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With Permission / Courtesy of: City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office

DIAMOND HEAD/KAPAHULU/ST. LOUIS HEIGHTS NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 5

 

December 2021 Minutes

 

DRAFT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2021

VIA WEBEX TELECONFERCING

6:00 P.M.

CALL TO ORDER - Chair Andrew Salenger called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Quorum was established with 13 members present via Webex Application. Note - This 15-member Board requires eight (8) members to establish a quorum and to take official Board action.

Board Members Present: Julia Allen, Rafia Hasina, Margaret Murchie, Bertram Narita, Bruce Wong (arrived at 6:12 p.m.), John Beutel, Wendell Murakawa, Keolu Peralto, George West, Andrew Salenger, Michelle Matson, Don Persons, Laura St. Denis, Linda Wong.

Board Members Absent: Mela Kealoha Lindsey.

Guests: Christopher Akiona (Honolulu Fire Department); Lieutenant Cyrus Hanuna and Lieutenant Taro Nakamura (Honolulu Police Department); Frank Floyd (Mid-Pac Road Runners Club); Isaac Choy (Governor David Ige's office); Kathleen Pahinui and Dennis Silva (Board of Water Supply); Keola Fisher (Council Chair Tommy Waters' office); Councilmember Calvin Say and Janel Denny; Sheena Mae Briones (Representative Calvin Say's office); Taylor Date (Representative Scott Nishimoto's office); Senator Les Ihara Jr.; Chelsea Lockridge (Senator Stanley Chang's office); Principal Ryan Kusuda (Waikiki Elementary School);Jason Takaki, Everest Akana, Joannie Dobbs, Arleen Velasco, Alan Titchanel, Daisy Murai, Jake Shiraki, Ryan Kusubda, Rick Barboza, Michael Domion, Anna Kerr, Marilyn Mick; Casey Ishitani (Neighborhood Commission Office). Names not included will not be provided. 45 attendees total.

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS

Honolulu Fire Department: [6:02 p.m.] Acting Captain Christopher Akiona reported the following statistics: 1 structure fire, 1 brush fire, 2 nuisance fires, 10 activated alarms (no fire), 43 medical emergencies, 4 motor vehicle crashes, 1 mountain rescue, and 2 hazardous materials incidents.

Honolulu Police Department District 6: [6:05 p.m.] Lieutenant Cyrus Hanuna reported the following statistics: 11 robberies, 22 burglaries, 161 thefts, 28 unauthorized entries of motor vehicles, 31 assaults, 89 bicycle/skateboard/sidewalk citations, 2,024 parking, and 5,653 total calls for service.

Honolulu Police Department District 7: [6:09 p.m.] HPD Lieutenant Taro Nakamura reported the following statistics: 7 motor vehicle thefts, 12 burglaries, 34 thefts, and 8 unauthorized entries of motor vehicles.

Bruce Wong arrived at this time. There were 14 Board Members present.

Ocean Safety Division: [6:16 p.m.] There was no representative.

Neighborhood Security Watch: [6:16 p.m.] There was no representative. Report was also included in https://1drv.ms/u/s!BIst49_N_u8YbJVHY5DlpKNlBnk?e=NbFRm1, Password: SchoolStarts

RESIDENT INTERESTS AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS

Mid-Pac Roadrunners Club: [6:16 p.m.] Frank Floyd of the Mid-Pac Roadrunners Club (MPRRC) reported that the Oahu Perimeter Challenge Redux will take place on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. More details may be found at https://mprrc.com/.

Leahi Avenue: [6:18 p.m.] [6:22 p.m.] Residents requested updates regarding two-way traffic and food trucks being broken into on Leahi Avenue.

Landslides: [6:19 p.m.] St. Denis raised concerns regarding landslides along Diamond Head Road.

Empty Swimming Pool: [6:20 p.m.] Murchie raised concerns regarding an empty swimming pool on a property near Unity Church of Hawaii.

