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PEARL CITY NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD

DRAFT MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2006

HIGHLANDS INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL CAFETERIA

CALL TO ORDER: Chair Albert Fukushima called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m., with a nine (9) members present, which established a quorum.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Jerilyn Anderton (arrived at 7:55 p.m.), Sol Ray Duncan, Albert Fukushima, Kevin Furutani, David Howton, May Imamura-Uruu, Myrtle Nyuha, James Pickard, Sr., Davin Takahashi, Cruz Vina, Jr.

MEMBERS ABSENT: None.

GUESTS: Firefighter Ian Ah Mooksang (Honolulu Fire Department – Waiau Station); Sgt, Sam Mahi, Lt. K. Lima (Honolulu Police Department – Pearl City Station); Major Debora Tandal and Sgt. Wilson (HPD Equestrian Unit); Scott Ishikawa (State Department of Transportation – Spokesperson); Isaac Hokama (Mayor's representative – Special Assistant to the Mayor); Senator Clarence Nishimura; Councilmember Gary Okino; Robert Sato (Councilmember Okino's Office staff); Lisa Vargas (Representative K. Mark Takai's Office staff); Kent Kitagawa (State Department of Health – State Laboratories Division); Emmie Baring; Marty Burke; Will Eaton; Holley Franic; Audrey Kawaa; Ardalan Nikou (Earth Tech); Laurie Nomaka; Tom Nishi; Don Robbins; Richard Seman; Nelson, Valerie, and Megan Shigeta; Jerry Souza; Lorna, Keilyn, and Ernest Tanimoto; Ray Summerall; Jade and Charles Underwood; Kathy Yoda; Bryan Mick (Neighborhood Commission Office staff).

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Duncan led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

APPOINTMENT TO FILL THREE (3) VACANCIES: There were no interested parties to fill the vacancy.

REMINDERS OF TIME LIMIT POLICY AND PROCEDURES ON INPUT, COMMENTS, RESPONSES AND PRESENTATION OF AGENDA ITEMS: Chair Fukushima reminded everyone that smoking is not allowed on the school campus grounds. He summarized the time limit policy as follows – ONE minute for comments; THREE minutes for reports; FIVE minutes for presentations already given at the Committee Meeting, TEN minutes for new presentations; ONE minute for comments/questions/responses; recognition from the Chair is required to speak; microphones should be used when speaking; all cell phones should be turned off or put in "silent" mode. Chair Fukushima asked government representatives to please limit their oral reports to one subject matter. He also asked board members to refrain from talking among themselves during presentations.

EMERGENCY AGENCY REPORTS:

HONOLULU FIRE DEPARTMENT (HFD) – Firefighter Ian Ah Mooksang provided the following information:

1)       June statistics – 15 structure fires; 10 brush fires, 5 rubbish fires, 5 vehicle fires, 97 medical emergencies, 3 search and rescues, and 23 miscellaneous calls, of which 3 were considered major.

2)       Fire Safety Tip – Take the time to childproof your home, especially since keiki are on summer vacation. Check for potentially dangerous situations, i.e., electrical shock, accidental falls, or poisoning from medications, cleaning fluids, and houseplants.  Keep matches and lighters in a safe place and out of reach of small children.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

      Pickard inquired who is responsible for inspecting fire hydrants to make sure they can actually deliver water. Ah Mooksang answered the Board of Water Supply (BWS), but if a firefighter noticed a broken hydrant they would report it to HFD’s alarm center and they would inform BWS. Companies in that area would also be issued a notice that goes on each station’s bulletin board.

HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT (HPD) – Sgt Sam Mahi circulated a report and gave the following statistics for June: There were 14 auto thefts, 5 auto theft recoveries, 19 burglaries, 27 criminal property damage and 26 unauthorized entries into motor vehicles (UEMVs). There were a total of 6,948 calls for service in District 3, with some 1,624 calls (23.37%) from the Pearl City area.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

      Takahashi inquired if there was any more information available on the recent stabbing in Pearl City, such as if the suspect was on drugs. Mahi said he did not have any more information than what had been initially reported. The Chair commented that the investigation was still ongoing.

