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WAIPAHU NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES-draft

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008

FILCOM CENTER

CALL TO ORDER – Chair Richard Oshiro called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m.; a quorum was present with 11 members. Note: This 19 member Board requires a vote of 10 to adopt a motion.   

MEMBERS PRESENT – Edmund Alfonso, Maureen Andrade, Stephen Antonio, Cory Chun, Lorraine Duhaylonsod, Terry Healey, Connie Herolaga, Robert Kakalia, Richard Oshiro, Rito Saniatan and Chuck Wheatley.

MEMBERS ABSENT – Joe Hunkin, Jr, Marty Burke, Romeo Garcia, William Maglinti, Thomas Maus, Kerry Nishimoto and George Yakowenko.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

GUESTS – Baybee Hufana-Ablan (Mayor Hannemann’s representative), Firefighters: Shaun Wray, Kawika Harbottle & Mitch Pang (Honolulu Fire Department: Waikele Fire Station-HFD), Sgt. Kaneshiro (Honolulu Police Department-HPD), Rock Riggs (Senator Gabbard’s office), David Festerling (Governor’s Representative), Pat Lee (Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor Project Consultant HHCTCP), Naomi Hanohano (Board of Water Supply), Breene Harimoto (Board of Education), Karen Scharfenstein (Councilmember Okino’s office), Senator Nishihara, Liz Delfico (WCA Waipahu Weed&Seed),  Danielle Bass (Representative Yamane’s office), Ilalo Parayno, Constatine Domingo, Rose Martinez, Stacee Sasagawa and Fred Perlak (Monsanto), Wayne Yagi, Harry Williams, Ty Cullen, David Pagan, and Mary Chanel-Benjamin (Neighborhood Commission Office-NCO). 

Healey announced constituent Russell Roller has passed away and asked for a moment of silence in his honor. Mr. Roller was a previous Board member and will surely be missed. Chair Oshiro offered condolences on behalf of the Board. A moment of silence was observed for Mr. Roller.

ORGANIZATION OF BOARD:

A. Sub-district 9 vacancy; Chair Oshiro asked if anyone were interested in filling the vacancy. No one stepped forward.

B. Future Board meeting date and location; Chair Oshiro said after conferring with FILCOM regarding the Thursday night reservation for the Board meetings, a suggestion was made to re-configure the seating and sliding doors in the adjacent room to distribute the noise so that it won’t compete with the Board meeting. He also said Tuesdays and Wednesdays were open; however, ballroom dancing was also on the same nights from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the open courtyard. He added that during the months of June through December; second Wednesdays of each of these months will be classes in this same ballroom.

Questions and concerns:

• Herolaga and Andrade pointed out that several Board members were city employees; revising Board meeting day would impose on other set duties. She also suggested the Board wait until the next Board elections to make the change if needed.
• Wheatley suggested Waipahu Intermediate School cafeteria could be a possibility but would need to check on the cost of the facility.
• Chair Oshiro said if there were no objections to continuing the same schedule while options were discussed and see how the door configuration would work out to deter the noise.

C. Board decision on Board photograph for NCO website; Chair Oshiro said since the candidates’ forum was proposed for August 28; Septembers’ Board meeting should be scheduled to take the photograph. There were no objections.

D.   Action on proposed August 28, 2008 Candidates Forum; Chair Oshiro said there were 21 candidates on the ballot and should contribute to a lively night of debates.

Questions and concerns:

