Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of June 20th, 2007 Posted - Kaimuki

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Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of June 20th, 2007 Posted
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Source Neighborhood Commission Office

KAIMUKI NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD

KAIMUKI REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2007

QUEEN LILIUOKALANI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Call to Order - The meeting was called to order by the Chair Pro tem Sharon Schneider at 7:05 p.m.

Members Present - Daniel Carvalho, Jim Cone, Randy Hack, Eduardo Hernandez, Dori Rybacki-Smith, Sharon Schneider, Abigail Leong (appointed at this meeting), Vernon Tam (appointed at this meeting).

Members Absent - None

Vacant Seats: Three in Sub District 1 bounded by Waialae, 12th and Alohea avenues, Huanui Street, Puu Puunui Avenue and Luawai Street.

Guests: Chester Lao (Board of Water Supply), Jay Ishibashi (Mayor‚s Representative), Capt. R. Marshman (Honolulu Fire Department), Sgt. Sukekane, Lt. E. Nishiyama, A. Kalapea (Honolulu Police Department), Catherine Toth (Honolulu Advertiser), Carol Hoshiko ( Dean, Department of Culinary Hospitality, Kapiolani Community College), Louise Yamamoto (Director, Alumni Communications and Corporate Relations, Kapiolani Community College), Representative Barbara Marumoto, Stan Fichtman, Councilmember Charles Djou‚s office, Darin Mar, (Traffic Engineer, Department of Transportation Services), Lydia Chock (Maluhia Hospital), Susan Jackson (Governor‚s Representative, Department of Health), Glenn Yamasaki, Mr. Elwood, Shane Ambrose, Matt Tuthill, Robert Jahier, Julia Allen, Sam Suzuki, Bonnie Trustin (Neighborhood Commission Office staff).

Election of Officers:

Election of Chair: Hack nominated Hernandez seconded by Cone. There being no further nominations, Hernandez was elected by acclamation.

Election of Vice Chair: Rybacki-Smith nominated Schneider, seconded by Hernandez. There being no further nominations, Schneider was elected by acclamation.

Election of Secretary: Hernandez nominated Rybacki-Smith, seconded by Schneider. There being no further nominations, Rybacki-Smith was elected by acclamation.

Election of Treasurer: Hernandez nominated Hack, seconded by Rybacki-Smith. There being no further nominations, Hack was elected by acclamation.

Filing of Vacancies: Chair Hernandez reminded the audience that currently the board has the minimum number of members, six (6), to meet quorum ˆ with a total of 5 vacancies. He asked for volunteers to fill one of the four vacancies for Sub District 1 bounded by Waialae Avenue, 12th Avenue, Alohea Avenue, Huanui Street, Puu Panini Avenue and Luawai Street and one vacancy in Sub District 3 bounded by Koko Head, Alohea, 6th and Wailae avenues. There were two candidates from Sub District 3 - Vernon Tam and Mike Abe and one candidate from Sub District 1 - Abigail Leong.

Vernon Tam previously served on the board, including as Chair, until he left to devote himself to caregiving for his wife. She passed away two years ago and he feels at this point he is able to return to public service; he has the interest, the residency and there is a vacancy.

Abigail Leong from Sub District 1 wants to serve on the Board again because she knows how being a board member can make a big difference having worked to get drugs and prostitution out of the Kapalona Field area and she appreciated the help she received from organizations to achieve her goals.

Mike Abe from Sub District 3, immediate past Chair, would like to serve again on the Board. He had a health problem so he didn‚t campaign, but much recovered now, he wants to continue working on some of the projects and issues he championed during his tenure.

Elections for Sub District 1 ˆ Hack moved to elect Abigail Leong seconded by Schneider. There not being any other nominations, Leong was elected by acclamation.

The Board took a short recess for Leong to receive the oath of office.

