A resolution regarding proposed changes in Windward Bus Service will be voted on at our meeting tomorrow evening 4/19, 7PM at Ben Parker School. See the proposed reso here http://kaneohe-neighborhood-board.siterubix.com/kaneohe-neighborhood-board-resolution-concerning-proposed-bus-route-changeshttp://kaneohe-neighborhood-board.siterubix.com/kaneohe-neighborhood-board-resolution-concerning-proposed-bus-route-changes

Come to the meeting to express you concerns and recommendations

Join Us For Our July Meetings

Agenda Planning Meeting

Tuesday, July 11, 7 p.m.

Kaneohe District Park

45-660 Keaahala Road

                                    

Regular Board Meeting

Thursday, July 20, 7 p.m.

Benjamin Parker Elementary School

45-259 Waikalua Road

Note that our agenda planning meeting will be a week later than normal because of the July 4 holiday. The meeting will return to its regular day and time – the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. – in August.

If you are unable to attend a meeting, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.

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.

Help Our Community Thrive -- Join The Volunteer Team For The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board

Times are changing for the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board, but one thing remains the same: We welcome volunteers.

The changing times involve the end of the current two-year Board term and the departure of some of our valued colleagues.

The term ends June 30, and we will be saying goodbye to the following Board members:

Warren Ditch – At Large

Felipe San Nicolas – At Large

Marie Gavigan – Sub-District 1, Ali’I Landing/Ali’I Shores

Holly Sevier – Sub-District 3, Haiku Village/Plantations

Stuart Saito – Sub-District 4, Keahala

With the beginning of the 2017-19 Board term on July 1, we will welcome two new Board members:

            Daniel Kaanana – At Large

            Lora Burbage -- Sub-District 4, Keahala

MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE

Daniel, Lora and our departing Board colleagues are all volunteers. They give their time to help keep our community the amazing place that it is. And you can help, too.

For example, five Board seats had no candidates in the recent election and will be unfilled when the new Board term begins. The sub-districts are:

Sub-District 1 -- Ali’I Landing/Ali’I Shores

Sub-District 2 -- Crown Terrace

Sub-District 3 -- Haiku Village/Plantations

Sub-District 5 -- Lilipuna/Kahanahou

Sub-District 6 -- Waikalua

The recently elected Board members will be authorized to fill those seats by appointment after their terms begin.

JOIN A COMMITTEE

If serving on the Board isn’t your thing, then please consider helping out on one of the Board’s committees. We currently have three special committees and 13 standing committees. 

As an example of the volunteer opportunities they offer, consider this announcement from the Community Engagement Committee:

VOLUNTEER NEEDED

The Community Engagement Committee of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board is seeking a communications volunteer. This person will coordinate with the committee to develop content for the Board’s blog, Facebook page and news media. The volunteer also will meet with other committee members on a regular basis to plan communication messages, strategies and new directions for the Board’s community engagement work. Contact Bill Sager at 808-375-1114.

Or, maybe one of the committees below will appeal more:

SPECIAL COMMITTEES: Haiku Stairs Special Task Force, Emergency Management Planning Committee, State Legislative Monitoring Committee.

STANDING COMMITTEES: State Legislature Committee, City and County Ordinance Committee, Public Health and Safety Committee, Safety Committee, Planning Committee, Transportation Committee, Education Committee, Environmental Committee, Windward Civilian/Military Committee, OMPO Citizen Advisory Committee, Kaneohe Bay Regional Council, Homelessness Committee, Hawaii State Hospital.

To learn more about opportunities for volunteers, contact our current Board Chairman, Mo Radke, or attend a Board meeting. We meet at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Progress On State Hospital Modernization Is Outlined For Kaneohe Neighborhood Board

The Hawaii State Hospital was an important topic during our June meeting.

We learned that Gov. David Ige has approved the final environmental impact statement for the hospital’s new patient and campus master plan development. And we learned that the hospital has started the bidding process for the new facility, which will provide housing and treatment for 144 high-risk patients. (For more information, contact Project Engineer Brian Isa at brian.s.isa@hawaii.gov.)

The facility and the master plan are part of a long-term effort to upgrade buildings that are more than 80 years old and over capacity.

Hospital Administrator William May (right) and
consultant Kira Downing of the DTL strategic planning
firm outline plans for the Hawaii State Hospital.

In addition to the high-risk facility, the hospital is working with Avalon Health Care Group to build a skilled nursing facility on 5 acres of hospital property adjacent to Windward Community College. That facility will have 150 beds to serve a mix of elderly, medically complex and non-violent psychiatric patients.  

During the meeting, there were questions about security measures to protect the hospital’s neighbors. Hospital representatives outlined multiple security features planned for the building that serves high-risk patients, including better monitoring stations inside and enhanced fencing outside.

Representatives also said they will send alerts in the event of security issues such as escapes. Residents can receive text and email alerts about hospital issues from the city’s new HNL Info service. HNL Info replaces the Nixle service, which the city had used for several years. To sign up for HNL Info, click here.

During the meeting, Neighborhood Board members also asked for information about the extent to which drugs will be used in providing behavioral care and questioned operating a private business on state land.

We Welcome Your Comments

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.