• Herolaga agreed with the forum to be held in August; however, the Board would have to recess in September, October or December. Several Board members thought October and December would be good months to recess instead of August and September if the Board was only having a partial Board meeting in August. They felt having back to back recesses would jeopardize vital residents’ concerns.
• Alfonso suggested a candidates rally instead; charge the candidates $20 each to pay for the event instead of holding a regular Board meeting in conjunction with the forum.
• Duhaylonsod moved and Herolaga seconded to hold the candidates forum after the August 28, 2008 regular No. 22 Waipahu Neighborhood Board meeting has adjourned and allow the Board to recess in October and December. The motion was ADOPTED by unanimous consent. (Alfonso, Andrade, Antonio, Chun, Duhaylonsod, Healey, Herolaga, Kakalia, Oshiro, Saniatan, and Wheatley.)
• Chair Oshiro suggested the August Board meeting be called to order and include only official reports; HPD, HFD and Mayor’s concerns and report then adjourned the meeting and move into the forum portion. He said this will facilitate 3-hours to accommodate all candidates. Chun thought the Mayor being a candidate should cancel out his opportunity to appear on the agenda since elected officials reports will be eliminated for that night. Several Board members agreed the Mayor’s report should be included as it was an official Mayor report concerning the community. Andrade moved and Herolaga seconded for the August 28, 2008 regular No. 22 Waipahu Neighborhood Board  (WNB) meeting agenda to include only Official Reports; HPD, HFD and Mayor’s Report, Chair’s announcements and Adjournment.  
• Alfonso would rather not include the Mayor’s report on the August agenda but instead thought residents’ concerns should be heard and enforced the 3-minute time limit. Chair Oshiro said the Mayor’s office was open to complaints and would suggest community to contact the Mayor’s office for any pressing concerns; he wants to give the community enough time to meet district candidates. Alfonso moved to amend the motion to exclude the Mayor’s Report from the August 28, No. 22 Neighborhood Board meeting agenda. The amended motion was not seconded and was not adopted. The original motion: the August 28, 2008 regular No. 22 Waipahu Neighborhood Board meeting agenda to include only Official Reports; HPD, HFD and Mayor’s Report, Chair’s announcements and Adjournment was ADOPTED with a 10-1-0 vote. (Aye: Andrade, Antonio, Chun, Duhaylonsod, Healey, Herolaga, Kakalia, Oshiro, Saniatan, and Wheatley. No: Alfonso)

 APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES –

June 26, 2008 regular Board meeting: Without objections the following corrections were made:

Page 1; under election of Board replace “Gardcia” with “Garcia”

Page 1; under filling of vacancies, questions and answers, first bullet; replace “Wheatley asked” with “Alfonso asked”

Page 3; under residence concerns, last bullet; replace “Kilihau Street” with “Pilimai Street”

Page 6; under Senator Gabbard’s presentation; strike out whole contents and replace with “Senator Gabbard - 1) Overall Legislative session: 2,746 bills were introduced in 2008; 294 passed; Governor has enacted 197 into law and vetoed 13 bills. Legislature overrode 4 of these vetoed: HB7 allowing prescription drugs to be imported; SB2779 limited the Governor to suspend prevailing wage laws during an emergency; SB2898 National Popular vote agreement and SB868 would allow legislature to deal directly with boards and commissions by bypassing head of departments. On Monday, the Governor will announce she will veto an additional 52 bills by the July 8 deadline. Authored legislation passed were: SB1891; giving DLNR greater enforcement powers to protect public lands and ban all terrain vehicles (ATV) and 4X4 vehicles from all beaches. SB2373; required retailers to maintain an electronic log of pseudo ephedrine sales to submit a monthly report to the State Department of Safety for monitoring of “ice” drug ingredient. SCR70; directed the Legislative Reference Bureau to do a study on the feasibility of establishing a degree in program for Sports & Entertainment Management at the University of Hawaii. District 19 was fortunate to have received $295,509,000 in construction funding in 2007-09 state budget. Last year, the budget included funding for important projects, such as UH, West Oahu, North South Road, East-West Road, and Kapolei Court Complex. This recognized District 19 as one of the fastest districts on Oahu. 2) The next “listen-story” meeting will be at Kapolei Starbucks on July 19, at 9:00 a.m.”

