Courtesy of Neighborhood Commission Office
Source Neighborhood Commission Office
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18,
2009
LILI'UOKALANI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CAFETERIA
CALL
TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order
by Vice Chair Sharon Schneider at 7:15 p.m. with a quorum of eight (8) members.
Note: This board of 11 members needs a quorum of six (6) members to have a
quorum and take official board
action.
Board
Members: Daniel Carvalho, John Cater, Abigail
Leong, Ginny Meade, Sharon Schneider, Dori Smith, Leonard Tam, and Lori
Yamada.
Members
Absent: Vernon Tam, Mark
Terry.
Guests:
Lieutenant Gary Lum-Lee, Sergeant C. Sukekane, Officer K. Takamiya (Honolulu
Police Department, District 7), Captain Robert Marshman (Honolulu Fire
Department), Ann Wong (Board of Water Supply), Stanley Chang, Lydia Chock (Leahi
Hospital), Susan Jackson (Governor’s Representative), Representative
Barbara Marumoto, Jay Ishibashi (Mayor’s Representative), Bertrand
Kobayashi (Staff of Duke Bainum), Duke Bainum, S. Sonoda, Senator Les Ihara,
Kendys Min, Caron Wilbert, Glenn Yamasaki, John Lane (Neighborhood Commission
Office).
Filling
Vacancies: There were no volunteers or
nominations to fill the open seat in Sub District
1.
PUBLIC
SAFETY/
REPORTS:
Honolulu
Police Department (HPD): Lieutenant Gary
Lum-Lee, District 7, distributed the February statistics sheet and noted there
is a comparison sheet that covers different neighborhoods in this district for
the last six months. The statistics
included:
Burglaries
17, Thefts 53, Unauthorized Entry into a Motor Vehicle (UEMV)
22.
For
solutions to longstanding problems, report it on the district 7 website,
www.honolulu.org/patrol/d7
and officers will respond within 48
hours.
Questions,
comments, and
concerns:
There
were some cases last year involving thieves poisoning dogs and robbing houses,
but no cases have been reported this
year.
Honolulu
Fire Department (HFD): Captain Robert Marshman
reported the statistics for February: Ladder 5 responded to 4 fires and 83
emergencies. Engine 5 responded to 10 fires, 28 emergencies, 8 false alarms, and
7 miscellaneous calls.
1) Fire Safety
Tip: Although cooking at home can be a fun family activity, please ensure care
is taken by adhering to the following fire safety tips to avoid accidents in the
kitchen. Cooking fires are the leading cause of home fires and fire injuries. If
you are cooking and must leave the kitchen, even for only a few minutes, turn
off the stove. Avoid distractions while cooking. Keep ignitable items at least
three feet away from the range top. Keep an ABC-rated fire extinguisher near the
kitchen and learn how to use
it.
According
to the U.S. Fire Administration, cooking fires are the leading cause of house
fires and fire injuries nationwide.
Board of Water Supply
(BWS): Ann Wong
reported: BWS
Contact Numbers: Do you have a question about your water bill or about a BWS
construction project in your area, but you’re not quite sure where to
call? Well BWS prepared a contact card, available on the table for
everyone, listing common community concerns and the appropriate phone number
within the BWS to
call. Report
broken water mains, fire hydrants, water in a meter box, or low or no water
service by calling the BWS 24-hour water emergency hotline at 748-5010. Water
bill payment or billing questions may be addressed with the collection and
credit section at 748-5020. To update account information or to start, stop, or
transfer water service, call the customer service representatives at 748-5030.
