Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of November 21, 2007 Posted - Kaimuki

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Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of November 21, 2007 Posted
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Courtesy of Neighborhood Commission Office
Source Neighborhood Commission Office

Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Queen Lili’uokalani Elementary School

Call to Order – The meeting was called to order by Chair Hernandez at 7:00 p.m. with a quorum of seven members present.

Members Present – Daniel Carvalho, Jim Cone, Randy Hack, Eduardo Hernandez, Abby Leong, Dori Rybacki-Smith, Sharon Schneider, Vernon Tam.

Members Absent – None.

Guests – Lt. Lum Lee, Sgt. S. Yano (Honolulu Police Department/District 7), Fire Fighter 3 M. Bunner (Honolulu Fire Department/Kaimuki Station), Chester Lao (Board of Water Supply), Lydia Chock (Leahi Hospital), Senator Les Ihara, City Councilmember Charles Djou, Francisco Figueiredo (City Councilmember Djou’s office), Lynn Kurashima (City Department of Design and Construction), Darin Mar (Kaimuki Parking Lot Project Manager, City Department of Transportation Services), Tim Steinberger, John Yamane, Carlton Yap, Lynn Kurashima (U R Services, Contractor, Wilhemina Rise Sewer Rehabilitation Project), Matt Tuthill, S. Sonoda, Anselm Chuh, Zee Chuh, Bonnie Trustin (Neighborhood Commission Office staff).

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS:

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) – Lt. Lee distributed the November statistics and noted the handout included a monthly comparison of neighborhood statistics for July through October. Attached was a list of 21 Home Security ideas. Their website www.honolulupd.org allows for a review by street name of the kind of crimes committed in that area with generic indicators of the location.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Lt. Lee responded to the concern that Kaimuki had the highest crime rates in east Honolulu by saying the crime rate needs to be examined to determine what it actually is.

2. Lt. Lee reported that HPD is working on being able to provide statistics for a full month instead of just 15 to 20 days such as November 15 to December 15.

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) – Fire Fighter 3, Acting Capt. Bunner reported the October statistics:

• There were 14 activated alarms, 3 fires from stove top to electrical outlet and 1 major incident which was a full structure fire on Hilo Place and three rubbish fires. There were also 90 medical emergencies and 12 miscellaneous calls.

• Fire Safety Tip: This holiday season, consider a fire-resistant, artificial Christmas tree. If you purchase a natural tree, choose one as fresh as possible, keep it hydrated and away from heat sources in the house. Use noncombustible materials for decorations. Choose only Underwriter’s Laboratory-approved electrical decorations and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation and load. Do not overload extension cords.

Answering a question on fire resistant artificial trees, it says on the box that they are fire resistant.

Sharon Schneider arrived at 7:08 p.m.

Board of Water Supply (BWS) – Chester Lao reported that the recent rains have reduced the need for water. The BWS is grateful for residents reducing their water usage. This is Lao’s last meeting as a representative to this neighborhood board as it is on recess in December, the month in which he retires.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Leong saw her pots turn gray from boiling water for cooking but when she used rain water it made her pots spotless. Lao said it could be the silica in the water that dissolves and discolors it; he suggested boiling rainwater to get rid of any pathogens.

2. Hack reported in some areas of Hawaii, rain catchment systems are an important source of their water supply. Lao noted that on Oahu only the Round Top/Tantalus area uses rain catchement because they are not serviced by the BWS. He suggested to have clean catchment water keep your pipes and the house roof catchment system clean.

3. Regarding the roosters at Maumae Park, Lao passes there and reported someone is feeding the animals. The Gamekeepers Association advised BWS that they will be given cages to catch the chickens and asked them to provide someone to watch for birds that are caught. Chair Hernandez asked to be notified when the cages are available because he has someone who will watch them.

BOARD VACANCIES – There were no volunteers for the four vacancies in Sub District 1.

PUBLIC INPUT AND CONCERNS:

1. Resident Anselm Chuh reported that he has had to call the environmental services supervisor to have bulky items picked up at his Koko Head residence; they do not pick up all items so it looks messy.

2. Resident Anselm Chuh asked if street sweepers come to Kaimuki, as they do in Waikiki, so their streets would look clean. Tam reported seeing a street sweeper but it doesn’t remove gravel on the road; so he questions its effectiveness. Leong reported street cleaning takes place every Wednesday on 12th Avenue from 10 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

3. Resident Anselm Chuh discussed the traffic on Koko Head where he lives. It is a narrow, two lane road with many potholes and heavy traffic. He is concerned if children and/or the elderly would fall into the street with so much traffic and suggested a speed bump be installed or the street become a one way, reducing some of the traffic. Chuh appreciates having this forum where residents can express their concerns. Chair Hernandez encouraged Chuh to report potholes on the city’s website, www.honolulu.gov at the “pothole” link; and when he sees speeding cars to write down the license plate number and call 911. These issues can also be given the Mayor’s Representative.