The agenda was taken out of order to hear Lisa Vargas give Representative K. Mark Takai's report.

REPRESENTATIVE K. MARK TAKAI – Lisa Vargas reported the following information:

    Sportsmen Lounge – The attorney for the Sportsmen Lounge went in front of the Liquor Commission at their last meeting and asked that they be allowed to open at noon on weekends and holidays when school is not in session (including summer), be allowed to stay open until 4:00 a.m. on the nights before holidays, and be allowed to open a half hour before any Monday Night Football games, which are telecast round 2:00 p.m. here in Hawaii. The Liquor Commission delayed any action until their August third meeting to allow for public comment, and Representative Takai would encourage the Board to submit testimony to the Commission before the next hearing. His office can assist you, and their number is 586-8455.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

      Pickard commented that this request by Sportsmen Lounge caught everyone by surprise. He said that the notion that summer months don’t have school in session is wrong, since summer school is in session. He does not feel that enough notice was given to the community to allow for proper testimony of the applicant’s request. Pickard moved that, “The Pearl City Neighborhood Board requests that the Honolulu Liquor Commission defer any action on the renewal of the Liquor License for the Sportsman’s Bar for one month to allow for public input.” Vina seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously, 9-0-0. (Aye: Duncan, Fukushima, Furutani, Howton, Imamura-Uruu, Nyuha, Pickard, Takahashi, and Vina).

The agenda was resumed.

PRESENTATIONS:

MAY 2006 YARD OF THE MONTH – P/R Committee Chair Imamura-Uruu presented a Certificate of Recognition to Joyce and Lawrence Takata of Komo Mai Drive in Waiau View Estates for being the July 2006 Yard of the Month Award recipient.

AWARDING OF CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – Publicity/Refreshments (P/R) Committee Chair Imamura-Uruu presented certificates to the following:

1)       Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient Shizuya Hayashi, who was recently honored in the 2006 Vision of Valor Art Traveling Exhibition.

2)       Keilyn Tanimoto, a recipient of HawaiiUSA Credit Union’s $1000 scholarship.

3)       Jaren Shigeta, a recipient of HawaiiUSA Credit Union’s $1000 scholarship and a $100,000 Bentley College Scholarship.

4)       Mark Oda, counselor at Pearl City High School.

5)       Peter Quigley, newly appointed chancellor of Leeward Community College.

6)       Mari Chun, 2006 Hawaii State Women’s Golf Association Match Play champion.

7)       She recognized the former chair of the Pearl City Neighborhood Board, Jerry Souza, who was in attendance tonight.

Komo Mai Drive Rockfall Protection Improvement Project – Ardalan Nikou, field engineer with Earth Tech, gave to following presentation on the project.

1)       The area near the entrance of Palisades is in need of stabilization to protect lives and property.

2)       The first step was to assemble a team of engineers, archeologists, and rock fall specialists. GPS was used to map the area.

3)       The area in question is a natural valley with a natural drainage system. The site has two sections. One of them sports HECO power lines. Rockfall simulations led the team to opt for the construction of an impact protection fence. This allowed the power lines to stay in their current place. The energy capacity of the impact fence is at 450 Foot-Ton.

4)       The second section, to the left of the drainage system, has hillsides and homes. The decision was made to employ a mesh net, similar to the one that was used in a Hawaii Kai project. A series of anchors will be placed at the tops of the hill, and steel cables will hold the net in place. Grass will eventually grow in the openings of the net, helping it to blend it into the terrain. There will be some rock demolition and shrub clearing to make the slope level before the net is laid. The system will be electronically grounded in case any living thing comes into contact with it.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

1)       Vina asked what the sizes of the openings were in the mesh net. Nikou showed a sample of the mesh, which has 1½ inch openings. The net used in this project will be black in color. Vina also asked about the size of the cables used to secure the net. Nikou replied they were ¾ inch cables. Vina asked about the figure given for the impact fence– what size rock does that translate too. Nikou replied a boulder of about 5-foot diameter boulder. Vina inquired how far apart the posts would be that hold up the fence. Nikou replied about 20 feet.

2)       The Chair asked if this project would complete Phase I and if the mesh net would be replacing the temporary measures currently in place. Nikou answered yes.

