Ka'u News Briefs March 21, 2012

Years ago, Derek Kurisu began promoting locally produced foods with television, print and visiting Ka`u and other schools.
Photo from Hawai`i Department of Agriculture

DEREK KURISU, who started the Mountain Apple Brand label for locally grown foods, has been appointed to the Agribusiness Development Corp. ADC is the quasi government agency considered important for restoring old plantation water systems for the future of agriculture in Ka`u. Kurisu has been a commencement speaker at Ka`u High and brings his flare for cooking with local ingredients to the campus for presentations. He produces cable TV shows Living in Paradise and Seniors Living in Paradise. Kurisu is Vice President of Purchasing and Executive Vice President of Perishable Operations at KTA Super Stores. He has worked at KTA for 44 years.

      Gov. Neil Abercrombie also submitted the name of Letitia Uyehara for reappointment to an at-large seat on the ADC. She is director of marketing and special programs at Armstrong Produce, Ltd., following 30 years with the state where she was Deputy Director of Agriculture and Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control.
      The governor also appointed developer Patrick Kobayashi for the Honolulu seat on the Agricultural Development Corp. He is President and CEO of Kobayashi Group, LLC, and worked for the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C.

THE STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE could see two new members appointed by the governor. Glenn Hong is President of Hawaiian Tug & Barge Corp. and Young Brothers, Ltd. He is completing his third year as Board of Governors Chair of the Hawai`i Employers Council. Lynn DeCoite is appointed to the Maui County seat. She is owner and manager of a sweet potato farm, L&R Farm Ent., LLC, and V-8 Ranch in Ho`olehua. Ka`u has a representative on the Board of Agriculture, rancher Michelle Galimba. All of the appointments require confirmation by the state Senate.

INVEST IN AMERICA would provide new opportunities for small businesses and entrepreneurs, says Rep. Dan Akaka. After opposition from such groups as AARP, the AFLCIO and some investment groups, he co-sponsored an amendment to the Act before congress. He said his amendment would “help capital in a way that protects investors, provides financing so businesses can expand and hire more workers, and encourages U.S. companies to export and compete in a global marketplace.”

     Akaka said it would “ensure banks and other large companies, with lots of shareholders, are subject to basic transparency, integrity, and accountability protections; and reauthorize the Export-Import bank, which provides crucial funding to American businesses and supports almost 300,000 jobs yearly.”

      “In order to keep our nation on the path to economic recovery,” declared Akaka, “we must help small businesses access capital and reduce barriers for start-ups. However, we should not do so at the price of consumer safety or market integrity. We must be very careful to do all we can to promote robust capital investment, and at the same time, ensure investor protections are securely in place.”

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U DISTRICT Gym & Shelter Draft Environmental Assessment are due Friday. The Draft Environment Assessment is available at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html. Comments can be sent to Tammy Kapali, Planner, PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc., 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650 Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-523-1402. Comments can also be sent to County of Hawai`i Department of Public Works, Attn: David Yamamoto, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 or faxed to 808-961-8630.

Waipio, First Light. Robert Frutos offers a class in Volcano Saturday.  
Photo by Robert Frutos

WATCH FOR THE HURRICANE this weekend. The original three-act murder mystery is set for this Saturday, 4 p.m., at Ocean View Community Center; doors open at 3:30 p.m. The performance benefits the Food Pantry. Attendees are asked to bring canned food equivalent to $10 or a check to Hawaiian Food Pantry for the same amount. For more information, call 929-7236 or email marge@hawaii.rr.com.

DEMYSTIFY YOUR DIGITAL CAMERA, a class offered through Volcano Art Center by Photographer Robert Frutos, is scheduled for this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Frutos will show participants how their cameras work and teaches how to optimize ones’ camera depending on the specific need. All are welcome; participation fees are $68 for VAC members and $75 for others. Call 967-8222.