Darin Mar addressed the installation of a speed bump on Koko Head Avenue because he was the speed bump coordinator when the program was in place several years ago. Koko Head Avenue is a main corridor for emergency response vehicles; a speed bump would not be appropriate as it would slow those vehicles down. One way streets need a corresponding street that goes in the other direction to handle traffic without impacting the rest of the neighborhood. In Kaimuki, the narrow streets are one way because they are too narrow to handle two-way traffic. Streets between Harding and Waialae Avenues are one way because they are narrow and only have room for parking. Chuh reported on his segment of Koko Head Avenue there is no room for parking so people park on the sidewalk which brings them very close to the traffic. Mar will ask his operations person to investigate Pahoa to 12th Avenues on Koko Head Avenue.

4. Mar responded to Lao that the Department of Facilities Management (DFM) should be asked to remove a speed bump just below the 4000 block on Sierra Drive because they have to take out the asphalt although it could be a tree root.

5. Lao was concerned that the No. 1 bus route serving Aina Hina would have less bus service. Chair Hernandez would like to discuss bus service at a future meeting to encourage everyone to use public transportation and identify issues regarding bus stops. At an earlier meeting the discontinued bus

stops discussed were by Kapalono Park at 11th and Kilauea Avenues, a Diamond Head stop on the No. 14 route and at 6th and Waialae Avenues in front of Sacred Hearts Academy.

6. The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) will have a public hearing on the Land Use Ordinance regarding Transient Vacation Units at Bed and Breakfasts on November 28, 2007 at 650 South King Street. If you have questions, call Elizabeth Chin at 768-8021.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Family Equality Update - Chair Hernandez announced that following this boards’ adoption of a resolution supporting civil unions, the Wakiki No. 9 and the Kalihi Valley No. 16 neighborhood boards passed the Kaimuki Civil Union Resolution. Polls have shown that when people understand discrimination negatively affects families where spouses are legally prevented from marriage, the general population does support civil unions; the resolution is a good educational tool. Last October the AFL-CIO voted to adopt a similar measure.

Kaimuki Business Professional Association (KBPA) – Hack, a KBPA member, attended the Kaimuki Kanakapila on November 3rd which was well attended and well run. Many vendors sold a variety of crafts and appreciated the quality of the festival. There were a variety of food booths and many door prizes furnished through KBPA. He announced the December 6th Kaimuki Parade will be sponsored by KBPA. It starts at 6:00 p.m. from Chaminade University going up Waialae Avenue to the fire department where the Christmas tree will be lighted. Chair Hernandez also attended the KBPA festival and congratulated the organization and all their volunteers for presenting a great community event that raises scholarship funds for a graduating Kaimuki area high school student to continue their education.

NEW BUSINESS:

Wilhelmina Rise Sewer Rehabilitation Project – Tim Steinberger represented U R Services, consultant to the City and County of Honolulu, and made a presentation on the upcoming sewer rehabilitation project in the Wilhemina Rise area. The design was conceived in 1995. The way the improvement district constructed the sewers made this a complicated project so not just one pipe could be identified for replacement. The maintenance people identified certain areas that have root problems caused by many sewer lines running through easements in people’s backyards. This is the fourth presentation URS made to this Board and there will be another when the contract is awarded. As the project progresses, a separately advertised information meeting (not at a neighborhood board meeting), will give residents an opportunity to ask questions since there will be a need for access to some private properties to do the project.

Steinberger presented a map showing the sewer lines they will rehabilitate with trenchless technology. This is a process for fairly good pipes that need the joints to be sealed with a liner to prevent tree roots from becoming a problem. In some areas, the lines will need to be dug up and replaced but they will try to keep those to a minimum. There are also some historic properties involved that they discussed with the State Historic Society. The contractor must take extreme caution when working on those sites and an inspector will be there during those times as well.

There will be four areas in bad shape where contractors will have to dig into the ground. Part of the rehabilitation is having to get into many of the “clean outs”; and for those homes that don’t have “clean outs”, they will be installed during this project.

Steinberger presented an aerial photograph showing houses with sewer easements which do not run down a street. Some areas will be fixed using the open trench technology. Other areas will be done by a slip line or a cast in place pipe (CIPP). The CIPP process coats the interior of the pipe with fiberglass, pushing it out against the pipe wall, so the host pipe structurally carries the loads of the pipe. CIPP process has performed well in Honolulu. Now the City tries not to do sewers in easements so they will not have the tree root problem.

