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KAHALU'U NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD
REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES-draft
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2008
KEY PROJECT
Call To Order – Chair Henkin called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.
This 15 member Board requires a vote of 8 to adopt a motion. A quorum of 8 was present (Henkin, Naluai, Busch, LeVasseur, Spray, Kaluhiwa, Luersen, and Geboski)
Neighborhood Board (NB) Members Present – Rocky Kaluhiwa, Elwin Spray, Gregory Geboski, D. Keala Naluai, Jean-Paul Renoir, Ned Busch, Amy Luersen, David Henkin, Kurt Mench and Ken LeVasseur.
Members Absent – Richard Garcia, Daniel Bender, Keliko Hoe, Rich Vermeesch, and Mark Valencia.
Guests – Ernie Martin (Mayor Hannemann’s representative), Arwen Chisholm (Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i-MCBH), Lt. John Vines (Honolulu Police Department-HPD), Firefighter Doug Silva (Honolulu Fire Department-HFD), Tammy Mori (Governor Lingle’s office), Aulii George (Congresswoman Hirono’s office), Guy Nakamoto & Jim Anthony (Hawai’i La’ieikawai Association, Inc.), Mike Sakata (Representative Dela Cruz’s office), Barry Usagawa (Board of Water Supply), Art Machado (Kane‘ohe Bay Regional Council-KBRC), Ray & Cathy Kahookele, Jerry Kaluhiwa, and Mary Chanel-Benjamin (Neighborhood Commission Office-NCO).
Honolulu Police Department Report (HPD) – Lt. Vines reported Kahalu‘u statistics for the month of September included: 3 simple assaults, 5 auto theft recoveries, 2 burglaries, 2 driving under influence (DUI), 1 family offense, 3 graffiti, 1 motor vehicle theft, 8 property damage, 20 motor vehicle collisions, 1 rape, 14 thefts, 4 unauthorized entry into motor vehicles (UEMV). 2) HPD will follow-up on the suggestion of a reported surveillance camera for Windward Mall.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) A. Machado noted that Windward Mall is installing video surveillance cameras in the parking lot.
2) Kaluhiwa wanted HPD to know their efforts at He’eia Park were appreciated; for the time being it looked as if the illegal activities and vehicles parking on
Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i (MCBH) Report – A. Chislom circulated MCBH’s newsletter and reported: 1) Major A. Crouch was unable to attend tonight as he was at a media engagement regarding torpedoes found at
7:15 p.m. Mench arrived at the meeting; nine Board members present.
Board of Water Supply (BWS) Report – B. Usagawa reported: 1) there were no main breaks in September. 2) BWS wanted the district residents to know their conservation efforts were appreciated, with Windward pumpage down to 17 mgd from 19 mgd, and asked to continue efforts through November; rainfall was still below the normal rate for this time of year. 3) BWS was also working to maximize precious water resources; recycled water was one effort. BWS operated the state’s largest water recycling facility at Honouliuli Water Recycling Facility where wastewater was treated to a suitable level for industrial processing, irrigation and other non-potable uses. The facility produced 12 million gallons of recycled water per day and used by golf courses and refineries in the Ewa and Kapolei areas. Recycled water was safe to touch; however was not safe for drinking. Visit www.boardwatersupply.com or call 748-5041 for further information. 4) Water usage at He’eia Pier appears to be declining; BWS will continue to monitor.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) A. Machado said the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board had a water conservation forum scheduled this Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Kane‘
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Kaluhiwa was concerned Ken Ito had left it to KBRC to decide on the ornamental fish resolution; however, without a recent meeting and legislature starting up in 2009, the issues remained unresolved. Kaluhiwa attended the last KBRC meeting. She urged community members to contact the governor regarding KBRC’s problems with quorum.
2) A. Machado said the governor commissioned the members of KBRC; A. Machado was the Neighborhood Board’s representative.
3) Naluai wanted to be sure no OIP rules were broken if more than two Board members attended KBRC meetings. Chair Henkin encouraged interested members to attend and learn about issues affecting communities; Board members should avoid discussing business amongst each other privately.
7:20 p.m. Renoir arrived at the meeting; ten Board members present.
