Kaʻū News Briefs December 27, 2023

Mahina & Her Moonset Viewed from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park
Behind Mauna Loa, the setting of the moon, the mahina, was recorded Wednesday morning by National Park Service
photographer Janice Wei. Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park posted: "A hui hou (until we meet again) to the last full moon of
2023."  This mahina is also called the Cold Moon. See more at https://www.facebook.com/hawaiivolcanoesnps. 
Photo by Janice Wei/NPS

PEOPLE TAKING THE HELE-ON BUS FROM KAʻŪ TO HILO AND KONA CAN pick up bicycles at ten Bikeshare Stations in Hilo and 13 in Kona. These include new stations. Funding of $900.000 for the six new bikeshare stations, managed by the county Mass Transit Agency and  PATH - People for Active Transportation Hawai'i, comes through county Department of Public Works and state Department of  Transportation through the Transportation Alternatives Program.
    In 2016, PATH’s partnership with the County of Hawaii’s Research & Development Department piloted a bikeshare system in Kailua-Kona to test how bikeshare could work on Hawai’i Island, which was 

After riding the Hele-On to Hilo and Kona, passengers can pick up a free bicycle to
 ride. See https://www.heleonbus.hawaiicounty.gov/programs/hibike-bike-sharing.

eventually expanded to the Hilo area. As part of this expansion, Mass Transit came on to start subsidizing the bikeshare operation, incorporating it into the family of services provided by the agency.
    "Since bikesharing promotes active, healthy transportation and exercise, it’s important to maintain this bikeshare system as part of Hawai’i County’s multi-mobility or multimodal transportation plan. Bikeshare stations are also incredibly beneficial in areas where a bus route may not make sense because the destination may be close enough to mainline transit. And establishing bikeshare stations near bus routes to get to and from an off-route location eliminates the need to deviate a mainline transit route," says a statement from PATH.
    With the new expansion of the HIBIKE program, PATH continues its partnership with the County of Hawai’i Mass Transit Agency under the leadership of Mass Transit Administrator Victor Kandle to provide Hele-On passengers with a viable transportation option that provides economic, health, and convenience benefits. Hele-On bus riders can continue to access HIBIKE Bikeshare at no additional cost. For free access, every Hele-On rider can ask bus operators for a code to use at the HIBIKE kiosks. This provides Hele-On passengers with unlimited 30-minute HIBIKE rides for up to 24 hours.
    A service of PATH and Hele-On, HIBIKE Bikeshare "is a form of mobility management ideal for anyone who wants to leave their car parked during a short trip or enhance their transportation options. In other cities with a bikeshare system, it’s been shown that local businesses benefit, with an increase in visibility on the street-level, because people are out of their cars and more aware of the businesses around them," says the PATH statement.
    For more information on the integration of the HIBIKE Bikeshare System, visit https://www.heleonbus.hawaiicounty.gov/programs/hibike-bike-sharing.

PATH and Hawai'i County have expanded free bicycle use in Hilo and Kona for riders of Hele-On Bus.
Photo from PATH

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A CONTESTED CASE HAS BEEN APPROVED for Ocean View residents opposing the location of construction of a new 150-foot cell phone tower within 500 feet of their homes. The Windward Planning Commission approved the proposal to file a contested case to challenge the tower during its meeting in December.
    The cell tower Petition for Standing was opposed by Renegade Towers, LLC, which owns a one-acre lot near St. Jude's Church and the county-owned Kahuku Park. Without "standing" the residents would not be permitted to have a contested case.
    In their Petition for Standing, four residents, Colleen Conifer, Donna Durgin, Dana Jackson and Al Sherman, stated that "close proximity to the proposed tower is what brings us to this meeting, and distinguishes our interests from that of the general public".
    The petition contends that, if the cell tower is built, it would have a negative effect on a "high use area," which includes Kahuku Park that provides recreation and "vital social community activities" such as basketball, pickleball, a childrens' playground, a gathering space for groups and a weekly food distribution

Last year, Windward Planning Commission approved
a Renegade Towers cell tower in upper Kaumana
in Hilo, recommending it be disguised as a tree. This year,
Rennegade's proposed tower for Ocean View has become
 a contested case. Photo from Nello Corp.