Ka`u News Briefs March 20, 2012

Mayor Billy Kenoi spoke to a full house at Na`alehu School last night. Photos by Julia Neal

A FULL HOUSE AT NA`ALEHU SCHOOL CAFETERIA greeted Mayor Billy Kenoi and many of the department heads last night as they took the county to the community. Kenoi said the purpose was to “to listen and to learn, to help, assist and to follow up.” The mayor said he brings county staff into each community at least once a year because Hawai`i County has 4,028 square miles, bigger than Delaware and Rhode Island and about the same size as Connecticut. “We have to bring the government to the people, so everybody feels connected,” he said.
      Among county chiefs attending were directors of planning, water, public works, parks, police, transportation, civil defense, information, housing, finance, environmental management and economic development, as well as attorneys working for the county. Kenoi said he would “stand here take any question on any topic related to government, and will stay after until all questions are answered.”

Billy Kenoi's administration reduced consulting contracts
by $12 million, he told citizens attending the talk story,
where co-sponsor Jessie Marques of Ka`u Rural Health
Community Association talked to the mayor.

THE BUDGET was the mayor’s main focus during his presentation. He noted that the county had 2700 employees when he took office and now has 2500. He pointed to property taxes remaining the same as when he took office. He said he and his staff reduced the budget from $403 million to $364.5 million, without raising taxes and while maintaining such services as police, fire, transportation and senior programs. This was a time when the county weathered four of the most economically challenging years in county history, the mayor said. He noted that Tom Brown and the county transportation department started its free Hele On Bus service with Ka`u High School, providing after school service so that students could stay for sports and other activities “to keep them safe.”
      The mayor also said he targeted county consulting fees when he took office taking them from $16 million a year to $4 million. More work is done in house now. He pointed to a road project with much of the engineering and management of the project done by county employees, allowing the county to build “twice the road for the same amount of money.”

Several community members last night
said they are afraid to go to Kawa,
which recently became county land.  
Photo by Geneveve Fyvie

THE FUTURE OF KAWA drew the most comments and questions from the public. Now that Kawa is in public ownership, the mayor said, his staff is meeting with local families and other members of the public to help plan its future and the stewardship of the land. Several native Hawaiian families, including members of the Apiki clan, said with people living on the county property there, they don’t feel safe going to Kawa and they fear that historic sites are being damaged. Several members of the public asked for county help to make Kawa open for everyone.
      The mayor vowed to work on the issue and said he didn’t want to evict people, who could be fined $25 and come right back to Kawa. He said he wanted to work out a long-term solution and asked for continued patience. “Our goal is to transfer ownership, stewardship and management to the people of Ka`u,” the mayor said. He said that the acquisition of Kawa was “paid for by all the people.”
      Paul Makuakani, of Wai`ohinu, offered to take anyone concerned about Kawa to visit Abel Simeona Lui who lives there with friends and family, himself a resident for some 20 years. Lui has claimed the property belongs to him in the face of court decisions allowing for his eviction.
      Rancher Kyle Soares asked for more protection for people going to Kawa. “When we go down to Kawa, the police stop at the border as if it was border between Texas and Mexico,” he said. Several others said they had been harassed by people at Kawa and asked the county to take control of the area.
      The mayor said Kawa involves complex cultural issues, not just a “series of arrests, evictions, more arrests and evictions.” He said his vision is "a transition and transfer from what it is to what it is going to be."

BETTER COMMUNICATION FOR POLICE was another issue brought forward. Police Chief Harry Kojiri said one initiative is to provide mobile data terminals in every police vehicle that allow police officers to file reports and interact with the Hawai`i Police Department. He noted, however, that to a communications line at the Ocean View Police Substation would cost $1,000 a month. The mayor said that a $30 million project for communication towers to help with civil defense and other county services around the island is in the works.

Ola Kochis asked Public Works Director Warren
Lee about water for Green Sands subdivision.

AGRICULTURAL AND DOMESTIC WATER were both addressed by the public. Making water available to Hawaiian Home Lands at South Point from Mountain House and Ha`ao Springs in Wai`ohinu was suggested. Rancher Kyle Soares proclaimed “Supress a person? Cut off their water or don’t develop water.” He said that water development would help with the creation of housing in all of the subdivisions that already exist – instead of cutting up more land for more subdivisions.
      The mayor asked Soares to organize people from Ka`u with water concerns to meet with the county.