Residents/Community Concerns:
1) A. Machado thanked the Board for the well attended
2) “Walk the Talk” was a 10-day homeless awareness fundraiser walk around
3) C. Kaho’okele expressed her concern regarding the numerous near misses affecting school children crossing
4) R. Kaho’okele was working with HPD on awareness efforts against speeding vehicles on
5) Naluai expressed concerns that Board minutes were not offering a true reflection of what was discussed at meetings. She further expressed concerns that prior Board minutes inaccurately suggested she was the community member who had filed an anonymous complaint with OIP regarding potential Sunshine Law violations associated with the service of three Board members on the KEY Project board. A copy of Naluai’s statement is on file with the NCO. Spray called a point of order objecting to Naluai reading her concerns, stating that reading a statement violates Roberts Rules. Chair Henkin said he thought the Board was free to deviate from Roberts Rules to promote community involvement and allowed Naluai to continue reading. LeVasseur said Board minutes were summaries and not transcripts of Board meetings; therefore, not requiring to provide word for word. Chair Henkin read from an OIP letter describing the rules applicable to Board minutes. A copy of the OIP letter is on file with the NCO.
Treasurer’s Report – Chair Henkin reported: The current appropriated balance was $2,350.69: Operating expenditures for the month of September were $89.13 for printing and postage leaving a balance of $1,350.74; Publicity funds remained at $993 while the refreshment fund was at $106.95 with an expenditure of $13.05.
Community Presentations:
A) Formation of permitted interaction group (PIG) or other Board action to prepare for O’ahu Water Use & Development Plan process:
BWS, B. Usagawa reported the Ko’olaupoko Watershed Management Planning (KPWMP) process was as follows: 1) second to fourth quarter of 2008 – preliminary water use and development analysis; 2) first to third quarter of 2009 – watershed analysis and stakeholder consultation; 3) fourth quarter of 2009 – watershed management strategies; 4) first quarter of 2010 – preliminary and public review/draft KPWMP; 5) second quarter of 2010 – final KPWMP.
KPWMP is one of the eight Watershed Management Plans (WMP) that together will constitute the Oahu Watershed Management Plan (OWMP) and will cover the area from Kualoa to Makapu’u Point. It will be used to meet the requirements of preparing a county water use and development plan under the State of
Hawai’i-La’ieikawai Association (HLA), J. Anthony reported he stood by his comments from last month’s Board meeting; calling on the community and Board to heed warnings that BWS was not informing the communities well. He reported BWS also was sued and lost over the same issues they were trying to promote. When Chair Henkin asked J. Anthony to wrap up his comments in an additional two minutes, J. Anthony objected and responded by raising his voice and hitting the top of a desk, which Chair Henkin noted was disruptive to the meeting.
7:55 p.m. A recess was called by Chair Henkin to bring order back to the meeting. The meeting was resumed at 8:00 p.m.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Kaluhiwa suggested including Hawaiian Civic Clubs once the community discussions started. B. Usagawa said Hawaiian Civic Clubs would be included as stakeholders.
2) Spray asked to see the list of stakeholders BWS had consulted for the recently completed Ko’olauloa WMP. B. Usagawa said that information was available on the BWS web site.
3) Spray raised concerns about the timing for study of stream diversions since we are in the midst of a drought. B. Usagawa said the study focused on only the locations of diversions, not the amount of water diverted.
4) Spray questioned whether it was appropriate to establish a PIG for the entire WMP process. Luersen questioned whether it was timely to establish a PIG. Henkin noted that, at the September Board meeting, it was suggested a PIG might help the Board prepare for the upcoming WMP process.
5) Naluai asked J. Anthony to summarize concerns about the Ko’olauloa WMP process. J. Anthony responded: 1) the plan that comes out of the process must have priorities based on stated reasons; 2) there must be timelines; and 3) the sources of funding must be identified; costs of providing water cannot be externalized.
6) Naluai moved and Kaluhiwa seconded for the Kahalu’u Neighborhood Board to form a PIG to prepare for the upcoming Ko’olaupoko water use development planning process.
7) Kaluhiwa offered an amendment, seconded by Busch, that the PIG should focus on preliminary matters and offer recommendations in six months. The amendment was ADOPTED by unanimous consent. (Busch, Geboski, Henkin, Kaluhiwa, Luersen, LeVasseur, Mench, Naluai, Renoir and Spray). The main motion was also ADOPTED by unanimous consent.