Construction project information is available by calling 748-5730. Report water
waste or obtain information about public education and tours programs by calling
our communications office at 748-5041. Water quality concerns may be shared with
laboratory staff: If your concern is about discoloration, particles in your
water, or chemical testing, call 748-5840. If your concern is about odor, taste,
chlorination or bacterial testing, call
748-5850. If
unsure what number to call, call the Board of Water Supply main line at
748-5000. 2nd
Annual Decorate an Egg, the Xeriscape Way Easter Workshop – April 4, 2009
from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.Try something new
this Easter holiday by decorating an egg the xeriscape way, where keiki will
decorate eggs using leaves and twigs from the BWS garden, creating imaginative,
naturally inspired designs! Also, keiki will enjoy a garden-fun egg hunt after
the event! Register for this exciting workshop by calling 748-5319 or emailing
tours@hbws.org.Visit
our website, www.boardofwatersupply.com,
for a list of supplies or for more information about classes at the Halawa
Xeriscape Garden or the Board of Water
Supply. PUBLIC
INPUT AND
CONCERNS: Caron
Wilbert stated that there are two new houses being constructed on one lot and
they are being called single family dwellings. Certain neighbors are saying that
it will be a half-way house for people that have abused drugs. She asked who she
can call to find out what is being built. Jackson said that there is no one to
call until after the house is built.
Leonard
Tam commented that he has been driving around town, and noticed that the flow of
traffic is not like it used to be, and there is more stop and go traffic than
before. Traffic does not clear many intersections before the light turns
red. The
majority of the traffic goes east to west, but, he noticed that the green light
time for east-west traffic is shorter than mauka-makai traffic. Something
is not right. he also noticed that the cycle of an intersection is shorter
than before. That’s why vehicles can not clear the intersection
before the light turns
red. The
City should synchronize the traffic lights for efficient flow of traffic.
What the City is doing now is impeding the flow of traffic, causing motorists to
use more gas and cause more air
pollution. On
Monday, it took him three cycles to turn left from King Street to Dillingham
Boulevard, which is too long.
Areas
that he found that need fixing are: Waialae Avenue, King Street, Beretania
Street, Kapiolani Boulevard, Ala Moana Boulevard, Kamehameha Highway in Pearl
City/Aiea, Lunaililo Street at Pi’ikoi Street and at Pensacola
Street. Bainum
answered that the lights are synchronized to some degree. There is more traffic
on the streets then ever before. The traffic management system is being manned
more than eight hours per day. Ishibashi commented that there are different
cycles used throughout the city at different times of the
day. A
resident stated that on April 22, 2009 City Council will be voting to raise
property taxes, and requested people to please call and let them know that
residents do not want them to be
raised. UNFINISHED
BUSINESS:
None.
NEW
BUSINESS: Path
Clinic: Presented by Julia
Yoshimoto. The Path Clinic is a non-profit community clinic that
specifically provides comprehensive prenatal clinical and social services to
women with past or present substance abuse issues. It is located on
22nd Avenue in Kaimuki. They are funded by the State and other
non-profits who have given them grants. The Path Clinic helps women from all
over the island. If women cannot get there they will send a taxi to pick them
up. No agency is given any information about any woman who comes there. It is
all confidential. Last year they helped to deliver 49 babies and 47 of them were
born clean. When a crack baby is born it could cost up to $200,000 of intensive
care. If anybody has any questions you may get more information at
www.pathclinic.org. Maunalani
Heights Facilities Improvement Project:
Presented by Kendys Min, Community Relations
Specialist, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO). HECO is working on the existing
infrastructure up to the Maunalani Nursing Home. They are replacing old and
aging equipment. Their main concern in this project is the traffic problems that
may occur. There will be some trenching that needs to be done. They may have to
detour traffic away from the corned of Sierra Drive and Matsonia Road. They will
not work on the roadway during peak traffic hours. All road work will be done
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately, it will be very noisy. The jack
hammering will take a few weeks and the entire project should take a few months.
The Board of Water Supply also has a project up there.
SENATE
BILL 673: Zoning; Performance Standards –
Presented by Senator Les Ihara. The purpose of
the bill is to address the problem of putting too many care homes in a very
close area. They can cause problems with traffic and parking. Care homes can not
be discriminated against because of federal law. Performance zoning will address
the land use. The bill has already passed the senate. Next week will
be the lateral deadline for the house. This would apply to any kind of an
operation in a residential area. Smith commented that one of the things
that performance zoning can do is to make certain restrictions like how many
parking stalls need to be provided by the operation for their own use.
Smith moved to support the resolution
prepared by the board.
Aye:
Smith, Schneider, Yamada, Cater.
Nay: Leong.
Abstained:
L.Tam, Carvalho, Meade. Motion was not
adopted.