CITY AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS

Mayor Rick Blangiardi: [6:24 p.m.] There was no representative. A memo was provided with the following information.

• Surf Rack Fires: Board requested updates regarding surf rack fires in Waikiki. HPD responded that for the incident that took place on Sunday, October 17, 2021 a male suspect in his 40s was identified, arrested, and charged with Arson in the First Degree. The investigation of the surfboard rack fire at 2335 Kalakaua Avenue that occurred on Thursday, November 4, 2021, is ongoing and is being handled by the Criminal Investigation Division's Major Crimes Detail

• Boards: The Board inquired about Neighborhood Board vacancies and the Neighborhood Commission Office responded that residents may view vacancies at https://www.honolulu.gov/cms-nco-menu/site-nco-featured/191-site-nco-cat/682-test.html.

Governor David Ige: [6:26 p.m.] State Director of Taxation Isaac Choy reported the State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will investigate reports of encampments along Diamond Head.

Board of Water Supply (BWS): [6:29 p.m.] BWS representatives Kathleen Pahinui and Dennis Silva reported the following.

• Main Break: A six (6) inch main break occurred at 3932 Makalei Place.

• Diamond Head Fencing Project: [6:31 p.m.] Silva provided updates to the fencing project include repainting and planting of native vegetation. Construction and landscaping will be scheduled through July 2023. Pahinui reported that BWS will be reaching out to groups regarding near Diamond Head Monument. Residents may contact (808) 748-5319 for more information. Report was also included in https://1drv.ms/u/s!BIst49_N_u8YbJVHY5DlpKNlBnk?e=NbFRm1, Password: SchoolStarts.

CITY AND STATE ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

Council Chair Tommy Waters: [6:49 p.m.] Keola Fisher of Council Chair Waters' office reported the following.

• Council Bills: Bill 46 was introduced to treat rentals as commercial vehicles. Bill 47 was introduced to allow park rangers the ability to issue citations.

• Honolulu City Lights: The Honolulu City Lights event will go from Sunday, December 5, 2021 to Sunday, January 2, 2022.

Councilmember Calvin Say: [6:53 p.m.] Councilmember Say reported that he will look into safety concerns regarding telephone poles. His report was uploaded to the One Drive and may also be found at https://calvinsay.wordpress.com/.

Representative Bertrand Kobayashi: [7:07 p.m.] [7:10 p.m.] Representative Kobayashi was present on video, but could not provide an audio connection.

Representative Jackson Sayama: [7:07 p.m.] Sheena Mae Briones of Representative Sayama's office reported the following.

• School Visits: Representative Sayama will visit William P. Jarrett Middle School and Aliiolani Elementary School in December 2021.

• Surf Equity: A Bill regarding gender equity in surfing events in State and City parks has been introduced.

• Emergency Management (HIEMA): Residents may report storm damage to their properties at https://dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/.

Representative Scott Nishimoto: [7:10 p.m.] Taylor Date of Representative Nishimoto's office reported that residents may reach out to him with questions, comments and concerns at (808) 586-8515 and repnishimoto@Capitol.hawaii.gov .

Senator Les Ihara, Jr.: [7:12 p.m.] Senator Ihara reported that the State Capitol is still closed to visitors and public testimony.

Senator Stanley Chang: [7:15 p.m.] Chelsea Lockridge of Senator Chang's office reported that a Capital Improvement Project (CIP) grant was approved to preserve historical Hawaii fishponds.

U.S. Representative Ed Case: [7:16 p.m.] There was no representative.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Establishment of Chair of Leahi Avenue Standing Committee: [7:17 p.m.] This item was deferred.

Regular Meeting Minutes for Thursday, August 12, 2021: [7:17 p.m.] Hearing no objection, this item was deferred.

Regular Meeting Minutes for Thursday, September 9, 2021: [7:17 p.m.] Hearing no objection, this item was deferred.