(Busch, Geboski, Henkin, Kaluhiwa, Luersen, LeVasseur, Mench, Naluai, Renoir and Spray)
8) Chair Henkin appointed the following members to the PIG:
B. Community Concerns regarding Kahalu’u Regional Park: A. Machado said several community leaders and members who were involved when the park broke ground had expressed dissatisfaction regarding the park dedication ceremony, including the lack of proper notice and failure to invite those previously involved. A. Machado went on to say DPR director, Les Chang was aware of the community’s desire for an appropriate opening ceremony with an all-day affair for the long anticipated park opening; however, the dedication went on without community input. A. Machado said L. Chang had reassured him the program would be well advertised and A. Machado offered his services then to gather community involvement; however, the park blessing was an embarrassment for the whole community. A. Machado expressed disappointment as many worked long and hard on the project only to be disregarded; somewhat of a “slap in the face.” A. Machado said it was inappropriate to have a minister who did not even live in the area offer the blessing, particularly since so many local ministers were involved in the effort to establish the park.
W. Ho, Department of City Department of Parks and Recreation: W. Ho reported park funding took some time; dredging also had a setback as irrigation problems arose. To address the problems, the city paid a million dollars to correct the ground work; still the grass failed to root and grow properly due to salt crystals from lagoon dredged materials used as field filler. By August 2008, the playing field was deemed ready for use; however, grass roots were still too shallow for the grass to take hold. As the field would be damaged by the high demand usage, all league games were limited and practices suspended to allow grass growth. The field has undergone additional repairs; additional watering and fertilizer as an attempt to toughen the grass. The field currently was under the care of park staff and has sporadically scheduled activities with ongoing maintenance to allow the grass to take hold. The complex supervisor can be reached at 239-8726 to schedule team activities. He hopes the field should be ready by spring of 2009 for all youth activities. There is money in the 2009 budget to complete the park walkway. He added as far as the park opening; the Mayor’s call was to dedicate the park as its completion was long overdue. His staff was given only 20 days to prepare for the opening. This left them with inadequate time and minimal resources as no records were available to retrieve 40 year old information for invitees. He commended his staff and everyone that was involved on short notice for the opening; his staff donated pastries and items needed from their own pockets as no funds were available for refreshments. The Mayor’s office selected the pastor to perform the blessing. W. Ho said he was instructed by orders of DPR to follow specific instructions and he complied; his staff did a fine job, especially given the short notice. He understood the community’s desire to plan a re-dedication and offered his staff’s support for such an effort. Interested community members should contact Hilton Lau, community supervisor, at 233-7314.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Kaluhiwa thanked W. Ho for providing the explanation regarding the dedication ceremony.
2) Several Board members said they were willing to assist in planning a re-dedication and offered some ideas; pot luck, contact original working members of the park and search for volunteers. The consensus was that the rededication should occur only after the park is completely finished.
3) Mench asked about plans for the portion of the park on the ocean side of
4) Renoir said he thought the dedication was appropriate and thanked the Mayor and city departments involved for an enjoyable park opening.
5) W. Ho said parks were in high demand and noted the staff will form a Kahalu’u sports advisory council to address use of the fields. Field use would no longer be on a first come, first served basis. Interested community members should contact Hilton Lau at 233-7314.
Renoir left the meeting at 8:45 p.m.
C. Preparations for Candidates Forum: Spray suggested spending Board monies to buy leis for the candidates and that candidates be given three minutes for opening statements. Several Board members thought leis would be an appropriate gesture; however five minutes would be give candidates more time to present their ideas. Spray moved and Kaluhiwa seconded for the Board to spend up to $40 for leis. The motion WAS unanimously adopted (Busch, Henkin, Geboski, Kaluhiwa, Luersen, LeVasseur, Mench, Naluai and Spray). Busch moved and LeVasseur seconded to allow each candidate up to five minutes each for their presentation during the candidates’ forum. The motion WAS adopted; 8-0-1. (Aye: Busch, Geboski, Henkin, Kaluhiwa, Luersen, LeVasseur, Mench, Naluai; Abstain: Spray)
Mayor Hannemann’s Report – E. Martin reported: 1) Wilfred Ho of City Department of Parks and Recreation had volunteered to attend tonight’s meeting to respond to concerns about the Kahalu’u
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Naluai requested an updated timetable for completing the perimeter path and trees replacement at
2) Busch requested status of an earlier report about a falling seawall in the middle of
3) Kaluhiwa inquired regarding the blue bin for recycled purposes as some residents received them and others did not. E. Martin said mechanical pickup did not cover all locations yet and will follow up at the next meeting.