Elections for Sub District 3: - Hernandez nominated Abe seconded by Cone for a vote of 5-0-2. Abe received votes from Hernandez, Cone, Leong, Carvalho, and Rybacki-Smith with Schneider and Hack abstaining. (To be elected, a nominee must receive a favorable vote from a majority of all sub districts including those that are currently vacant therefore he needed a majority vote of 6, therefore Abe was not elected.) Hack nominated Tam seconded by Leong for a vote of 6-0-1. Tam received votes from Hack, Leong, Hernandez, Cone, Carvalho and Rybacki-Smith with Schneider abstaining. Tam was elected by a majority of six votes.

The Board took a short recess to give the oath of office to Vernon Tam.

Chair Hernandez expressed his excitement that the Board now has filled two vacancies and hopes this will make it easier to have a quorum to serve the needs of Kaimuki. He thanked Chair Abe who served in that capacity for a long time; he was a great inspiration to him personally and did so much for their community.

The Board took a short recess to give the oath of office to Vernon Tam.

Months for Board to Recess - Hack moved and Rybacki-Smith seconded the Board take a recess in the month of December and meet the remaining months of the year. The motion was carried unanimously.

Meeting Date, Time and Place ˆ Hack moved and Rybacki-Smith seconded to hold their monthly meetings at Queen Liliuokalani School at 7:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month throughout the year with the exception of December which the Board adopted unanimously.

APPROVAL OF BOARD EXPENDITURES: Hack moved and Hernandez seconded to continue buying refreshments using the $120.00 apportioned through a purchase order at Kahala Times Supermarket. The Board approved this unanimously.

NEWSLETTER - Tam moved and Rybacki-Smith seconded the motion to publish a Kaimuki Neighborhood Board newsletter this year which was passed by the Board unanimously.

Tam explained that four years ago the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board published a newsletter for about ten years which was sent to all households in the Neighborhood Board area covering their accomplishments for the year. Tam offered to help produce future ones using his past experience. The newsletter differs from the minutes which covers the monthly meetings and are only sent to those who request them.

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS:

HONOLULU POLICE DEPARTMENT ˆ Sgt. Sukekane, of District 7 who has worked in this area for many years. Their May statistics reported burglaries, car break-ins and thefts on a map of the different police beats. Car break-ins were up for Beats 762 in the area of St. Louis Drive and 766 in Wilhelmina Rise area and also for Beats 757 in Upper Kapahulu and 759 in the Kahala Mall area. He suggested the following:

1. Don‚t leave any valuables in your home and think of ways to take precautions so burglars can‚t break in.

2. Secure your valuables; heirloom jewelry is often pawned and melted down so items are rarely returned.

3. If you have items you value, get a safe and bolt it down so it can‚t be taken away.

4. Lock up your personal papers so you are not a victim of identity theft if your home or car is invaded.

He reported that the Narcotics/Vice Division has a task force at the airport to seize drugs and keep them out of the state. Hurricane preparedness information was provided also. The recent blackout was difficult for the public so make sure you have a disaster survival kit ready. He asked people not to drive during blackouts because it drained the number of police available; they have to be at intersections directing traffic because traffic signals were not working.

Questions, answers and concerns:

He took Leong‚s information to investigate why she wasn‚t notified directly after giving a report to the police about her stolen jewelry by phone or visiting her home instead of leaving a note in her mail box.

HONOLULU FIRE DEPARTMENT - Fire Department statistics were read by Chair Hernandez because Capt. Marshman, of Ladder 5, had to respond to a call. Ladder 5 in the month of May reported 2 structure fires, 54 medical and 2 search and rescue emergencies. Engine 5 reported 1 fire and 5 activated alarms with 22 medical emergencies.

Fire Safety Tip: With brush fire season upon us, remember to maintain a 30-foot wide clearing in between any structure and vegetation. Recent rains my have overgrown the vegetation in some breaks. Independence Day is just around the corner, so consider leaving fireworks to the professionals and enjoy one of the many fireworks displays around town. If you use fireworks, follow warnings and instructions. Young children should never be given fireworks. Older children should only use fireworks under the direct supervision of an adult. Have a happy and safe Independence Day celebration!

