated as a primary natural disaster area by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to ongoing drought conditions, Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced. Last month, Abercrombie applied for the designation, which sets the path for Hawai`i Island ranchers and farmers to apply for available federal relief. 

      Abercrombie said, “by designating Hawai`i County a natural disaster area, President Barack Obama and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have recognized that the island’s farmers and ranchers have endured enough. Even today, Big Island residents continue to experience drought conditions ranging from severe to extreme. The USDA’s assistance will help hard working families recover losses and see it through until conditions improve.”
      Russell Kokubun, chairperson of the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture, said, “a drought can be as catastrophic as a hurricane or flood to a farmer or rancher. This disaster assistance is a lifeline for many of our agriculture producers who have been dealing with severe drought conditions for over six years. We truly appreciate this support from the USDA.”

Recent rains in Ka`u are helpful, but drought
remains. Photo by Julia Neal

      The formal designation was made on Jan. 18. Qualified farm operators in Ka`u and other parts of Hawai`i County can apply for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency to cover losses due to the drought. Eligible individuals must apply within eight months from the date of the declaration. FSA considers each loan application on its own merits. Additional information is available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
      According to the National Weather Service, Ka`u remains within severe drought parameters, while parts of South Kona District remain within moderate drought conditions.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village hosts two public events tomorrow. From 10 a.m. to noon, VAC holds a reception for the exhibit Masquerade: The Art of Illusion, available to the public by appointment from today through Feb. 11. For more information or to make an appointment, call 967-8222 or email community@volcanoartcenter.org.
      Tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., VAC invites everyone to join Patty Johnson’s free lesson, Medicine for the Mind, on Buddhist healing meditation. For more information, call 985-7470.

A SUPERBOWL TAILGATE PARTY is set for tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Kilauea Military Camp’s Lava Lounge in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is open to authorized patrons and sponsored guests, and park entrance fees apply. For more information call 967-8351.

DUI CHECKPOINTS will be conducted this weekend by Hawai`i Police Department. The movement is part of a national campaign, “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.”

Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 3, 2012

Solar water heaters could be paid for through the electric company. Illustration from Green by Design Hawai`i

HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC CO. is disappointed that the state Public Utilities Commission has suspended its Simply Solar proposal to allow the electric company to finance solar water heating panels for customers, who would pay back HECO over time. HECO spokesman Darren Pai said, "the program could help renters and other customers who have not been able to afford to pay for the upfront costs of solar water heating." He said that he is glad that regulators, while initially turning away the HECO program, are willing to consider an on-bill payment program. The PUC deferred any decision on the program saying it did not appear "cost-effective to ratepayers," and that the program requires adjustment.

Safe rooms are required for some houses. Photo from Rhinovault

THE NEW COUNTY BUILDING CODE passed the County Council last night, with council members Brenda Ford and Dominic Yagong voting against the measure. Ford said she wanted more time to help explain the code to those in the public who fear it. She said she would have been open to possibly adding more amendments to make it fit better with needs on this island.  Ford said one of the biggest problems was fear that the penalty section would make violating the building code a full misdemeanor and include jail and fines, versus a petty misdemeanor, which is less drastic.  She said some people were afraid they could be evicted from homes and the county would start a campaign to look for violations. “This is just not going to happen.” Ford noted that the Department of Public Works helps people bring homes up to code. She said about 30 percent of homes on the Big Island are not up to code, either because they are old – some of them built before there were codes - or because some homes and additions to houses were built more recently, sub-code, without permits.
     Ford said she wanted to make sure the penalty section of the building code was for egregious violations. She gave the example of poorly built water tank leaning toward the neighbor’s home. An earthquake could cause the water tank to break and flood the neighbor’s house and possibly kill someone.

The IBC has been considered too
strict by some for Hawai`i's mild
climate.