3)       The Chair asked what the time frame for completing this project is. Nikou replied it would take four-five months.

4)       Pickard inquired if the large trees at the bottom of the slope would have to be removed to allow for the mesh net. Nikou explained that the net would be cut to go around the large trees, and only smaller shrubs would be cleared to make room for the net.

5)       Vina asked if there would be day lane closure during the project. Nikou responded that one lane might be closed for a day or two while the actual laying of the net is done. The Chair commented that he hopes the closures are not done during rush hour and that the residents are given ample and adequate warning of the lane closures.

PEARL CITY COMMUNITY CHURCH EXPANSION, 3^RD STREET, CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT & JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT –Audrey Kawaa gave a brief account of the history of the Pearl City Community Church. Former Army chaplain, Reverend Hiro Higuchi, formed the church in the 1950’s. Many volunteers, including many members of the 442nd, donated the manpower to build the church. The church is part of the United Church of Christ, which includes Central Union and Kawaiaha’o Church. It also has some roots in an early Hawaiian church that was named Ka Hui Hoike Ka Haku O Jesu Kriste. The church runs over 30 ministries. These include a respite program for young parents where free day-care is given to young children so that parents can have some free time to themselves, and free tutoring services in math and reading. Every year, the church throws a community lu’au. The majority of the volunteers and attendees for this event are non-members, and has included former police chiefs in its ranks. The luau is a tradition over 50 years old. The church has been blessed with tremendous growth, making the purchase of the neighboring building a necessity.

Tom Nishi, chairman of the board of trustees, talked about the plans for the recently acquired property located next door to the church. The property was residential and no plans for changing the structure are in place. However, a conditional use permit (CUP) from the City must be obtained to change the zoning from residential to religious. Also, a joint development agreement (JDA) must be obtained to join the two properties together. The church has already circulated a petition to the residents on 3^rd and 4^th streets with no negative responses. Some of the conditions the church has agreed to was to plant hedges around the property to lessen sound travel, plan activities in the new property as accessory activities, and have no activities occuring after 9:00 p.m.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

Jerry Souza thanked the chair and all Board members for serving. He commented that he had received the notice from the church as he lived right across the street. He and his family have attended a few services, and all the luaus. He and his family are thrilled the church has finally acquired the property. All they ask is that the church keep its promises that they make to the Board and to the community. He appreciates what a good church can do for a community, and he thinks Pearl City Community Church is one of them. He encouraged the board to support the church’s proposal.

Furutani moved that the, “The Pearl City Neighborhood Board supports the approval of the CUP/JDA sought by the Pearl City Community Church.” Pickard seconded. The chair commented that he was glad to see the church had made the landscaping agreement. The motion passed unanimously, 9-0-0. (Aye: Duncan, Fukushima, Furutani, Howton, Imamura-Uruu, Nyuha, Pickard, Takahashi, and Vina). The Chair said he would draft a letter to the Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), and asked that the board be notified when the church submits the paperwork.

RELOCATION OF HPD EQUESTRIAN UNIT TO CENTRAL OAHU DISTRICT PARK – Marty Burke, chairman of the Central Oahu Regional Park Advisory Committee and member of the Waipahu Neighborhood Board, introduced himself. In February of 2005, HPD decided they wanted to relocate the equestrian unit from Waimanalo to the Central Oahu Regional Park. Lester Chang, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), has been supportive of the idea. The Central Oahu Regional Park Advisory Committee officially supports the idea, as well as the Gentry-Waipio and the Waikele community associations. So far, the Waipahu Neighborhood Board has officially supported it, and hopefully the Pearl City Neighborhood Board will too.

Sgt. Wilson introduced herself and observed that her charts would not be as nice as the ones used earlier in the Rockfall mitigation presentation. She added that she has a great job working with horses. They provide HPD officers with a huge advantage and have been invaluable inside the Pro Bowl parking lot every year. Chief Correa has talked about disbanding the equine unit, and the move may help to prevent that. The move would allow them to be more accessible to the public, especially young children. The horses deploy islandwide, and have search capabilities as well as patrol ones. They have all terrain capabilities. They are a huge crime deterrent, are used in ceremonies, and are used in educational programs. The proposed new facility would be a pre-fab structure to keep costs down, and would allow the unit to double from 8 horses to 16.