Governor Lingle’s Report – T. Mori reported: 1) State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has a repair area at He’eia harbor where permittees were allowed to make minor repairs to their vessels. They have considered closing the harbor overnight; however that would prevent the public from using the launch ramps. Piled trash has been a problem at the harbor due to the general public leaving their rubbish, state crew made great efforts in removing them on a daily basis. The crew also had a clean up of metal and items a few months ago, with however some tires were left behind for harbor ramp use. Currently a pile of tires remained near the repair area; harbormaster was in the process of removing them as there was a lack of contractors that processed tire removals. A removal fee was also involved. The harbor was at a loss in keeping the public from using the area as a dumping ground and asked the Board and community for support. It was possible for the state to install a gate with a coded lock that would change weekly, allowing only authorized boaters to enter. 2) According to the State Department of Agriculture (DOA), there were two species of millipedes whose numbers may be increasing due to recent imbalances at Waihe’e Marsh: Trigoniulus corallinus (red and about 2 inch long) and Spirobolellus (black and white about 1 inch long). They feed on decaying organic vegetation and sometimes develop into large populations during rainy seasons. DLNR reported recent grass trimming may have caused the millipedes disturbance. DOA reported home or office millipede invasion was not their jurisdiction but that large numbers may migrate when habitat was disturbed.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Spray asked if State Department of Transportation (DOT) could define boundaries at the Hygenic Store area; monitor and enforcement of illegal vendors was also needed. DOT could request the Attorney General’s office to assist with the problem home located behind the banyan tree as reported last month.
2) Mench expressed concern about any plans to remove the repair areas at the He’eia boat harbor since that would impose great hardships on boaters. Mench opposed any such plans.
3) Kaluhiwa noted that tree removal at He’eia could allow for more much needed parking spaces.
4) Luersen added harbor overnight closure would not work as it would affect too many boaters who fish at night.
5) Geboski said he was opposed to the DOT’s proposed merge lane at
Congresswoman Hirono’s Report – A. George reported: 1) Congress passed and signed into law the economic bill rescue. The aim of the bill was to repair financial institutions’ damaged balance sheets and restore market confidence. Additionally, the bill includes tax cuts for 20 million families, including 90,000
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Geboski asked if any of the provisions of the bailout bill directly benefited
2) Spray asked how many of the 16 bills Congresswoman Hirono introduced passed. A. George will check and report back.
Councilmember Dela Cruz’s Report – M. Sakata reported: 1) Charter Amendments on the November 4 ballot: Duties and Function of the Prosecuting Attorney, Duties and Functions of the Ethics Commission, Jurisdiction of Impeachment of City Officials, Duties and Functions of Director of Department of Transportation Services. Please take time to carefully decide whether or not you would like to see these changes made to the City Charter. Call 768-5002 for further clarifications and further questions if needed.
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Chair Henkin asked whether it would be timely if the Board submitted prioritized CIP items following at its November meeting. M. Sakata said that timing should permit the Board proposals to be considered.
Senator Hee’s Report – There was no representative or report available.
Representative Meyer’s Report – There was no representative or report available.
AGENDA ITEMS FOR NOVEMBER 12, 2008 MEETING:
1) CIP requests due for discussion in November; top two requests to be sent to the city
2)
Questions, answers and concerns:
1) Several members thought Mench should follow up on the
2) Busch asked why OIP item was proposed for the agenda. Chair Henkin said Naluai had requested that the Board consider taking up the issue.
3) After a discussion; Board decided to include the following items for the November agenda: CIP requests, Surf Concert, West Hui ‘
4) Naluai moved and Geboski seconded to add OIP issue on the November agenda. The motion was NOT adopted; 3-6-0. (Ayes: Kaluhiwa, Naluai and Geboski; No: Henkin, Busch, Mench, LeVasseur, Luersen and Spray)
(NA Mary Chanel-Benjamin left the meeting at 10:00 p.m. Board Secretary to take minutes for the remainder of the meeting).
Corrections/Amendments of the Regular Meeting Minutes – Chair Henkin noted that the Board no longer had quorum and, therefore, could not take action on the minutes.
Adjournment – Chair Henkin adjourned the meeting at 10:10 p.m.
Submitted by Mary Chanel-Benjamin, NA Reviewed by Chair Henkin