TREASURER’S REPORT – Saniatan reported expenses incurred in May 2008 ending the Fiscal Year 2008 were; Operating Account expended $243.35 for postage, printing and facility rental; the balance was $87.07: Publicity Account expended 1,096.20 for video tapings, and balance was $566.00: Refreshment Account had no expense and the balance remained at $120. This leaves a closing total appropriated balance of $ 773.07

OFFICIAL REPORTS:

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) – Firefighter S. Wray reported statistics for the month of June consisted of: 9 wildfires, 9 rubbish fires, and 172 medical emergency calls with 61 miscellaneous calls. Fire Safety Tip: Summer break is upon Oahu; an opportune time to review home surroundings for potentially dangerous situations. Suggest to childproof your homes to keep these items safe from children; electrical shock, matches, lighters, prevent accidental falls, secure poison, medications, cleaning products and houseplants. Swimming pools should be fenced and gated with an alarm to prevent child drowning.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) – Sgt. Kaneshiro reported: 1) crime statistics can be found by logging onto to honolulupd.org. Statistics for the district can be found under D3. 2) The Weed & Seed and HPD Waipahu sub-station will be incorporated into one storefront to serve the district. Clean up was still underway at the named location at the Waipahu Shopping Plaza near Savers.  3) A community walk was scheduled for August 5 for Aniani, Pupu and West Gate Shopping Center. 4) Pilimai Street concern was shared with HPD covering the late into early morning shifts. HPD asks citizens to call 911 rather than try to solve the problem themselves to ensure safety. When calling 911 it was helpful to give full details including the times of incidents and locations to help HPD service the area. 5) Waipahu had a 24% service call percentage for the month of June; that was almost 3,000 calls. 6) Statistics for the month of May included: 18 assaults, 49 auto thefts, 26 auto theft recoveries, 46 burglaries, 55 criminal property damage, 5 drug/narcotics, 208 motor vehicle collisions, 3 robberies, 71 thefts, 43 unauthorized entry into motor vehicles (UEMV) and 16 operating a vehicle under the influence (OVUII).

Questions and concerns:

• Wheatley said Pupukahi Street and the Pupu district had a public drinking issue after 10:00 p.m. He said drinkers hid alcohol in parked vehicles along the streets and seem to disappear into the vehicles for a drink; this activity continues into the night accompanied with loud singing and music. He said HPD gets called; however, there has been very little respond to the calls. HPD said they were aware of a dark 4X4 vehicle that has been a subject of this complaint; HPD has issued a warning to this drinking group and advises the public to call 911 if they witness public drinking rather than approach anyone. Sgt. Kaneshiro said HPD will respond as soon as possible if no other priority calls were before them.

Weed and Seed – L. Delfico reported: The Weed & Seed and Citizens’ Patrol will host the National Night Out on August 5, at Waipahu Intermediate School Cafeteria. For further information call L. Delfico at 677-6939.

Mayor Hannemann’s Representative – B. Hufana-Ablan reported: 1) the closure of the Waipahu District Park Gym was announced July 10 due to floor repairs. The gym will reopen July 28. 2) The Adopt-A-Block City sponsored and community cleanup program will be held on July 26 from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. Meeting place will be at Aniani Place turnaround. This cleanup was in partnership with the City Department of Environmental Services, Transportation Services and Facility Maintenance (DFM) (DTS) (ENV), KCC Community Outreach, US Department of Justice Weed and Seed Program, Waipahu Neighborhood Board, public officials, Honolulu Advertiser and individuals from the community along with several other businesses. Volunteers may call 768-3300 or 678-2098 for further information. 3) The Honolulu Family Festival at Magic Island returns on August 7 – 10 & 14 – 17, 2008. Entrance into the event was free; scripts for food and rides will be available for purchase. Funds raised will be used to refurbished Ala Moana Beach Park; City & County of Honolulu, Honolulu 100, Hawaii Tourism Authority and E.K. Fernandez Shows were named sponsors. 4) Covering previous concerns; “no parking” red curb zones in the district to mark fire hydrants was repealed by Ordinance 97-05 and the city no longer paints these curbs red to designated “no parking”. However, parking restrictions for the fire hydrants are addressed in the Traffic Code Sec 15-14-1 prohibiting parking in specified places and no signs were required to enforce the “no parking” within 10 feet of a fire hydrant. BWS and HPD were two agencies that can utilize these “no parking” zones at anytime. 5) The Pilimai Street “under-aged drinking” was addressed by HPD earlier in the meeting. She advised concerned citizens to call 911 and allow HPD to make patrol and citations if needed. 6) Illegally removing shopping cars did not constitute third degree theft, under the HRS 708-832, however, the concern was forwarded to Corp Council for review. Resolution No. 07-340 introduced to regulate abandoned carts was presented for a six month pilot project implementation involving Retail Merchant of Hawaii, Food Industry, HPD, City Department of Customer Services and the Council of the City & County of Honolulu. The project will end this September and will report results; 592-4200 was the number to report abandoned or stolen shopping carts.