Committee Chair Pickard moved that, “The Pearl City Neighborhood Board supports the efforts to relocate the HPD Equestrian Unit from Waimanalo to the Central Oahu Regional Park.” The motion passed unanimously, 9-0-0. (Aye: Duncan, Fukushima, Furutani, Howton, Imamura-Uruu, Nyuha, Pickard, Takahashi, and Vina).

The Chair asked that the Board be kept appraised of the progress of the efforts as well as other happening in the Central Regional park that could interest the Pearl City Neighborhood Board. Burke said he would be happy to and added that the Central Oahu Regional Park Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public and held the second Monday of each month, 7:00 p.m., at the park’s facilities.

The agenda was taken out of order to hear the resident concerns of the street tree nuisance problem. Pickard explained that residents of Kumano Street in the Manana area have had this issue for 20 years. The cherry trees drop a heavy amount of blossoms daily that damages residents’ roofs and gardens. Contact with the City and State has not been helpful. Former Mayor Blaisdell made those trees a symbol of the county. The residents along Kumano Road are all elderly now; in their younger days they were able to clean up after the tress sufficiently. The Outdoor Circle will never let the tress be cut down, so some heavy maintenance is needed. A petition has been signed by all the residents asking for government help.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

1)       Richard Seman, one of the residents, commented that the major problem is the dirt and debris produced by the tree. Every day it people must clean up after the trees. The blossoms make the sidewalks slippery, and the resident’s grandchildren like to play on those sidewalks. The amounts of pests are increased due to the trees. He thinks that the trees need to be lowered.

2)       Pickard asked if the Mayor’s representative, Isaac Hokama, had any response. Hokama asked if the trees were located on City or State property. Pickard explained that some of them were in Manana Park, some located on school property.

3)       Jean Okata commented that some efforts have been made, but its not enough. She said the residents are forced to clean three or four times a day to keep up with the amount to droppings. It’s been a long time problem.

4)       The Chair asked Hokama to please follow up with the Department of Parks and Recreation. Pickard suggested that the residents meet with Hokama during the refreshment break later on.

5)       Resident Will Eaton commented that he lives next to the school. He has to clean every day for at least a half an hour. Last week, one tree was cut down, but what about the rest of the trees.

6)       Imamura-Uruu commented that her street has had some problems on her street with orange trees. The Chair asked her to bring it up during the Mayor’s Report portion of the meeting.

The meeting was recessed at 7:58 for a short refreshment break.

The Chair called the meeting back to order at 8:13 with 10 members present (Anderton arrived during the break).

COMMUNITY REPORTS:

LEEWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE – No representative present.

PEARL CITY LIBRARY – No representative present.

BOARD OF EDUCATION – No representative present.

PEARL CITY WAL-MART STORE/SAM’S CLUB GAS STATION – The Chair reported that the engineers are still trying to get Phase IV approval from the State. Phase IV is a modification to Kamehameha Highway to create a dedicated right turn lane going Ewa Bound past the Post office connecting to the Wal-Mart site. Approval has not been granted for Phase III yet. The site will include a Jamba Juice, Wendy’s, Central Pacific Bank, Starbucks, and Panda Express.

H-1 VIADUCT WIDENING – Scott Ishikawa, spokesman for the State Department of Transportation (DOT), commented that this would hopefully be his last visit to the Board about this particular project. The additional lanes were opened on June 5, although there still is some work to do below the lanes in the area where the heavy machinery was staged, such as repaving of roads. Two right lanes will be closed on Saturday morning, 5:30-10:00 a.m., to allow for inspection of tests strips that have been placed. These strips are to test what method is most effective for filling concrete potholes, which will be occurring in other places such as near the airport. Pearl City residents use the new far right lane heavily, and informal reports from them indicate a time savings of 10-15 minutes off their normal commute. The bottleneck at the H-1/H-3/Moanalua Freeway merge has also been relived somewhat; the traffic now backs up at the Radford overpass instead of at the airport viaduct. Moanalua Freeway used to be stop and go traffic, now the cars progress slowly at 5 or 10 miles per hour.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

1)       Vina mentioned that the first sign past Kamaha Street is hard to see from the far right lane. Could it be raised? The Chair explained that the wall is blocking the sign, which is a ¾ mile sign. Ishikawa commented that he had gotten a question as to why there were no signs posted at the Kaanohi Street overpass. It was because they did not want people to start changing lanes at that point, so DOT placed the signs further along. He said he would look into the sign that was not visible from the far right lane though.