MIKE DUBOIS talked about the new Ocean View water spigots expected to be available to the public May 1. He recommended that the speed limit be reduced on Hwy 11 to 30 miles an hour near the water station and also to make the drive through the Ocean View commercial area more pleasant and more likely for visitors to stop in and use local businesses. Public Works Director Warren Lee said he would talk to the state Department of Transportation.
      Dubois also asked if overflow water could be used to create a community garden on the grounds of the water station. Mayor Billy Kenoi said he supports the idea.

Marie Burns

MARIE BURNS, who is running for County Council, asked how the county takes care of trimming trees at county parks. The mayor explained that the county parks department has its own crews, as does the county roads division. The Department of Parks also takes care of 33 cemeteries. Burns commented that private contractors are hired for emergencies, like trees falling. It may be more prudent to maintain more regular maintenance than pay for emergency care of trees by private contractors, Burns said.

A COUNTY OFFICE for Ka`u where citizens can participate in County Council meetings remotely and take their concerns was brought up by a member of the public. Kenoi asked Nelson Ho from the office of council member Brittany Smart about the project, which was one of her campaign promises. Ho said that her staff is working with the state to release a section of the old Na`alehu Courthouse, which is not being used, in order to create the regional council office.

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL holds a meeting tonight, 5 p.m., at Pahala Community Center. Public is invited to help the coffee farmers celebrate their new industry and thank the community through this annual event to be held on May 12.

HULA HALAU KE `OLU MAKANI O MAUNA LOA performs tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Donations are accepted, and park entrance fees apply.

Ka'u experienced unhealthy air quality this morning. The
proposed shelter gym could have two rooms with air
cleaning equipment. Image from hiso2index.info

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U DISTRICT Gym & Shelter Draft Environmental Assessment are due Friday. One of the issues is how much space will be cleaned by air cleaning equipment. Preliminary plans call for possibly two rooms separate from the gym to be air-conditioned for vog. Together they would hold less than 300 people. The main gym would hold some 1,500 people, but is not planned for air cleaning.
     The Draft Environment Assessment is available at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html. Comments can be sent to Tammy Kapali, Planner, PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc., 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650 Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-523-1402. Comments can also be sent to County of Hawai`i Department of Public Works, Attn: David Yamamoto, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 or faxed to 808-961-8630.

Ka`u News Briefs March 19, 2012

The double-decker Hele-On bus may attract more passengers as gas prices soar. Photo from Office of the Mayor

THERE IS MORE REASON to carpool or take the Hele-On bus this week. Gas prices continue to soar. In Pahala this morning, Ka`u Gas sold regular for $4.80 a gallon. In Na`alehu at the Wiki Wiki, it sold for $4.69. Kahala Gas in Ocean View sold regular for $4.60. Ocean View Market declined to give out its price, and Kahuku Country Mart had the lowest gas prices in Ka`u at $4.55 a gallon.

      Statewide, the price for regular was $4.64 in the Neighbor Islands, $4.65 in Hilo. Nationwide, regular gas prices averaged $3.84 a gallon this morning. Prices across the country rose more than 20 percent in the last month, going up every day over the last nine days. The historic high nationwide was $4.11 a gallon in July of 2008.
      The county bus, which is free for seniors and students and $1 for everyone else, travels to and from Ka`u to Kona and Hilo several times a day. See schedules at www.heleonbus.org.

GOVERNMENT TRANSPARENCY in Hawai`i is poorly enforced, ranking 44th among all the states, according to the recent State Integrity Investigation on transparency, accountability and anti-corruption. Civil Beat, which helped conduct the study along with other organizations nationwide, reports on the “enforcement gap” in Hawai`i, where there are laws on the books to protect the public from lack of transparency and accountability. However, these laws are lacking in their enforcement. States scoring lower in this area were Texas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, New York and Maryland.

Hawai`i's overall Corruption Risk Report Card
gives the state a C.

        Civil Beat editor John Temple said that his news organization has faced challenges in gathering information from state government. He said reporters have “been blocked from reviewing court records and seen huge price tags put up when we’ve asked to review documents. Many government officials appear to have taken a code of silence after taking office, except when it comes to cutting ribbons or sharing happy talk,” the editor wrote.

      Overall, Hawai`i received a C grade on the Corruption Risk Report Card. The State Integrity Organization suggests that citizens email the report card to public officials. The Hawai`i Report Card can be seen at and directly emailed from www.stateintegrity.org. See more at civilbeat.com.