Questions and concerns:

• Wheatley asked for a copy of the Traffic Code Sec 15-14-1 for his own record; he served on several neighborhood safety task forces. B. Hufana-Ablan will forward a copy.
• Alfonso said after speaking with NA, Mary Benjamin, he was advised to bring to the Board his concern to request Board refreshment funds be used to purchase a case of water for groups that were facilitating clean up for the district. He said he understood the Board only had $120 per fiscal year and has never been used for any refreshments and only asked a small donation from the Board as a case of water could only cost $5. Chair Oshiro said he understood Alfonso’s concern; however, the Board was facing a budget dilemma with securing a new meeting place and may need to transfer funds to cover costs if needed. Alfonso moved for the No. 22 Neighborhood Board to donate a case of water to groups facilitating clean up efforts in the Waipahu District as needed. The motion was not seconded, therefore, the motion failed to be heard. Alfonso announced if anyone in the district would like to donate water or in need of water for a clean up crew in the Waipahu District to please contact him with information.

RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS:

• Halfway House on Kahuanani Street complainant was not present tonight. Herolaga said a conversation with Randy Fukuda expressed satisfaction with the current situation.
• A resident at 91-1030 identified as Mathew said in January 2007 he filed a complaint with the city regarding a 4-5 inch crack in his driveway that became uprooted by a nearby tree on city property. A city investigator found the tree to be the culprit, therefore, notified him due to damage being on private property that he would have to do the repairs himself and notify the city once it has been done so that he can be reimbursed. He said he used a private contractor and gathered all receipts and submitted them to the city. He said he received a called from Corp Counsel telling him that “culprit” tree will remain in its current place and he will need to sign a city release waiver in order to get reimbursed. He said this was unfair since the tree was to remain and now he has to deal with cracks from the same tree roots only on the side of his fence now.  Andrade said to call the City Department of Planning and Permitting and request for an arborist to examine the tree.

COMMUNITY REPORTS:

A. Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park/Waipio Soccer Complex – Burke was not present; no report available.

B. Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor – P. Lee reported: On July 10th, the US Senate Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to approve $20 Million for Honolulu's rail transit project.  This follows last years' appropriation of $15.5 Million.  The funds will be used for preliminary engineering and other initial work on the rail project. Today (July 24) Honolulu was named 7th out of 500 cities nationally as a "Best Walking City".  One of the criteria for the ranking is the amount of mass transit use for a healthier lifestyle.  We have high transit ridership per capita and walking to transit keeps us healthier. Also, as he reported last month, Honolulu was recently ranked # 1 in rush hour traffic congestion for all US metropolitan cities.  The rail project will move 9,000 passengers per hour in each direction which is the capacity of 6 highway lanes.  Once built, the rail project is expected to reduce traffic congestion by 11%.  As a comparison, when school is out as it is now, there is 9-10% less traffic.  Therefore, rail will bring a significant reduction to our traffic congestion.

C. Waipahu Community Association (WCA) – L. Delfico reported: 1)

D. Waipahu Community Foundation – Andrade reported she spoke with Pat Patterson and confirmed Burke agreed to be the alternate for attending meetings.