2)       Anderton asked if there were future plans to fill potholes on Waimano Home Road. Ishikawa said that they have the same contractor for this area, and he has done Aiea Access Road, right lane on Kamehameha Highway near Sam’s club, and will hopefully get to Waimano Home Road in the next month.

3)       Pickard commented that work on Kamehameha Highway was very good. He asked that concrete instead of asphalt is used to fill potholes in front of the bus stops, as asphalt always ends up sinking. Ishikawa responded that repaving the stretch of Kamehameha Highway will cost 30-40 million dollars, and will have to be budgeted in phases. Until then, they will try and fill the potholes as needed.

4)       Imamura-Uruu observed that the heavy trucks had destroyed Kono Street, and it was in dire need of repaving. Ishikawa asked if the contractor had put up the signs he was supposed to. Imamura-Uruu said he had.

5)       Ishikawa said he would be back in front of the Board when the Environmental Assessment for the dewatering facility was released. Takahashi thanked him for putting out the brochures about that facility.

6)       Ishikawa mentioned two upcoming projects, pothole filling in the airport viaduct and pothole filling along the Pearl City viaduct.

7)       Imamura-Uruu asked about the graffiti underneath the highway. Ishikawa responded that the contractor is still responsible for the wall and will be taking care of that.

TERMINATION OF FUNCTIONS FOR HAWAII REGIONAL BIO-SAFETY LABORATORY TASK FORCE AT WAIMANO - Pickard reported that the project has now been moved to the Kakaako area, which is the perfect place thanks to the building of the UH medical school there. He thanked everyone for their hard work. Pickard moved that “the task force charged with addressing the bio-lab be terminated.”  The motion passed unanimously, 10-0-0. (Aye: Anderton, Duncan, Fukushima, Furutani, Howton, Imamura-Uruu, Nyuha, Pickard, Takahashi, and Vina).

BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY (BWS) –No representative present, but a written report was submitted to the Board. The Chair read the report:

1)       There was one six-inch main break in June on Puu Kala Street on June 14.

2)       On Saturday, August 5^th, the Friends of Halawa Xeriscape Gardens and the Board of Water Supply will sponsor the 18^th annual “Unthirsty Plant” sale at the Halawa Xeriscape gardens Gates will open at 9:00 am, with garden tours every 20 minutes. There is no parking at the garden itself, but shuttles will be running from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. along Iwaena Street.

3)       BWS just finished mailing your Annual Water Quality Report, also known as the Consumer Confidence Report. This is required by the Environmental Protection Agency and goes out to every service holder on Oahu. Each report is custom-tailored to each service location of water and will include information about where their water comes from, what’s in the water, and how the water is treated if at all. Copies of the report can be obtained by calling 748-5370, and it will be available on the web by the end of July.

ELECTED OFFICIALS

GOVERNOR'S REPRESENTATIVE – No representative was present.

MAYOR’S REPRESENTATIVE – Isaac Hokama distributed the July Mayor's Newsletter and provided the following responses to last month's questions:

1)       The issue raised last month about the curb at the corner of Kamehameha Hwy/Waimano Home Road becoming muddy during rain has been passed to Scott Ishikawa as that is a State road.

2)       The answers to the questions about the broken crosswalk button, the lack of streetlights on Lehua Avenue, and the lack of a traffic calming feature on Lehua Avenue will be available at the next Board meeting.

3)       Its illegal to turn park in turnaround areas, refuse trucks need the room in order to pick up trash. Hokama said he realizes that was not the response the Board was looking for, and he will inquire further.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:                 

1)       The Chair commented that they board wanted to help with a problem that a Pop Warner team had with park use. No representative showed up at the meeting though. That league has a new president, and he hopes to that the league works with the board to solve any issues.