Chair Hernandez asked that questions for the fire department be held until next month when they would be present to answer them.

BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY ˆ Chester Lao, from the Board of Water Supply, reported the National Weather Service has projected a long, dry summer for Hawaii so remember to conserve water. Last week was „detect a leak week‰ when residents are asked to use the blue dye tablets we give you to put in your toilet. If you have a leaky valve, you will see blue streaks going down the sides of your toilet. If you didn‚t get the tablets this year, City Mill is the closest place for this area that carries them.

Kaimuki Water Improvements Part 1 is an upcoming project to replace water mains, some of which are 80 years old. When it begins it will be at the following locations: Maunaloa Avenue from 16th ˆ 20th Avenue, Kaimuki Avenue from 16th to 21st avenue, along Pahoa from 18th Avenue to 150‚ beyond fire hydrant M 3591, along 17th Avenue from Kilauea to Kaimuki avenues, along 18th Avenue from Kaimuki to Pahoa avenues and along19th and 20th avenues from Maunaloa to Pahoa avenues.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Lao responded to Chair Hernandez‚s concern that the water tested at the Pearl Harbor water system was found to have four positive samples of coliform and one also fecal coliform or E. coli positive bacteria in wells drilled about 50 years ago which were gravel packed which they longer do. The samples were probably from leaks along the sides of the well casings in the aquifer but this is not a serious threat to most people, unless your immune system is compromised and you might have an upsets stomach. In some foreign countries the water has E. coli bacteria present because their cesspools are near the wells and wandering animals add to the posed threat. As a result, people can become ill with extreme diarrhea because of not being exposed to these germs before.

2. Lao will study the Consumer Confidence Report and comment on it in detail at the next meeting.

3. Lao responded to Schneider that the water from the wells mentioned will probably be chlorinated as required by the new EPA ruling from which Hawaii has been exempt for the last 10 years. In contrast, the Beretania station well is over 100 years old and there has never been any bacteria found in it.

RESIDENT‚S CONCERNS:

1. Chair Hernandez explained to resident Yamasaki the proposed newsletter would report what had been accomplished throughout the year.

2. Chair Hernandez will look into putting a sign advertising the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board Meeting date, time, and location the week before the meetings so the people in the neighborhood would be more inclined to attend.

ELECTED OFFICIALS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES:

MAYOR‚S REPRESENTATIVE ˆ Jay Ishibashi from the Mayor‚s office congratulated Chair Hernandez on his election and past Chair Abe for his leadership in the last term.

He provided the Mayor‚s Mid Term Report which reviews the administration‚s accomplishments and explains plans for the second half of their term. Helpful contact numbers for the City and State government and frequently called numbers are provided as well as hurricane awareness facts.

Answering questions from last month‚s meetings:

Maunalani Park Update ˆThe most recent delay on the project was caused by the order for a new HECO transformer ordered by Department of Design and Construction which was installed two weeks ago. Additionally, the storm drain system installation will take place once they finish negotiating with the contractor.

Test samples indicated high moisture readings in the newly poured concrete floors exceeded the amount allowed for floorings so there was an addition made to the contract to apply a sealant to the floor which is scheduled for the first week in July. Then they can install the metal railings and proceed with other exterior work. They expect the opening to be in September if there are no more changes. They still need to have inspections done and a few touches are needed before the dedication to which the Board will be invited. Hopefully we won‚t incur any more problems and changes.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Ishibashi thinks a core sample was taken to determine the floor moisture readings because they are applying a sealant but he will check and give a report to Rybacki-Smith at the next meeting.

2. He responded to Chair Hernandez that DTS has looked at congestion pricing, a toll charged for cars driving during the heaviest traffic times of the day soon to be employed in New York City as a traffic control measure. The City administration is totally focused on transit to ease the problems on Oahu because our traffic is getting worse.