E. Board of Water Supply (BWS) – N. Hanohano reported: 1) there was a main break on Pupuole Place on June 8. 2) BWS’s 20^th Anniversary open house and unthirsty plant sale will be Saturday, August 2 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Halawa Xeriscape Garden; 99-1286 Iwaena Street; call 748-5041 for further information as well as on the web at www.boardofwatersupply.com. A sponsor will be giving away a xeriscape garden makeover worth over $18,000; enter for a chance to with this big prize. 3) As summer is upon the state; BWS asked to conserve water. A brochure was circulated with 7 simple tips; water just 2-3 times a week, water early mornings or late evenings, check for leaks, install efficient plumbing fixtures, take shorter showers, put a nozzle on garden hoses, and don’t let the faucet run and run.

F. Other Community Reports – No reports available.

I. Reports from NB Permitted Interactions Groups –

Transit Advisory Group: Chair Oshiro reported: he attended a few meetings last week with several Board members. The group discussed fielding and zoning to considering landowners affected by the transit. Among large projects that will also affect transit were: UH West Oahu, Hawaiian Homelands, Koa Ridge and Waiawa Projects.

Filipino Community Center: Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO): Kakalia reported: he attended the June 18 meeting confirming the Waipahu Neighborhood Boards’ standings with OMPO.  There was a sub-committee that will need a Waipahu NB representative as well; he may not be able to attend. This sub-committee will be developing OMPO policies. Chair Oshiro asked the Board to assist with a representative for the sub-committee if available; suggested to call Maus if he was available. 

PRESENTATIONS:

Chair Oshiro allowed Monsanto to make a brief presentation; they will be scheduled on the September NB meeting agenda as Augusts’ meeting will consist of

Monsanto representative F. Perlak reported; since purchasing 2,300 acres of land from the James Campbell Estate in August 2007, Monsanto has planted corn and upgraded the irrigation systems and equipments. He was here tonight to announce August 18 will be a ground breaking ceremony on Kunia Road for the research facility. Monsanto hoped to employ 1,000 employees up from the current 120. The research facility will consist of laboratories, storages and a cafeteria for employees; however, there will be no residency headquarters at the site. He introduced Stacee Sasagawa which will head Monsanto’s human resource department.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS –

Sunshine Law: HB2730 has passed to become law.

Waipahu HPD Substation:  This issue was discussed earlier in the meeting.

GOVERNMENT REPORTS:

City Councilmember Garcia reported: 1) The Waipahu District Park gym and pool will be closed for floor resurfacing from July 22-28; reopening on July 28 if all goes well. Poll construction will begin next week with anticipated construction completion by June 2009. 2) Kunia Shopping Center at Kupuna Loop has been barricaded to curb the illegal left turn into the center. 3) On July 9 approximately 75 residents were in attendance to hear reports from City Department of Planning and Permitting and DTS at the Village Park transit meeting detailing the transit project and proposed Transit Oriented Development (TOD).  DPP and Councilmember Garcia’s office has been canvassing the area to invite businesses located nearby the proposed Leoku and Mokuola Streets stations; an open house was held July 16 at Waipahu Elementary School Cafeteria.  For more information regarding transit; log onto www.honolulutransit.org. 4) The Waipahu Coalition in conjunction with Weed & Seed will hold a cleanup at Pupuole Street area on August 2; meeting place is at Pupuole Mini Park at 8:00 a.m. Contact L. Delfico at 677-6939 for further information. 5)

City Councilmember Okino – K. Scharfenstein circulated a monthly report which she stood by.  

Governor’s representative – D. Festerling reported: 1)Improvement funding for public schools of $30-million was released to start renovation statewide and scheduled to be begin late 2008 and completed by early 2010. Schools affected were: Fern, Kalihi Uka, Linapuni, Pu’uhale, Benjamin Parker, Kane’ohe, Lehua, Makakilo Elementary Schools as well as Pearl City High School. 2) Unemployment insurance benefits for unemployed have been extended for 13 additional weeks under the federal extension authority of the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUT). Eligibility dates were from July 6, 2008 through March 31, 2009. In Honolulu the number to call was 586-8970/71 and in Waipahu, 675-0030.