2)       Emmie Baring, a parent with the Pop Warner football Pearl City Highland Colts team, introduced herself and said that the team was indeed having the same ongoing problem with their use of Manana Park. They did get a permit this year, but it is only good until 6:00 p.m., instead of the usual 6:30 p.m. The parking situation still exists with the park. The team does have a proposal, but they are not sure who to submit it to. Pickard said that last year the Board submitted a letter asking for more parking. Lester Chang, Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, has said that both the Mayor and Councilmember Okino are both supportive of building more parking, but the money is not in the budget right now. There was some adjoining property that had been a possible site for more parking, but that site has been sold. The Chair commented that cutting the permit end time to 6:00 p.m. would be hardship that might have to be endured, and he wondered if its possible for the practices to be modified to account for this. Baring replied that is was unfair, since every other Pop Warner team gets their park until 6: 30 p.m. She also explained that to stay accredited by1 National, the team needs to have a certain amount of practice time each week, and that cannot be done if practice ends at 6:00 p.m. Pickard added that the league must work closely with the park supervisor, Cass Kasparovitch, on this matter. It’s his decision, and the Board cannot tell him how to manage the Park. Pickard also suggested submitting permits as early as possible. Baring relied that they have been dealing with Kasparovitch, and he told them that the empty lot with the weeds cannot be used as parking because its privately owned, yet tonight Councilmember Okino said the City owned that property. Pickard said that he mentioned that lot to Director Chang, who said it was privately owned, so maybe some miscommunication with Councilmember Okino had occurred, Baring asked who the league should submit their letter to. Pickard replied to Councilmember Okino and the Mayor. Imamura-Uruu asked if practice could start early to account for the earlier end time of the permit. Baring said that the children depend on parents for rides to practice, and the parents cannot get off work any earlier. Baring also mentioned that Kasparovitch told the team they had to wait for July 4 to apply for any permits, and the team did so on July 5 and still got unfavorable treatment. The Chair asked Hokama about the lack of a Park Advisory Council, he feels allowing them input into the management of the Park would guard against claims of unfair treatment from the Park Directors. The Advisory Council could also recommend what Capital Improvement Projects should be done in the park. He asked Hokama to see if the Mayor was interested in reviving these Advisory Councils for all parks. The Chair referred the matter of Advisory Councils to committee. He asked the team to please copy the Board on any correspondence that they send in to the City.

3)       The Chair commented that at one time the residents on Komo Dai Drive were under the impression that some traffic calming projects that they wanted would be done (traffic lights or roundabouts). These were never done, and he hopes Hokama can provide an update. Hokama will look into this, but said he thinks all traffic claming projects have been suspended by the current Administration.

4)       The Chair mentioned that at the upper 54-bus terminal on Waimano Home Road, there is only one bench, and no trash cans. Many high school students catch the bus there, and their rubbish is all over the place. Could some trash cans be placed and perhaps another bench? The Chair commented that in fact, this is a prime place for a bus shelter.

5)       Anderton asked to be contacted by Hokama if he receives an answer to any of the holdover issues from last month.

6)       Pickard asked two questions. The first was who authorized the cutting down of the big trees at Palisades Park. The second related to a bus stop on Kamehameha Highway that was moved while CompUSA renovated. Now that the renovation is done, can Oahu Transit Services move the bus stop back to its original location? The new location is out in the sun and very hot.

7)       Takahashi inquired as to how many water facilities the City has and has there been any complaints. Hokama said he would find out.

8)       Imamura-Uruu asked if the City still used street sweepers. She added that there are some roads in Pearl City that could use cleaning, such as roads lined by shower trees.

9)       Robert Sato, from Councilmember Okino’s office, said he might have some information relating to the cutting down of the large trees in Palisades Park. The high wind and rain in April damaged some of the trees, and the remaining trees were examined afterwards and ones in danger were removed. Pickard responded that they did not remove some of the trees, but all of them. Howton commented that the rainstorm in April was a freak storm, and only damaged a small number of trees. The trees that did survive would seem to be able to survive any future storms that in all likelihood will not be as strong as the recent storm.