3. The EPA is reviewing the information from the Honolulu May hearing and will reply to the City in July. The City is telling them a secondary treatment plant is not necessary because there is no evidence there has been any outfall from either of the two sewage treatment plants. If the EPA tells the City to do secondary treatment it would cost approximately $1.2 billion to upgrade the two plants and this amount would have to be passed on to the taxpayers which we don‚t want to do. The City encourages people to continue to write the EPA to tell them that we don‚t need secondary treatment. Some lifelong residents who swim every day in the Ewa area came to testify and say they are healthy and don‚t experience negative ramifications from the sewer system.

4. The City‚s Midterm Report stated that we want to upgrade our 30-40 year old sewer system which hasn‚t been fully addressed for the last 20-30 years. We will be targeting the weakest pipes first; although we probably won‚t finish this during our administration, we want to replace as many as we can.

5. The two bus benches on Koko Head that are closer to the street than the other one, which are often in the sun, are being investigated by DTS to find out who and/or why the heavy benches were moved. He‚ll present their findings at the next meeting.

COUNCILMEMBER ANN KOBAYASHI: Councilmember Kobayashi was not present but her report was distributed.

COUNCILMEMBER CHARLES DJOU - Stan Fichtman represented Councilmember Djou, distributed his report and presented the following:

1. Councilmember Djou reintroduced his rooster bill limiting citizens in residential urban Honolulu to have only two roosters which has passed first reading. It is in Councilmember Dela Cruz‚s Health, Welfare and Safety committee which meets tomorrow, but the bill is not on their agenda. He will advise how that is proceeding.

2. City Council Bill 07-152 regarding the wheelchair ramp will be heard tomorrow. As an example of this need, KITV notified him that the Kaimuki resident who waited for a year to get a wheelchair ramp will be receiving his permit for the ramp from the Department of Planning and Permitting today.

3. Regarding the Kaimuki parking lot, there will be no removal of trees from the lot.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Fichtman reported to Schneider that the latest on mass transit is a route has been chosen but not the type of technology ie. the kinds of buses or trains.

2. Congestion pricing has been discussed by the Council in the past but he doesn‚t know if it‚s been discussed formally. Hernandez reported there is significant evidence that this model has been found to increase the use of mass transit.

GOVERNOR‚S REPRESENTATIVE ˆ Dr. Susan Jackson, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, reported the following:

1. The Governor traveled to Indonesia and Japan for the last 10 days and is going to Okinawa. She led a mission focused on building military relationships with the Indonesian military, as well as tourism, trade and educational activities.

2. The Director of Health, Dr. Fukino, was with the Governor in Jakarta and Tokyo. Hawaii is asking the Japanese to test and deploy research and development here in Hawaii. Dr. Fukino gave a presentation on public health efforts in Hawaii and asked to partner with them. We both have emerging infectious diseases issues and are looking for ways to partner in environmental protection through international cooperation and health data management.

3. In October the Hawaii Department of Health is offering free flu shots to all school children when they have a consent form signed by their parent to be dispensed by our Immunization Branch, so they encourage parents to consider participating. We are the first state to offer this to all school children.

4. With the loss of some of the Meals on Wheels programs, she has been working with the Executive Office on Aging and the City and County of Honolulu Elderly Affairs Care Division program who provides the services asking them to look at the funding available to the Lanakila Health Center. In Honolulu there is also Hawaii Meals on Wheels but they don‚t receive state funding, only federal funding and they have a good fund raising program.

Jackson‚s answers to questions from last month‚s meeting:

1. There has been no application for licensure made to the Department of Health for an adult care home at 723 16th Avenue.

2. Maj. General Robert Lee, Adjutant General for the State of Hawaii, says there is a strategic plan for Hawaii regarding National Guard strength and deployment of units has not negatively impacted readiness. Major Charles Anthony can handle any specific questions on this subject; he can be reached at 733-4258.

3. The Department of Transportation sent someone to assess the lighting of the Life Bike Trail by Zippy‚s in Kahala; she will keep the community informed on this as she is advised.