     Ford said another issue is fear of having to build a safe room designed for protection against hurricanes. She said that under the new code, fewer than 2 percent of new structures would likely require a safe room and these would mostly be expensive indoor-outdoor type houses with floor to ceiling glass doors. The safe room is not required for houses already built, Ford noted.
     Ford said she has been hearing for many months that the International Building Code is incompatible with Hawai`i County and that the council has been struggling to make amendments. She said that Ka`u’s Council member Brittany Smart “did 90 percent of the work to help make it better for the public.” Smart voted for the bill.
     According to a Nancy Cook Lauer story in West Hawai`i Today, testifier Bob Petricci contended that the new code will create more homelessness. “These building codes are a very big part of the reason we have so many foreclosures right now. They have driven the cost of homes so high the people have to borrow money beyond their means just to have what you call an affordable home.”
     The council, however, is required to approve its own building code for Hawai`i County or the statewide building code would go into effect with no amendments tailored to the island’s needs. The council passed the code last night.

RAISING MONEY FOR THE MAYORAL election sees incumbent Billy Kenoi with a big lead over challenger and County Council chair Dominc Yagong. According to campaign finance reports filed with the state, Kenoi raised $328,133 in 2011 while Yagong’s total showed $500. Yagong said, however, his campaigning has never been about how much money he could raise, acknowledging that the mayor raised more in six months than he raised in a dozen years as a member of the County Council. The third candidate for mayor, Ann Marsh, of Honoka`a, just announced and is yet to file a report.
     According to a story by Peter Sur in the Hawai`i Tribune Herald, Kenoi took in a lot of funds from developers, banking, legal and real estate, including representatives from the MacNaughton Group, the Kobayashi Group, Bank of Hawai`i, First Hawaiian Bank and Banc West Corp. Renewable energy companies also contributed, including Big Island Carbon, Puna Geothermal Venture and BioEnergy Hawai`i. Yagong had one donation of $500 that came from Hilo-based Kavana Homes founder Peter Vana.

KA`U HOSPITAL’S MAIN ENTRANCE DOORS have been a problem for years, leaking vog into the building. They are heavy, hard slamming and difficult to open, according to kupuna like Anna Carriaga, who have been complaining directly to state legislators. Sen. Gil Kahele said yesterday that the problem will be fixed soon, that a contract has been signed to install new, vog proof, room sealing doors by June.

Masquerade illustration.

VOLCANO ART CENTER’S Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village hosts two public events this weekend. On Sunday, from 10 a.m. to noon, VAC holds a reception for the exhibit Masquerade: The Art of Illusion, available to the public by appointment from Feb. 4 to Feb. 11. For more information or to make an appointment, call 967-8222 or email community@volcanoartcenter.org.
     This Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., VAC invites everyone to join Patty Johnson’s lesson, Medicine for the Mind, on Buddhist healing meditation. It’s free. For more info, call 985-7470.

AWARD-WINNING PHOTOGRAPHER and wildlife biologist Jack Jeffrey offers sessions of photographing Hawai`i’s natural environment in Volcano Village this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The class entitled Hawai`i Nature Photography: Field-Work, Instructions, and Critique is limited to 10 participants each day. Sponsored by Friends of Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, the class is open to both members and non-members. Members are charged $70 for one day or $125 for both days. Non-members are charged $100 for one day or $175 for both days. Students (K through college) can join at half-price. For more call 985-7373 or email institite@fhvnp.org.

A SUPERBOWL TAILGATE PARTY is set for Sunday, from 4 p.m. to 5:30p.m., at Kilauea Military Camp’s Lava Lounge in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. The event is open to authorized KMC patrons and sponsored guests. Park entrance fees apply. For more call 967-8351.

Ka'u News Briefs Feb. 2, 2012

Hawai`i Wildlife Fund volunteers scoured the Ka`u Coast and collected over a ton of debris in January. Photo from HWF

MAYOR BILLY KENOI raised more than $140,000 in contributions in the last half of 2011, reported Peter Sur in today’s Hawai`i Tribune-Herald. Kenoi told the reporter that his campaign is based on running a tight county ship and proving to voters that he’s worth four more years.

Dominic Yagong

Mayor Billy Kenoi

      The story also said mayoral candidate Dominic Yagong raised only $500 during the same period. “My campaign has never been about money,” Yagong said. Kenoi has “raised more in six months than I’ve raised in 12 years as a councilman.”
      Ann Marsh, who recently announced her candidacy for mayor, did not report any contributions.