COUNCILMEMBER OKINO – Councilmember Okino inquired as to what was going on with Sportsmen Lounge and the Liquor Commission. The Chair explained that the Board was asking the Commission to delay the hearing for a month to allow for pubic input on the requests submitted by Sportsmen Lounge. Anderton added that she had been in contact with representative Mark Takai, and he encouraged the Board to make their opinion known to the Liquor Commission. Okino also said that his office would monitor the situation and submit testimony, and that he is worried that the Commission will not defer the request. The Chair said their only recourse was to ask for that deferral by writing a letter. Okino then gave his report.

1)       Okino mentioned that the City had started making improvements on the intersection of Kaonohi Street and Moanalua Road. These should make the intersection more efficient.

2)       The City Council passed a bill guaranteeing payment of $5 million to the State to contract out to a vendor who would collect and distribute the increase in the State’s General Excise Tax (GET), which will be used to finance the County’s mass transit project. Okino is not sure why the State could not come up with the $5 million, and he still hopes that the State can find it. He thinks it makes sense for the State to be in charge of collecting this increase in the GET, rather then the City having to create a whole new department. He added that this mass transit project is very important, and as congestion on the freeways increases, motorists will opt to travel thru communities along the freeway, such as Pearl City. This will have a negative impact on the quality of life for the residents of the community. The system that is built must be elevated so that it is immune to traffic congestion.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

1)       The Chair asked if the Councilmember knew anything about the Pearlridge Satellite City Hall being closed for renovation, as he had read it in a press release from the Mayor’s office. Okino relied he was not aware of that. The Chair explained that the renovation would allow for more service windows and the creation of a point-of-sale cashier system that will eliminate customers having to stand in multiple lines, and the press release also said that the renovation would take two months to complete. The Chair commented that there was no start date listed, and that the residents need adequate notification, as this will greatly inconvenience them during the closure. Okino said he would obtain more information for the Board.

2)       Takahashi asked if a new power plant was required if an electric rail system was chosen for the mass transit project. Okino said that the system would not need a new plant, as it would use HECO’s power supply. There would be sub-stations built below the track at intervals of about a mile or a mile and a half, but these would be very unobtrusive.

3)       Takahashi asked if City programs or services would be cut due to the measures undertaken in regards to property taxes. Okino explained that although there was a one-time rebate along with a reduction in rates, the assessments have risen so much that the City is still collecting more money then in the past. Therefore, no cuts in programs and services are needed a this time.

Senator Clarence Nishihara - Senator Nishihara reported the following:

1)       He just returned from a trip to the Philippines. He said he learned a lot from the trip. Homelessness is a bigger issue over there it is here. People over there were surprised to learn we have homeless people in Hawaii. Many forms of mass transit exist in the Philippines. These include multi-deck freeways that are a visual blight, rail systems, and buses that are jam-packed with people.

2)       The State tax department did not request additional funds for collecting the increase in the GET, so the legislature did not provide any. Hopefully, the State reimburses the City for any of the $5 million that it uses, as it should be a State responsibility.

3)       A meeting was held with members of the board, the City, and the State concerning the second access road. The outcome is that the University of Hawaii will take the lead in building that road, hopefully the Legislature will put money into UH’s budget for that next year.

Questions, comments and concerns followed:

1)       The Chair inquired as to what ever happened to the funding for West Oahu campus. Senator Nishihara responded that in the final days of the session, that money was cut, and hopefully it will be a part of next year’s budget.

2)       The Chair referred the matter of the second access road to committee.

SENATOR DAVID IGE – No representative present.

REPRESENTATIVE ROY TAKUMI – No representative present.

COMMUNITY INPUT:

PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION (PPCA) – No report

MANANA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION – No report.

PACIFIC PALISADES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION - No report.

PEARL CITY FOUNDATION – No report.

PEARL CITY LIONS CLUB – No report.

P.C.C. YOUTH – No report.

APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 28, MARCH 28, MAY 23, 2006, and JUNE 27, 2006 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Deferred.

APRIL 2006 TREASURER'S REPORT: Howton gave the ending figures for the end of the fiscal year, which ended in June. There was $259.33 remaining in the operating account, $15.00 remaining in the publicity, and $120.00 remaining in the refreshment. The amounts that have been appropriated for the current fiscal year are $1520.00 in the operating account, $2316.00 in the publicity account, and $120.00 in the refreshment account. There were no objections to the treasurer’s report.