The sewers in the area of Lanipoko Place and Lurline Drive with severe slopes and retaining walls will have to be removed in part and replaced although some areas will only need spot repair.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. The appropriated amount for this project is $20 million. The City awards the job to the lowest bidder with a completion time of a little over 2 years or 900 days. It is out for bid now and the contract should be chosen by the end of December. That contractor will attend a public information meeting in May. Every foot of pipe has to be evaluated and the work needs to last for 30 years, the duration of time the City carries the bonds on them, typically they want a project to last 50 years.

2. Steinberger responded to a resident that Hawaii Kai has been updating their sewers but it is a privately owned system. The mains in Niu Valley being worked on along the freeway are force mains done with tunneling installing only new pipe.

3. Steinberger can not advise residents how long the work will take, that will be determined by the contractor. Home owners will be notified of what the contractor will do and the inspector requires the workers to leave the area tidy after they finish.

4. Not all houses need to have their “clean out” accessed or the lateral lines redone that go from a home to the main line. Most of the existing pipe is vitrified clay in four to eight foot sections depending on the diameter, the bulk of which are eight inch pipes but some are six inch pipe.

5. The biggest problem with this area is the extreme slope of the land and the pipes must handle the waste water going through them. Since the liner is smoother than the current pipe, there is less loss of flow from friction than the aging clay.

6. The operations people who maintain the sewer line chose the Wilhemina Rise area to be addressed first after studying the maintenance records.

ELECTED OFFICIALS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES:

Mayor’s Representative – Jay Ishibashi from the Mayor’s office was not able to attend tonight. In his absence, Chair Hernandez asked Darin Mar to give an update on the Kaimuki Parking Lot.

Kaimuki Parking Lot – Darin Mar gave the following update:

· November 2nd there were two Payout Foot Stations installed that take payments in increments of $1, $5, $10 and $20 for a quicker way to exit the lot. A computerized system will be installed in the future so cash will not have to be used.

· Handicapped users will get two hours of free parking when they pay the lot attendant.

· After this week the lot will be upgraded in small areas.

· Beginning December 1st monthly parking will be suspended in December and January to complete the construction which will affect parking availability.

· The ticket dispenser gives you a ticket upon entering the lot; but it cannot sense if the lot is full.

· Usually there is consistent turnover of parking spaces; additional staff will be employed for the Kaimuki parade.

· They don’t ticket cars parked inside the parking lot.

· The lot has a 20 minute grace period.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. Hack noticed that parking enforcement officers have aggressively been giving tickets to patrons in the small metered lot.

2. Responding to the question of converting the smaller lot, Mar will monitor the vacancy rate over the next three years during the contract time with the parking lot management over the lunch and dinner hours to see if the single level parking format is sufficient to handle the influx. That data will determine if they convert it. The relative income the smaller lot would generate with only 100 stalls is not as attractive as the larger lot which has 270 spaces. If the larger lot is consistently full, they would look at other alternatives but now it is too early to know what is next. A large rate sign at both entrances will be installed so drivers entering are aware of the rates requested by area businesses.

Chair Hernandez reported that the Maunalani Park building continues to be closed. The Mayor’s office has not provided further updates as requested. The recreation center has been closed for more than 5 years.

Councilmember Ann Kobayashi – Councilmember Kobayashi was not present; her report was distributed.

Councilmember Charles Djou – Councilmember Djou responded to a previous question about the sewer fund. The City has about $200 million in their sewer fund but they don’t pay for projects out of the sewer fund. The City issues sewer bonds and the interest on the bonds repays the sewer fund over a period of time. The City is in the second year of a ten year plan to raise sewer rates.

• The City just published a solid waste report on what they are doing with their garbage. Since the City is running out of landfill space, we must do more recycling. Sadly this is the largest municipal government in the United States that does not do curbside recycling.
• Councilmember Djou introduced a bill regarding pan handling around ATM machines because he has had complaints in all his districts, especially in Wakiki. People are taking people’s cash and trying to get their pin numbers. In other large cities there are laws protecting citizens when accosted or solicited at an ATM machine and Honolulu should adopt something similar.
• The City is trying to decide what to do about affordable housing. The residents adopted a Charter Ammendment affording one half of one percent of the property taxes to go to affordable housing; the City Council is working on the process for it. Councilmember Djou would like to put that money to work financing new affordable housing and find other ways to provide money to address maintenance.

Questions, answers and concerns:

1. In response to Hack about the City’s plan to sell public housing, there was discussion whether the City government should be running and operating public housing projects. The purchasing operator would have to keep them affordable and remain affordable in perpetuity and find ways to increase affordable housing stock into their communities without the government running it.