Board of Education – B. Harimoto reported: BOE has been pro-active in finding ways to accommodate the department with budget cuts; however, programs have been working with undercut budgets to begin with. BOE hoped to deliver better service and were working on streamlining programs due to rising economy costs including the bus service contracts.

Questions and concerns:

• Chair Oshiro asked if developing Castle & Cooke and Kapolei projects were fixed into the BOE budget due to the volume demand it will need to provide to new schools.  B. Harimoto said BOE was aware of the priority with school infrastructures and will make a presentation once plans were completed and available.
• Andrade was concerned the art and music programs were included in budget cuts; she wanted to make aware these programs were as valuable as other subjects. B. Harimoto said due to limited dollars, each school had to decide which programs to cut; however, he reassured that BOE valued the arts, music and physical education as well.
• Alfonso suggested BOE consult with the UH “Go Green” project group to make recommendations on energy savings. Alfonso gathered this group projected a $10,000 a month savings at UH with utilizing cost effective measures cutting back on air conditioning and lighting. B. Harimoto said he will definitely take a look at the program.
• Healey suggested not cutting the athlete department Junior Varsity budget; high school athletics kept boys off the streets limiting loitering and possible violence. B. Harimoto said this news was only speculation; BOE supported athletics and the 13 million athletics program will only suffer a 1 million budget cut. B. Harimoto also said some schools chose to eliminate athletic positions and allowed the community and parents to become more active with instilling family values into sports.

Senator Espero reported: His seat was uncontested in this year’s election; therefore, he will spend the time working on legislative concerns and will be attending a Senate Economic joint conference on August 27.  2) He has been involved with a coalition of agencies to support inmates to adjust with transition back into a normal lifestyle. The focus of the group was to assist individuals with job skills and job placement. He also said measures are being taken to focus on tracking devices for released inmates rather then media on criminal records; a hearing was scheduled for this issue. 3) “Espero Conversations” will air on Oleleo channel on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. Steve Logan involved with Pro-Rail will be his guest this coming Sunday.

Questions and concerns:

·         Alfonso inquired as to how many “halfway houses” were in Waipahu district. Senator Espero said he will check with City Council for a current updated count; “halfway homes” had a great role in the community.

Senator Nishihara reported: On Monday will be a judiciary special session hearing on the judgeship vacancy seat. He will also attend the Hawaii tourism conference on August 7 and 8.

Questions and concerns:

·         Chair Oshiro said he was concerned with some confusing city reports of specifics on properties and developments effected by the rail line. Senator Nishihara proposed a coffee hour session to include the City Department of Transportation (DTS) to clarify some of these reports; however he suggested calling DTS to confirm reports especially those living in Pearl City and Waipahu. He also advised speaking with Council members Okino and Garcia.  

Representative Sonson reported: 1) Transitional homes can operate without being a state program site as long as no more than 5 unrelated residents living in one home. The next year’s session will include regulating transitional homes to exclude ex-prison inmates. He felt the state should address this inmate transitional period rather than allow the communities to be responsible. He also reported a 3 million contract to providers; Ohana and Evergreen Care Homes to deal with a proposed 40,000 inmates to be released over time. 2) He has advocated for a petition to open a skate park for the district; 2 classmates were spear heading the petition and efforts to place the park at Ka Uka Road entrance where there were no homes nearby. 3) Olelo stood to become more active in the community and has opened a program at Waipahu Intermediate School. 4) “Sonson Kitchen Show” will air twice a month on Olelo as a way to share his cooking expertise; no specific times or day has been set for airing. His show has been considered “killer shows” which Olelo aired as time slots become available to air such shows.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

A. Viewing of Waipahu Neighborhood Board No. 22 via Olelo; Fridays, Channel 49, 9:00 p.m.

B. Candidate Forum will be on August 28; Senate, City Council and House seats for contested race will be invited.

ADJOURMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9: 25 p.m. without objection.

Submitted by M. Chanel-Benjamin, NA                            Reviewed by Chair Oshiro