COMMITTEE REFERRALS FOR ACTION/DEFERRAL:

EXECUTIVE – Chair Fukushima imparted the following information:

The Board meetings will be telecast on Thursdays, 9:00 p.m., on channel 54, and Fridays, 9:00 p.m., on channel 49.

HEALTH, EDUCATION AND WELFARE (HEW) – No report.

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION (TT) – Committee Chair Vina highlighted the following:

1)       Next month, the committee will seek board approval for

2)       Kamehameha Highway Changes – The expansion of the contra-flow lane from Pearl Harbor to Salt Lake Boulevard during evening hours is still under discussion.

3)       Wal-Mart/Sam's Club Community Shuttle Service – Will report to the Board in August as to the cost of doing a survey. Contact will also be made with the Neighborhood Commission office for guidance with this project. The Chair asked in Nuyna could report what the Aiea Neighborhood Board thought of this proposal. She replied that the Aiea Board was worried they would be left out of the process, so it was suggested that the Board members fill out the survey for inclusion. The Chair also mentioned that maybe the Aiea Board would like to concurrently send out the survey to their constituents.

DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING AND ZONING (DPZ) –Furutani reported:

1)       There has been a delay in putting together the Koa Ridge Community Visioning group.

2)       There was no update on the Waimano Ridge Master Plan. The Chair asked Vina if had any information about this. Vina replied he had received an e-mail from CDS International saying that the draft is on its way to the State Department of Land and Natural resources (DLNR), and the draft could not be publicly released until DLNR had a chance to review it. The Chair said the legislature is trying to rescind that contract as many entities have expressed interest in Waimano Ridge, but he does not see how they can do so.

3)       The Chair reported that a private developer wants to develop the 4.9 acres mauka of the Waimano Stream’s channel. They want to meet the Board in an August committee meeting and get Board input. Their plan is to build four eight-story buildings that will include affordable and market housing. They are seeking exemptions to height requirements due to the inclusion of the affordable housing. The Chair asks that the Traffic and Transportation Committee along with the Development Plan and Zoning Committees before a community meeting occurs. The Chair commented that an eight-story building is not in keeping with the urban design priorities of Pearl City. He also mentioned that 435 units are called for in the plan. The Chair mentioned the chairs of the committees might want to proactively meet the with developer’s consultants before the committee’s meetings to try and get a feel for what is going on.

LEGISLATIVE AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMS (LCIP) – Nyuha reported that the proposals to the City Charter for inclusion on the next ballot are being reviewed by the City attorneys to make sure they are drafted properly and do not conflict with anything already on the books. The final proposals should be publicly released on August 1.

PUBLICITY/REFRESHMENTS (P/R) – Committee Chair Imamura-Uruu reported the following:

1)       August 2006 Yard of the Month – P/R Committee Chair Imamura-Uruu moved, on behalf of the committee, to give the August Yard of the Month Award to Rose and Mike Talon of Kokahi Street in Lower Momilani, which was ADOPTED by unanimous consent, 10-0-0. (Aye: Anderton, Duncan, Fukushima, Furutani, Howton, Imamura-Uruu, Nyuha, Pickard, Takahashi, and Vina).

2)       Certificates of Recognition and Acknowledgement – Next month, awards need to be given to teacher Myra Borges who won an award recently. If the Pearl City little league team continues to win, then they may need a certificate. The Chair added there are actually two divisions with Pearl City teams competing.

3)       Pearl City Graffiti Watch Program – Imamura-Uruu reminded people to call 529-3222 to report graffiti. If it’s on private property, then it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to clean it up. She working on getting a business that went under to clean the property of graffiti, as it is still the property owners responsibility.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1)       The next Committee meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, August 15, 2006, 7:00 p.m., at the Highlands Intermediate School cafeteria.

2)       The next regular Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 22, 2006, 6:30 p.m., at the Highlands Intermediate School cafeteria.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.

Submitted by: Bryan K. Mick, Neighborhood Commission Office