4. Dr. Jackson will report on a request for road striping changes to improve traffic flow on the H1 overpass at the intersection of Harding and Koko Head avenues.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Deputy Director Jackson reported the Department of Health‚s involvement with their environmental team concerning the increased need for disease control among the homeless, especially on the leeward coast, is ongoing. They did a complete assessment of what they had and what they didn‚t to see what was needed which was coordinated by Mr. Kaulana Park, State Homeless Solutions Team Coordinator on the leeward coast. She will provide updated information.

2. She will report on whether a state agency or the Governor is communicating with the Coastal Zone Management Office regarding new laws and guidelines written by NOAA and the Coastal Commission.

3. Chair Hernandez expressed concern that the Governor‚s trip to Indonesia was initiated by former Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush Administration to boost arm sales to a feared and unchecked military in Indonesia. Jackson had heard of these concerns on the Internet but has no information as to the specifics of this matter. She will reply at the next meeting.

4. She reported that the Governor has until June 25th to indicate to the legislature bills she will put on a potential veto list but that doesn‚t necessarily mean they will be vetoed. If a bill is not on the list it cannot be vetoed. By July 10 she can sign or veto a bill and if she doesn‚t take action by then, it will become law.

5. She knows there has been much emotional discussion about the baby safe haven bill allowing a mother to be able to leave a baby at a hospital or other designated location and not be fined and understands the issues on both sides; she doesn‚t know what the Governor plans to do about it.

6. She is not aware of the specific incidents a resident mentioned concerning people getting sick from mercury in tuna that sent them to the hospital. The Department of Health makes recommendations all the time ie. which fish to eat for pregnant women ˆ there is a real concern about the mercury levels in shark and swordfish.

SENATOR LES IHARA - Senator Ihara could not attend this evening. He did not provide a report.

HOUSE SPEAKER CALVIN SAY ˆ Scott Furushima represented House Speaker Say, distributed his report and presented the following:

1. The report discusses free insurance for children in the state from ages 0 to 19.

2. Chair Hernandez submitted a question by email to the House Speaker June 12 regarding the House hearings on civil unions in February. In his response, Speaker Say responded to Hernandez saying „the Chair showed courage by deferring the civil union bill without a vote by the Judiciary Committee because there were not enough votes in the committee to pass the bill. He displayed moral strength by taking the blame for the deferral rather than have his committees members‚ votes exposed to the public‰. Chair Hernandez cites this vote deferral as a clear example of the lack of transparency in government today because in this case we can only rely on the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Tommy Waters, leaving the public unaware of who supports equal rights and who doesn‚t.

REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA MARUMOTO ˆ Representative Marumoto congratulated the newly elected Board members. She just returned as part of the delegation traveling with the Governor to Indonesia and Japan. Some objectives were to keep Indonesia as an ally; support them in suppressing Muslim insurgent groups, and establish a relationship with their military in the event that we need their assistance if our State experienced an emergency. We were advised by the American Embassy that the Indonesian Army did shoot thousands of their own people in East Timor.

We are also seeking a close working relationship between our Health Department and their Ministry of Health to assist in containing any outbreak of avian flu, SARS or other health issues. Our National Guard is very happy to help their military if they would have another tsunami or other emergency and we could do joint agriculture projects. They relate to Hawaii ˆ we are not a threat and we are an island nation with a diverse population as is theirs.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. She suggested Hernandez contact his representative to express his feelings that the weapons we are giving the Indonesians they are using to kill their countrymen and the people responsible have not been held accountable.

2. Hack expressed the fact that the rebellion in Ache province was ended peacefully after the tsunami partially and sadly due to a great loss of life.

REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT NISHIMOTO - Representative Nishimoto‚s report was distributed.

REPRESENTATIVE LYLA BERG - Representative Berg‚s report was distributed.

KAIMUKI PARKING LOT ˆ Darin Mar, traffic engineer for the parking lot, distributed a flyer that was given to the area businesses and reported the following:

1. The work being done on the lot is moving in the direction of Big City Diner. Through mid-July traffic circulating in the lot will be more difficult as construction progresses. As many as three people are on duty daily to facilitate traffic flow and maximize use of parking to the extent possible. Their target completion date is the end of July.