center for dozens of residents. The petitioners argue that St. Jude's Church would be affected. They also list five documented fires in cell phone towers nationwide in 2022 - 2023.
    According to the petitioners, more than 150 residents have signed a second petition against the tower citing a "negative impact on the residents, including health, safety and property values". Conifer and friends said they continue to collect signatures at the Saturday swap meet and at SolarWorks! in Ocean View.
    The four petitioners are asking the Commission to "reject the proposed site and instruct Renegade Towers to search for an appropriate location with a recommended minimum of 400 meters, 1320 feet, distance from homes and other high use areas in Ocean View." They wrote, "We ask that the Commission rules in favor of the people it serves over profits to a company that has no stake in our community's well being".
    In a letter to the Windward Planning Commission dated Dec. 6, Danette Martin, a consultant for Renegade Towers, opposed standing for the Ocean View petitioners, objecting to many of the petitioners' claims. Martin asserted that the tower would have no ill effects on the health, safety, property values and that towers are often located on school, park and church properties.
    At the Dec. 7 meeting of Windward Planning Commission in Hilo, Louis Daniele, the planning commissioner for the Ocean View area and manager of the Kaʻū Coffee Mill in Pāhala, made a motion to deny standing for the four Ocean View residents. He stated that he lives in upper HOVE and that he supports the construction of the cell phone tower. He

Opponents of the proposed location
of a cell tower in Ocean View are 
circulating this photo of a cell tower
on fire on the mainland.

alleged that hundreds of homes without cell service would have service with the new cell tower and claimed that the dead area for cell along highway 11 would be corrected.
    Before a vote was taken on Daniele's motion, the Commission held an executive session. Daniele said he was advised that the nearby residents have legal standing. He voted to the petitioners' standing. The Commission also agreed to mediation between Renegade Towers and the petitioners, using a professional mediator.
    Conifer told The Kaʻū Calendar that petitioners are waiting for the Planning Commission to contact them and that they expect to be allowed to select a mediator from a slate presented by the Commission.

    She also said that she and other opponents of the tower are concerned about a fire risk, saying, "We don't want any hazards built in the middle of our rural neighborhood when there are better alternatives." 

    Last year, Renegade Towers was given approval for a cell tower in upper Kaumana in Hilo with the Windward Planning Commission recommending that it be disguised as a tree.

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Kaʻū News Briefs December 26, 2023

See https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/, Public Access Room at the state Legislative Reference Bureau, to learn how to introduce,
support, oppose and track legislation and follow Kaʻū's state Senator Dru Kanua and member of the state House of
Representatives Jeanne Kapela. Image from PAR

Dru Kanuha represents Kaʻū'
 and is also the state Senate's
 Majority Leader

PAR, THE PUBLIC ACCESS ROOM, HAS RELEASED THE 2024 HAWAI'I LEGISLATURE CALENDAR. PAR, a part of the Legislative Reference Bureau, provides many ways for the public to become involved in the introduction of new legislation, testifying pro and con and following each measure through the House and Senate.

     The 2024 Hawai'i Legislature will last about four months, opening on Jan. 17.      
     Public Access Room offers direct assistance to the public in helping with research and understanding the process, on line, on the phone and in person at is office and workspace in the state Capitol. It provides training, desk space and computers for people traveling to the legislature to research, testify and follow legislation. See more on PAR at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/.

    The public can follow the activities of Kaʻū's state Senator, Dru Kanuha, who is the Senate's Majority Leader. His Senate District 3 runs from Kona through Kaʻū into Volcano. In the 2024 Hawai'i Legislature, he will serve on Committees on Education, Housing and Ways & Means. See more about Kanuha, along with numerous measures he introduced for 2024 at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/legislature/memberpage.aspx?member=184&year=2024.

Jeanne Kapela is Kaʻū's state House
 member and is vice-chair of the
Education & Tech Committee.

     State House of Representatives member Jeanne Kapela's District 5 runs from Ho'okena through Ocean View, Waiʻōhinu, Nāʻālehu, Punalu'u, Pāhala, and Volcano into Fern Forest, Glenwood, Mountain View and Kurtistown and portions of Kea'au. In the 2024 Hawai'i Legislature she will serve on Committees of Higher Education & Technology; where she is vice-chair; Culture, Arts & International Affairs; Education; and Labor & Government Operations. See more about Kapela, along with numerous measures she introduced for 2024 at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/legislature/memberpage.aspx?member=71&year=2024.

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FIREWORKS PERMITS ARE NOW AVAILABLE, reports Hawaiʻi Fire Department. Permit sales began Tuesday at the following vendor locations for the upcoming New Year's celebration. These sites are:
    KTA Puainako, 50 E. Puainako Street, Hilo
    KTA Kona, Kona Coast Shopping Center, 74-5594 Palani Rd. Kailua-Kona
    KTA Waimea, 65-1158 Mamalahoa Hwy, Kamuela
    Pacific Fireworks, 74-5629 Kuakini Hwy Suite 155 Kailua-Kona
    J. Hara Store, 17-343 Volcano Hwy Kurtistown
   

The closest fireworks sales to east Kaʻū is at
 the Tent Sale at J. Hara store in Kurtistown.