SEN. GIL KAHELE, who represents Ka`u and South Kona, will face County Council member Donald Ikeda in this year’s run for state Senate. Kahele, however, would be representing Hilo, as the political boundaries recently changed with reapportionment. Running to represent Ka`u, so far, are Sen. Josh Green for the district extending from Honu`apo to Kona Airport and Rep. Bob Herkes, from Punalu`u through Puna. Herkes faces opposition from former County Council member Gary Safarik.

NO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT would be required for exploratory geothermal well drilling anywhere in Hawai`i, in a proposal before the state Board of Land and Natural Resources. Hawai`i Reporter’s Big Island writer Sydney Ross Singer puts it this way: “Once a good site for geothermal energy production is found, the EA process would then apparently kick in. Of course, after money and time are invested in finding a potential geothermal resource site, there will probably be enough steam to roll over any public opposition.” 

Potential geothermal sites in Ka`u extend from Mauna Loa
slopes to South Point and the Ka`u Desert.
Map from U.S. Dept. of Energy

      Singer writes that “getting geothermal energy from a live volcano may entail awesome technology and be a great way to wean ourselves from fossil fuels. But the public has been burned by geothermal energy in the past. With the proposed exemptions to allow exploration well drilling without an Environmental Assessment, the public is again being marginalized….”
      The Environmental Council, under the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, is studying the proposed exemptions for geothermal. It could either agree or fail to “concur” and return the exemption proposal to the BLNR. A public 30-day comment period ends April 6. Possible geothermal sites in Ka`u include Kalae and the Ka`u Desert. Comments can be sent to www.environmental.council@doh.gov.

MAYOR BILLY KENOI COMES TO KA`U tonight to listen to the public and answer questions. The meeting, which will also be attended by county department chiefs, will be held at the Na`alehu School Cafeteria beginning at 6 p.m.

VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE is sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Hawai`i. The help is for households earning less than $50,000 in 2011. The nearest site to Ka`u is in Kona at Goodwill Industries of Hawai`i on Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. until April 5 at 74-5599 Luhia Street, F-4. Call 430-0608.

The Ka`u Gym & Shelter Draft Environmental Assessment says drywells will be installed to control runoff.

COMMENTS ON THE KA`U DISTRICT Gym & Shelter Draft Environmental Assessment are due this Friday, March 23. 

      At a community meeting held in November, one Pahala resident expressed concerns about flooding problems, saying that, during heavy rain, water quickly runs off of the grassy area where the shelter and gym are planned and floods neighboring yards and streets.
      According to the draft EA, to dispose of additional runoff generated by impervious surfaces such as roofs and pavement, drywells will be installed. The drywells will require an Underground Injection Well permit.
      Mitsunaga & Associates’ Civil Engineering Report, included in the draft EA, states, “The proposed building will have roof drains connecting to the new subsurface drainage system. Existing drainage patterns will be maintained, as much as possible, runoff will sheet flow across the site to landscaped areas, or to proposed drainage structures.”
      The Draft Environment Assessment is available at Pahala and Na`alehu Public Libraries and online at hawaii.gov/health/environmental/oeqc/index.html. Comments can be sent to Tammy Kapali, Planner, PBR Hawai`i & Associates, Inc., 1001 Bishop Street, Suite 650 Honolulu, HI 96813 or faxed to 808-523-1402. Comments can also be sent to County of Hawai`i Department of Public Works, Attn: David Yamamoto, Aupuni Center, 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 7, Hilo, HI 96720 or faxed to 808-961-8630.

Meleana Ulrich-Manuel

KA`U COFFEE FESTIVAL will hold its meeting tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Pahala Community Center. Public is invited to help the coffee farmers celebrate their new industry and thank the community through this annual event to be held on March 12. 

HULA HALAU KE `OLU MAKANI O MAUNA LOA performs Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park’s Kilauea Visitor Center Auditorium. Hawaiian entertainer Meleana Ulrich-Manuel, a native of Kilauea, and her halau perpetuate Hawaiian culture, protocol and history through song and dance. Donations are accepted, and park entrance fees apply. 

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