2. The question from last month about working at night is not allowed in his contract.

Questions, actions and concerns:

1. Currently there is no accommodation for short term parking but they have worked hard to complete the work a block at a time and Republic has been on site helping people to find parking stalls quickly which keeps the cars moving.

2. Their work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

3. Hack observed that parking enforcement and ticketing has been greatly increased.

4. They have had many parking meters stolen in the last month and a half so if you see a meter that has been stolen, please call 911 . The areas have been random; up against the restaurants they have been cutting the pipe

5. A resident reported that public parking for the handicapped through the State was free.

6. The Kaimuki parking lot is being changed from free accessible parking to paid accessible parking with the first two hours being free. They plan to keep the same number of handicapped stalls in the lot in the same places.

7. There was a question about the handicapped being charged for parking at Alii Place. However, Alii Place is a private parking lot and Mar couldn‚t respond to that issue at this time.

8. An arborist is consulting the contractor regarding the trees so they will not have to remove any in the parking lot.

9. All the meters will be taken out of the lot and replaced with a physical attendant parking lot. If you have any questions you can call Mar at 768-8353.

10. Rybacki-Smith requested a map be posted on our web site so the public can see how the lot is progressing and send it to all Chairs if they want to notify their Boards.

KAPIOLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE ˆ Carol Hoshiko, Dean of the Department of Culinary Hospitality spoke about the proposed Culinary Institute of the Pacific and introduced Louise Yamamoto, Director of Alumni Communications and Corporate Relations. The Institute would provide a place for students to develop advanced training using the former Cannon Club site at Diamond Head including a 100 seat amphitheater. This is part of the Master Plan for Diamond Head Monument area. There is no advanced training like this in Hawaii now so students go to the Mainland or elsewhere to get this kind of education. There will be wonderful chefs, including Alan Wong, teaching in this program. They plan the ground breaking for 2009 with classes to start in 2011. Right now they are in the planning and permitting phase and are working on a linear parkway. They chose the architectural firm of Ferraro and Choi because of their past work with an emphasis on building green. On August 18th they will do a public launch on the site.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. They will stay with the original footprint of the Cannon Club which is 42,900 square feet.

2. They hope to make the restaurant sustainable with lunch and dinner service, possibly creating products to sell, providing work experience and offer continuing education classes.

3. Parking is being considered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources. One developing option could be sharing parking with Diamond Head. A study was done by the students in the early part of the semester concerning parking on campus which they are still addressing. She will keep the

community updated on issues related to parking around the campus since it is such an important topic to the neighborhood.

4. They have formed a sustainability community group on campus to look at use of gasoline and other related issues.

APPROVAL OF THE MAY 16, 2007 MINUTES

Page 2 ˆ Change spelling of Chester „Lau‰ to „Lao‰

Page 6 - At the top of the page delete the extra „i‰ from Dijou

Page 3 - Under „Public Input and Concerns‰ #2‰ change the resident from‰ Koran‰ to „Caron Wilberts‰.

Page 8 ˆ Under „Representative Barbara Marumoto, Item #3‰ change $100,00 to $100,000.

Page 1 ˆ Under „Guests‰ in line six it should read „Senator Les Ihara, Glenn Yamasaki „

Page 1 ˆ Under „Guest‰ in the second paragraph change the spelling „Ryback-Smith‰ to „Rybacki-Smith‰.

The changes were recorded and accepted.

TREASURER‚S REPORT

Hack reported in May we had a total of $4,020 in our Total Operating/Publicity account and incurred expenses of $6.35 for printing and $47.58 for mailing of the minutes and agenda which left a balance of $3,779.75. There is $27.79 in the refreshment account.

The rental fees to pay Queen Liliuokalani School have been waived for this year.

The treasurer‚s report was submitted and accepted.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:10 p.m.

Submitted by:

Bonnie Trustin

Neighborhood Assistant

<javascript:void(0);>Wednesday, July 11, 2007

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Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of June 20th, 2007 Posted

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