TULSI GABBARD’S campaign for U.S. Congress raised $208,255 in the fourth quarter of 2011. Seventy-four percent of Gabbard’s donors are from Hawai`i, and 60 percent of all donations were $200 or less. The campaign’s fourth-quarter fundraising total represents a 63 percent increase compared with third-quarter numbers. Gabbard is a candidate for Hawai`i’s second congressional district encompassing rural O`ahu and the Neighbor Islands.
      Others who have announced candidacy for U.S. Congress are Mufi Hannemann, Bob Marx and Esther Kia`aina.

THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION is encouraging parents to complete a survey to help schools set priorities for improving programs and services. Schools are mailing or asking students to bring the surveys home. Parents whose children are enrolled in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11 are asked to complete the survey and return it to the school in a prepaid envelope by no later than March 30.
      Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said “parental feedback is critical for schools and complex areas to measure the effectiveness of their programs, refine services and make adjustments to meet the needs of all students.” 

Kathryn Matayoshi

      Survey results offer schools data on everything ranging from parent satisfaction with course offerings, support services and availability to discuss their child’s progress to whether students feel safe and are meeting their goals.
      Teachers and students from the selected grades will fill out separate surveys at school. School personnel also will be asked to complete similar surveys.
      Individual survey responses are confidential. Overall survey results for each school should be available at the schools by the end of the academic year. The reports will also be posted at arch.k12.hi.us.
      Questions about the survey may be emailed to sqs@notes.k12.hi.us. Parents may also call 855-276-5801 Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION rules to suspend Simply Solar, according to a news release issued today by Blue Planet Foundation executive director Jeff Mikulina. The Simply Solar proposal, submitted last month by Hawaiian Electric utility companies, “sought approval within sixty days for a $55 million, narrow on-bill repayment program for solar water heaters.”
      The PUC determined that the Simply Solar program “amounts to a pilot on-bill financing program” and stated that the proposed costs “do not appear to be cost-effective to ratepayers, requiring adjustments.” The PUC did not reject the program but instead designated it as a “subset” of the on-bill financing review already in progress. The PUC moved for the program to be considered as a possible “interim option” as part of the current PUC regulatory assessment of a broader, more cost-effective statewide on-bill repayment.

The PUC suspended Hawaiian Electric utilities' solar
water heating proposal to eliminate up-front costs.
Photo from pocosolar.com 

      According to the news release, “on-bill financing is a powerful tool to increase adoption of energy efficiency.” In this case, it would eliminate the up-front cost of solar.
      Mikulina says Blue Planet supports on-bill repayment but agrees with the PUC’s decision to make sure the “program is done right. We appreciate the intent of the utility’s proposal and remain confident that the Simply Solar program can be developed into an effective program that maximizes both cost and energy savings. An intelligent, carefully developed on-bill program will create a robust marketplace for the clean energy industry and lenders, providing economic relief to residents, providing jobs, and reducing carbon pollution.”

HAWAI`I WILDLIFE FUND’S 33 volunteers removed over a ton of debris from the Ka`u Coast during their last beach cleanup on January 14. More than 97 percent of the 46,000 pieces of trash collected were plastic. The next cleanup is on March 10. To sign up, contact Megan Lamson at 769-7629 or kahakai.cleanups@gmail.com.

Community policing officer Blaine
Morishita. Photo by Nalani Parlin 

OCEAN VIEW NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH meets this evening at 7 p.m. at Ocean View Community Center. Assistant coordinator Arlene Araki said the group hopes to elect new officers tonight and introduce community policing officer Blaine Morishita. She said the group is anxious to give others the opportunity to serve. 

      Deputy prosecutor Mitch Roth values Neighborhood Watch, saying, “Community is more than just eyes and ears; community is part of the problem-solving process.”
      To get involved call Araki at 989-5141.

THE GREEN MARKET at Ocean View Community Center takes place tomorrow and every Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Items available include fresh produce, fruits, herbs, flowers, plants, honey, freshly brewed Ka`u Coffee and more.

SHIZUNO NASU offers a creative dance class this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Class begins with a morning warm-up, and the afternoon focuses on expressive dance movements based on Hara Tanden chi energy. Open to all levels. Advanced registration is advised. Call 967-8222 or email julie@volcanoartcenter.org.