Monday, April 25, 2016

Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Meeting Airs Concerns About Neighbors

What’s next door was a topic of considerable interest at the April 21 meeting of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.
House On Lilipuna Road
Two neighbors shared concerns about construction at 46-107 Lilipuna Road. They said a residence that is under construction there is taller and covers more square feet than allowed, and that it lacks a shoreline use permit. They said construction is continuing on the property in spite of stop-work orders from the city. And they showed a picture of what they described as sewage flowing from the property into Kaneohe Bay.
Several Board members asked a city representative who was present at the meeting what could be done to address the concerns. They also asked how the project could be allowed to continue after stop-work orders were issued. After the meeting, several elected officials and government staff members met with the neighbors to learn more about the situation.
Holly Sevier
Concerns About Drug Dealing
Board Member Holly Sevier talked about a slow police response after she called to report a teenager smoking marijuana at Heeiea Elementary School. Board Vice Chairman Bill Sager talked about how his daughter was approached by two different drug groups while walking through a park.

A community member and several Board members asked why it appears to be difficult for police to make arrests when drug activities are obvious in the area. Such comments have become a feature of almost every Board meeting.

Hawaii State Hospital

Student government representatives from Windward Community College presented a resolution in support of preserving the Bishop Building on Hawaii State Hospital property next to the college. Hospital officials are planning to demolish the building and replace it with a long-term care facility for low risk elderly patients. The student representatives said they want a child-care facility in the Bishop Building. 

Responding to a question from Board Member Mahealani Cypher, the students said they have concerns about the safety of WCC students after what they said were several encounters with hospital patients who had wandered away from the grounds. Cypher also suggested that the hospital has been in Kaneohe long enough and that it might be time to move the entire facility elsewhere.

Comments on this blog are welcomed. To add a comment, please click on the link below. Also, please like us on Facebook and comment there.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Afternoon Mr. Sager -

How does the student government representatives from WCC KNOW that they're being harassed by patients who "wander" away from the grounds of HSH? I think it's important for the Kaneohe community to understand that while some patients have escaped from HSH, they do NOT hang around the college as they're trying to get as far away from HSH as possible. Former patients, like any other person, has the right to walk around the community freely. However, with that said, I'm definitely not saying it's okay for a person to get harassed.