Matson Moved and Narita Seconded to defer the Adoption of the Regular Meeting Minutes for October and November, 2021. [7:18 p.m.] The Motion did not Pass, 6-7-1 (Aye: Narita, Peralto, Matson, Bruce Wong, St. Denis, Linda Wong; Nay: Allen, Hasina, Murchie, Beutel, Murakawa, West, Persons; Abstain: Salenger). [7:24 p.m.]

Matson left at this time. There were 13 Board members present.

Hearing no objection, Chair Salenger had the adoption of Regular Meeting Minutes for October 2021 and November 2021 after New Business.

Chair Salenger handed the gavel to Vice Chair Allen.

NEW BUSINESS

Proposed Resolution for the Leahi Avenue Timeline and History of Neighborhood Board No. 5 Involvement With Leahi Avenue Safety: [7:30 p.m.] Salenger presented a Resolution regarding the acquisition of Leahi Avenue by Safe Leahi LLC. He cited safety concerns and a lack of transparency from Safe Leahi LLC as necessitating the Resolution.

Salenger Moved and Linda Wong Seconded to Adopt the Resolution. [7:32 p.m.] The Motion was ADOPTED, 12-0-1 (Aye: Allen, Hasina, Murchie, Narita, Bruce Wong, Beutel, Murakawa, West, Salenger, Persons, St. Denis, Linda Wong; Nay: None; Abstain: Peralto). [7:41 p.m.]

The gavel was returned to Chair Salenger.

Red Hill Contamination: [7:45 p.m.] BWS representative Pahinui reported that the aquifer leading from the Red Hill facility utilized 45 million gallons per day before the contamination by petroleum and that water quality reports have been posted daily at https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/. Director Choy of Governor Ige's office reported that the State will take steps to request that the Navy remove or empty the fuel tanks. Residents raised demands for desalination facilities and Pahinui reported that one is being planned for Campbell Industrial Park to separate it from potable water tables. BWS will provide updates which may be found at at the Board OneDrive:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!BIst49_N_u8YbJVHY5DlpKNlBnk?e=NbFRm1, Password: SchoolStarts.

Hearing no objection, Chair Salenger had Agenda Item Regular Minutes October 2021 at this time.

Regular Meeting Minutes, Thursday, October 14, 2021: [8:11 p.m.] Beutel raised that he amended the Minutes to have Melvia Kawashima included with Councilmember Calvin Say's office. He also raised concerns regarding the video on the Neighborhood Commission Office website being incomplete.

Hearing no objection, Chair Salenger deferred the Adoption of the October 2021 Minutes. [8:16 p.m.]

Regular Meeting Minutes, Tuesday, November 9, 2021: [8:17 p.m.] Beutel reported the following amendments to the draft Minutes that were distributed: correcting the Aye count on two votes from 12 to 11, and adding 20 seconds to all of the relative timestamps.

Beutel Moved and Narita Seconded to Adopt the November 2021 Minutes. [8:19 p.m.] The Motion was ADOPTED, 11-1-1 (Aye: Allen, Hasina, Murchie, Narita, Bruce Wong, Beutel, Murakawa, West, Salenger, Persons, St. Denis; Nay: Linda Wong; Abstain: Peralto). [8:30 p.m.]

REPORT OF BOARD MEMBERS AT OTHER BOARD MEETINGS

[8:35 p.m.] There were no Board members at other Board meetings. Narita reported that Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (Oahu MPO) meetings can be found at https://www.oahumpo.org/.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

[8:36 p.m.] Salenger reported that written reports may be found at the Board OneDrive:

https://1drv.ms/u/s!BIst49_N_u8YbJVHY5DlpKNlBnk?e=NbFRm1, Password: SchoolStarts. Video recordings of Regular Meetings may be found at https://www.honolulu.gov/cms-nco-menu/site-nco-sitearticles/1657-board-meeting-video-archive.html.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.

Submitted by Casey Ishitani, Public Relations

Reviewed by: Dylan Whitsell, Community Relations Specialist

Final approval by: J. David Beutel, Secretary, Neighborhood Board No. 5

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