4-1-3. ELECTED
OFFICIALS: Mayor
Mufi Hannemann’s Representative: Jay
Ishibashi reported: The administration unveiled the budget to the City Council
and is looking at a $128 million shortfall. So far the shortfall has been
trimmed down to $50 million. Some fees such as municipal golfing fees will be
raised. Thirty cents per one thousand dollars will be the property tax increase.
Hopefully the stimulus package from Obama will help. Carvalho asked why the City
is always raising the taxes and hurting property owners. Ishibashi answered that
the State has the GET tax but the City does not have much else but property
taxes. The property tax will still be 60 cents cheaper per thousand than when
this administration began.
City
Councilmember Duke Bainum: Bainum stated
that the stimulus is not for paying City workers. It is for construction and
non-profits. It will not allow the City to stop the increase of property taxes.
The budget is very sobering. The worst news is that the City is now $43 million
short. The State is pondering a bill that would take away a GET tax and would
balloon the shortfall to $100 million. Everyone is experiencing difficult times
financially. Before Bill 6 should be passed there must be an agency created to
regulate the vacation rentals; the proposal to create that agency is called Bill
8. City
Councilmember Charles Djou’s
Representative: Dylan Nonaka passed out a report
and highlighted: Djou is supporting the ban on handheld devices while driving.
The number of general obligation bonds will not come down. L.Tam asked how much
interest is being paid on those bonds. Bainum answered almost 19%. It is the
children who will be paying off these bonds. The City still currently has a good
bond rating. He is very concerned about the City’s long-range financial
future. Governor
Linda Lingle’s Representative: Susan
Jackson passed out a report and highlighted: The Council on Revenues needs to
find another $90 million before the end of the fiscal year. The next two years
look a little better. The State is following the stimulus package very
closely. People are counting on it to be the magic bullet but it isn’t. It
will have restrictions and a time-limit on the money. So far the stimulus
package already is several hundred pages in length. It will provide low-interest
loans to counties for their transit projects. Each department has been charged
with following their areas of interest. Short form bills will be used to add
things after the deadline. Governor Lingle left for Washington D.C. today with
Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona for a meeting with Obama. Everyone wants to know
how the Governor is going to close the budget deficit. The Governor is
working with the legislature to do so. Jackson was asked if the Governor intends
to use money from the rail transit fund to close the State deficit. She replied
that the Governor has no public position on the
issue. State
Senator Les Ihara (9th District): Senator Ihara
passed out a report and highlighted that Smith testified on Senate Bill 673.
There are some constitutional problems that stopped the bill last time. The
current bill would authorize the counties to regulate care homes themselves.
Schneider asked if someone wanted to build a house would they have to jump
through all of these hoops. Ihara stated no, only building a care home should
trigger these extra
steps. State
Representative (House Speaker) Calvin K.Y. Say (20th
District): No representative or report
present.
State Representative Barbara Marumoto (19th
District): A report was circulated and Marumoto
highlighted: Last week was cross over day. If your bill did not cross over then
it may be considered dead. The House hopes to amend some senate bills. Marumoto
would like to ban the sale of Salvia to minors. It should be placed on the drug
classification list as a type 5 drug (This class includes psychedelics,
disassociatives, prescription sedatives, and cannabis.). There is a Senate bill
for controlled substances and hopefully it can be added to that bill. There is
also a bill being proposed that would make employers tell the Department of
Labor 60 days in advance if they are going to have
layoffs.
State
Representative Scott Nishimoto (21st District):
A report was circulated: No
representative.
State
Representative Lyla Berg (18th District):
None.
APPROVAL
OF MINUTES FROM FEBRUARY 18, 2009 REGULAR
MEETING:
The
February 18, 2009 regular meeting minutes were approved as circulated by
unanimous consent (8-0-0) (Aye: Carvalho, Cater,
Leong, Meade, Schneider, Smith, Tam, and
Yamada).
TREASURER’S
REPORT: The balance was reported as
$2602.45.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Acting Chair Sharon Schneider announced the
following:
·
The next board meeting will be April 15,
2009.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned at 8:59
p.m.
Submitted
by:
John Lane, Neighborhood
Assistant
Reviewed
by:
Vernon Tam, Chair |
|
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