Kimura General Store 27-289 Mill Rd. Papaikou, Hilo
    Phantom Fireworks Tent, 74-5511 Luhia St. Kailua Kona
    Phantom Fireworks Tent, 325 E. Makaʻala St. Hilo
    Phantom Fireworks Tent, 111 E. Puainako St. Hilo
    TNT Tent, 381 E. Makaʻala St. Hilo
    TNT Tent, 75-1015 Henry St. Kailua-Kona
    TNT Tent, 45-3327 Kou St. Honokaʻa
    TNT Tent, 16-711 Milo St. Keaʻau
    No permits will be sold in the Parker Ranch Shopping Center Food Court this year.

    Fireworks permits will also be available for purchase at: 

    Fire Administration Office at Hilo County Building, 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2501, from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. through Dec. 29. Call 808-932-2911 to set up an appointment.

    Kona Fire Prevention Office at West Hawaiʻi Civic Center, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy, Bldg E, second floor, by appointment only through Dec. 29. Call 808-323-4760 to set up an appointment.

    Each permit costs $25 and will entitle the holder to purchase 5,000 firecrackers. Multiple permit purchases are authorized. Permits shall only be issued to persons 18 or older and are nontransferable and non-refundable. Fireworks sales will began on Dec.r 26 and end at midnight on New Year's Eve.
      Permits are not required for the purchasing of novelties and paperless firecrackers.

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SETTING OFF FIREWORKS FOR NEW YEAR CELEBRATIONS IS ALLOWED between 9 p.m. on New Year's Eve and 1 a.m. on New Year's Day. Permits shall be visibly displayed at the site of use during the firing.

    Hawai'i Fire Department reminds the public that it is illegal for anyone to:

    Remove the powder or pyrotechnic contents from any firework;
    Throw fireworks from, at, or into any vehicle; 

  Set off any fireworks at any time outside specified periods.
    Set off fireworks within 1,000 feet of any hospital, convalescent home, care home for the elderly, zoo, animal hospital or shelter, or church when services are held; on any school property without authorization from the said school official; on any public way such as a highway, alley, street, sidewalk, or park.

    Offer for sale, sell, or give any fireworks to minors; or for any minor to possess, purchase, sell, or set off, ignite, or otherwise cause to explode any fireworks, except under the immediate supervision of an adult;

     Set off any aerial luminary devices, commonly called Sky Lanterns or Hawaiʻi Lanterns, or any other aerial devices, such as bottle rockets, skyrockets, Roman candles, cakes, mortars, or shells.
    The Hawaiʻi Fire Department asks everyone to please kōkua in helping the Department prevent fires and avoid the unnecessary injuries caused by fireworks each year.
     HFD says that rresidents can help by using extreme care when setting off fireworks. Children playing with fireworks should always be under an adult's close supervision. Even the smallest of fireworks can cause severe injuries that will quickly ruin the Holidays. Please help us to help you start the New Year off safely.
     Fireworks should be set off in an area well away from dry grass or flammable materials.
    Light fireworks one at a time. Back up to a safe distance immediately after lighting fireworks.
    Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
    Never place any part of your body directly over or under a fireworks device when lighting the fuse.            Never hold a lighted firework in your hand or aim it at another person.
    Never try to re-light or pick up fireworks that have not fully ignited.
    Be mindful of lighting fireworks during moderate to high winds that could contribute to spreading a brush fire rapidly.
    Be sure fireworks are completely extinguished before being disposed of.
    Have a fire extinguisher and/ or a water hose for use during an unplanned or unexpected fire. Be sure the water hose(s) can reach all areas where fireworks are being conducted, especially around the entire house. Wetting down any dry, grassy area before and after setting off Fireworks is also a great idea. Doing it before will also let you know the capability of your water source.
    Wear protective eyewear to prevent eye injuries.
    If injured, get medical attention immediately by calling 911.
    For more information on purchasing Fireworks permits, the use of Fireworks, or the Fireworks Amnesty program, call Fire Prevention Branch at 932-2911 (Hilo) or 323-4760 (Kona).

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Kaʻū News Briefs December 25, 2023

Christmas Traffic & the Nēnē
"The holidays can be a magical time for many, but they are also a vital time for the survival of the Hawaiian goose, or nēnē, the rarest goose in the world. Nēnē pairs are breeding and nesting, and goslings have been observed in the park," says a posting from Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. With increased visitation in the Park, National Park Service asks the public to "Help them survive with these three simple actions: Give them space! Stay at least 60 feet away (about four car lengths) at all times. If they approach. move away. Never, ever feed nēnē. Pay attention while driving and go slow. Together, we can ensure the survival of these remarkable birds." Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/nature/nene.htm. 
National Park Service Photo

KAʻŪ'S KEIKI RATED HIGHER IN BEING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN than in a number of school districts across the state, according to the recent Johns Hopkins University Readiness for Kindergarten Assessment.