2. Councilmember Djou explained when a developer wants to build a building there is no requirement for affordable housing. For instance, if they request rezoning from agricultural to apartment zonings, the City would grant the change on the condition that they create a percentage of affordable housing. Developers can either pay to build it themselves or give the money that it would cost to the City to build affordable housing and it becomes the City’s responsibility to do it. The City is currently considering projects that are kept only as rentals for low income affordable for perpetuity, operated by a private entity and supervised by the City government; rather than owned by the City government.

There are regulations on the rents that can be charged for a rental with standards set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development according to the market of the city in question. Sixty percent of the population with a median income are able to get affordable housing. If it is low income, it is usually someone who earns 60% of the current median income in Honolulu or less who could afford the unit.

3. Councilmember Djou responded to Senator Ihara about rezoned land stating it is up to the City Council; each rezoning has its own conditions on a project by project basis.

4. The charter resolution which was passed a year ago and went into effect in January 1, 2007 is projected to generate a $4 million fund. The City is not doing any developments currently so anything outside of the special fund created in November has no funding.

5. Councilmember Djou responded to Schneider’s question about how a developer can afford to build affordable housing with such high land costs. The City tells the developer they need a certain percentage of affordable housing so the developer generally raises the market rate creating a vicious cycle because the more the rate goes up, the need for affordable housing increases. He reported that most cities do not have affordable housing requirements but most cities don’t have our real estate situation as we do because we have no more land to build on.

6. Responding to a question about curbing the amount we recycle by bringing our own containers to restaurants at lunch, Councilmember Djou also supported curbside recycling during his five years as a councilmember and it is still not in place. He feels the best way to get people to recycle is making it easy for them; if it is difficult they won’t do it. Currently the City only recycles green waste and turns it

into mulch but with the recent recycling projects in Hawaii Kai and Mililani, the City now has small contracts with recycling manufacturers to recycle paper, plastic and glass which are turned into recycling products. The metal waste will be exported because we don’t have facilities to recycle that. Councilmember Djou feels when the City gives more recycling to the manufacturers, there will be more recycling of those products on this island. The mainland takes similar action.

7. Councilmember Djou responded to Schneider that legislative action might be necessary to ban vendors’ use of Styrofoam and petroleum products. He was excited about the upcoming hearings on resolutions introduced by Councilmembers Dela Cruz and Kobayashi to charge customers per plastic bag. He feels people will take better care of something they are charged for and will litter otherwise.

8. The City must have island wide curbside recycling, because we have no landfill space left, before a recycling program is started in city parks, as well as addressing the trash from tourists in Waikiki.

9. Councilmember Djou quoted the city’s figures on shipping trash as $250-$300 per ton; private vendors have told him the price is around $70 per ton. Only 60-65% of the garbage produced on this island is picked up by the city government and 30-40% is picked up by private haulers for commercial businesses. He feels private haulers who want to contract with a private shipping company that has a private landfill on the mainland should be able to, however, the city administration wants to ban that from occurring because they charge a private hauler $91 per ton of trash they bring to the city and it only costs the city $16 to take it to the landfill.

10. Chair Hernandez suggested people get useable bags sold at supermarkets and use them for your shopping and buy in bulk.

Governor’s Representative - Susan Jackson was not able to attend; the Governor’s Report was distributed.

Senator Les Ihara - Senator Ihara was present but could not stay until he was called to present.

Representatives Barbara Marumoto and Scott Nishimoto were not present; they had no reports. Representative Lyla Berg was not present; her report was distributed.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF OCTOBER 17, 2007:

• Page 3 – Second line – change “stripped” to “striped”.
• Page 3 – Number 2 – change “Deanna” to “Deena”.

• Page 5 - Kaimuki Parking Lot Update: The first line in the second paragraph should read: “The parking lot attendants are present by Happy Days Restaurant...”

Third paragraph change “American Savings” to “Territorial Savings”.

• Page 7 - Chair’s Report line 1 change the spelling of “Mauanlani” to “Maunalani”.

At “Ishibashi responded” change the spelling of “Mauanalani” to “Maunalani”.

The minutes are filed as corrected.

TREASURER’S REPORT: Hack read the report. The board has a current balance of $2,637.60, current expenses of $156.28, included a banner purchased in September for $86.90, refreshments charges and funds to printing of agenda and minutes and postage.

Chair Hernandez announced the projected cost of the annual newsletter from the Neighborhood Commission office would be approximately $1,600.00 printed in 2008.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The board will recess in December and the next meeting will be January 16, 2008.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Submitted by

Bonnie Trustin

Neighborhood Assistant

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Kaimuki Neighborhood Board - Minutes Of November 21, 2007 Posted

Kaimuki, Hawaii
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