     Statewide, less than a third of keiki demonstrated "baseline readiness." This was the first year that Johns Hopkins Ready for Kindergarten assessment was administered in Hawai'i. The island with all school districts showing most readiness for kindergarten is Kaua'i - all over 30 percent.

    Kaʻū rated at 17.4 percent, lowest on Hawai'i Island with Kohala and Kea'au just ahead with 18.5 percent readiness. The lowest statewide were Lana'i at 6.5 percent, Waianae at 8.3 percent, Hana at 9.1 percent, Farrington at 9.3 percent, MiKinley at 11.4 percent, and Kulanihakoi at 16.2 percent. Reasons given for low ratings included language spoken in homes, poverty, nutrition and health care.

    The testing was not a paper test and involved observations and interactions with keiki across the state.
    Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke is leading state government's effort to prepare keiki for kindergarten. The plan is to expand high-quality child care and preschool for keiki three and four years of age. The state's Ready Keiki plan calls for addition preschool classrooms, increasing provider subsidies to expand preschool access, and educational partnerships to train new preschool teachers and assistants.

    "Access to preschool is a social justice issue for Hawai’i,” said Luke. “Children who have attended high-quality preschool or child care programs are much better prepared for success in Kindergarten, but not every family has access to early learning programs. If we can provide enough classrooms at an affordable price, we can make sure all of our keiki are ready to learn.”
    The Ready Keiki initiative is supported by all four Counties as well as public, private and nonprofit educational partners and philanthropic foundations. The partners include: state Department of Education, Department of Human Services, School Facilities Authority and Executive Office on Early Learning; the University of Hawai’i; Kamehameha Schools; Early Childhood Action Strategy; Hawai’i P-20; Chaminade University of Honolulu; Hawai'i Data Collaborative; The Learning Coalition; Commit to Keiki; Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and the Hawai’i Community Foundation.

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THE FIRST STATE WITH NO SHORTAGE OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS: Gov. Josh Green said that's a goal for Hawai'i he wants accomplished. Just before Christmas he announced that the state’s new Hawaiʻi Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program (HELP) is alleviating the educational debt of 492 medical and healthcare professionals who have been accepted into the program.

    Nearly 300 of the individuals are in primary and mental health care, said Green. "The HELP program will retain medical professionals in our state, which can secure medical care for approximately 750,000 Hawai‘i residents annually."

    The next deadline to commit to practicing health care in Hawai'i in exchange for paying off health care education debt is Jan. 1. See more and find the application at https://www.ahec.hawaii.edu/hawai%ca%bbi-help/
    Green said, "It is so rewarding to see this program come to fruition, as it was this type of assistance that first brought me to Hawaiʻi so many years ago. I saw first-hand how desperately needed medical care is, especially in rural areas of the islands, and for underserved populations. HELP will prove to be a great start toward decreasing our longstanding and challenging shortage of healthcare professionals across the state."

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RESPONSIBLE CELEBRATION DURING UPCOMING NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES is the goal of Hawaiʻi County's announcement, as communities continue to grapple with persistent drought conditions conducive to brushfires starting, spreading rapidly, and endangering Hawaiʻi Island communities.    

   Mayor Mitch Roth and County officials emphasized importance of prioritizing safety and responsible firework use to prevent accidents that could lead to dangerous wildfires.
    "We are once again relying on our residents to do their part in keeping our community safe," said the Mayor. "Even though some parts of our island have been wet, other parts have seen sustained dryness that is of significant cause for concern. Our hope is that all of us make it to the new year without incident while enjoying invaluable time with our friends, families, and loved ones."

    Key firework safety points from the County include:
    Use Approved Fireworks Only: Purchase and use only fireworks that local authorities have approved. Ensure they bear the appropriate safety labels acquired from licensed vendors.
    Designated Areas Only: Limit firework use to designated areas approved for such activities. Avoid open fields, dry grass, and areas prone to catching fire.
    Adult Supervision: Children should never handle fireworks; adult supervision is always essential. Keep a safe distance from the ignition site.
   Fire Safety Measures: Have fire safety equipment, such as a water hose or bucket, readily available. Be prepared to extinguish any sparks or embers immediately.
    Dispose of Properly: Ensure proper disposal of used fireworks after the celebration. Soak them in water before placing them in a non-combustible container.
    The statement notes that the Hawaiʻi Police Department will patrol this New Year's Eve to ensure responsible celebrations and prioritize community safety. "They are ready to enforce the law whenever necessary and are reminding the public that the combination of drinking, driving, and drugs will not be tolerated."
    Hawaiʻi County officials also remind residents that dry conditions may lead to tighter islandwide firework restrictions, and residents are asked to follow County guidance for a safer celebration.
    "The County remains committed to the health and safety of the Hawaiʻi Island community and would like to wish its residents a happy, healthy, and safe holiday season spent with loved ones."

    See the following link: 2024 COH Firework PSA.

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