News about our June 15 meeting, from KITV:

Neighborhood board supports

resolution to keep Haiku Stairs

The Kaneohe neighborhood board voted in support of a resolution that would reopen the popular Haiku Stairs, under a controlled and managed access plan, on Thursday.

"All the board is asking and that's what this resolution is asking... is that the option that's preferred in the EIS is a managed access plan not demolition," chair of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board, Mo Radke said.

Click here for the full text of the news report.

Board Chairman Mo Radke (left) comments on resolution.

Nursing Facility, Zoning Change And Haiku Stairs On Agenda For Kaneohe Neighborhood Board

The agenda is set for our meeting on Thursday, June 15, and we hope you will join us. Details are below. To review the complete agenda online, click on this link.

Avalon Health Care Group: A representative will present information about a proposed skilled nursing facility to be built on Hawaii State Hospital property. The facility is planned for 5 acres adjacent to Windward Community College. Avalon representatives told our agenda planning meeting that the facility will have 150 beds. They said it will provide skilled nursing care for a mix of elderly, medically complex and non-violent psychiatric patients.  Representatives told our meeting that the facility is expected to create 290 jobs during a 14-month construction period, followed by 168 fulltime staff jobs. The project still must receive state approval. (Corrected from original version, which said federal approval also was required.)

Zone Change: Richard Maruya is scheduled to present information about a zone change he is requesting for property at 44-740 Kaneohe Bay Drive. The Bay Drive Market currently occupies the site. Mr. Maruya  told our agenda planning meeting that he wants to change the zoning from an R-5 residential designation to B-2, which is for businesses serving several neighborhoods.

Haiku Stairs: We are scheduled to consider a resolution about the future of the stairs. The Board of Water Supply, which manages the stairs, is developing an environmental impact statement focused on removing them. Our May meeting included extensive testimony from community members who favor removal and those who favor preserving the stairs for hiking.  In a commentary about the meeting, Neighborhood Board Chairman Mo Radke wrote that he supports a managed access plan as a way to preserve hiking opportunities while relieving the neighborhood near the base of the stairs from persistent disruptions by trespassing hikers.

Other Business: Our agenda always includes time for reports from the Fire and Police Departments, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, elected officials from the state and local levels, community organizations, and our Board committees.

Details: The Board meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road, starting at 7 p.m. Click on this link to read the full agenda and find more information about agenda topics. Also, the minutes of our May meeting are now available. Click on the highlighted link to read them.

We welcome your comments, in person and online

Please join us for all of our meetings. The agenda always includes time for comments by community members. If you are unable to attend, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.

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.

Join Us For Our June Meetings

Agenda Planning Meeting

Tuesday, June 6, 7 p.m.

Kaneohe District Park

45-660 Keaahala Road

                                    

Regular Board Meeting

Thursday, June 15, 7 p.m.

Benjamin Parker Elementary School

45-259 Waikalua Road

If you are unable to attend, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.

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.

12 Candidates Elected To Neighborhood Board; Terms Will Begin In July; 5 Seats Remain Open

Certified results from the 2017 Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Election are now available for each sub-district.  Congratulations to the successful candidates, and thanks to all those who offered their services to our community in this election.

Sub-District	Candidate	Tally	Status
30 00 – At Large	CYPHER, Mahealani	768	Elected
30 00 – At Large	DAWSON, Donald F.	694	Elected
30 00 – At Large	DITCH, Warren, B. Jr.	264
30 00 – At Large	GALDEIRA, Sheldon Kekoa	628
30 00 – At Large	KAANANA, Daniel	916	Elected
30 00 – At Large	SAN NICOLAS, Felipe	479
30 00 – At Large	SHIRATORI, Miles F.	590
30 01 -- Ali'i Landing/Ali'i Shores	NO CANDIDATE
30 02 -- Crown Terrace	NO CANDIDATE
30 03 -- Haiku Village / Plantations	NO CANDIDATE
30 04 -- Keahala	BURBAGE, Lora	82	Elected
30 04 -- Keahala	SAITO, Stuart	36
30 05 -- Lilipuna / Kahanahou	NO CANDIDATE
30 06 -- Waikalua	NO CANDIDATE
30 07 -- Puohala	COLLINS, Deborah	55	Elected
30 07 -- Puohala	UBANDO, Teresa K.	19
30 08 -- Kapunahala	CHO, Ken Jr.	Uncontested	Elected
30 09 -- Keapuka	DAVLANTES, Nancy	Uncontested	Elected
30 10 -- Hale Kou / Crown Estates	RADKE, Mo	Uncontested	Elected
30 11 -- Mokulele	CARLILE, Gloria N.	Uncontested	Elected
30 12 -- Pikoiloa	SANDERS, Jeremiah Noheamaikalani	Uncontested	Elected
30 13 -- Mikiola Mauka	DOWNING, Cecil Ray III	44
30 13 -- Mikiola Mauka	HANKS, Jon	66	Elected
30 14 -- Kane'ohe Bay Drive Makai	SAGER, William	Uncontested	Elected

Five sub-districts had no candidate, and those seats will be unfilled when the new Board term begins July 1. The sub-districts are:

Sub-District 1 -- Ali’I Landing/Ali’I Shores

Sub-District 2 -- Crown Terrace

Sub-District 3 -- Haiku Village/Plantations

Sub-District 5 -- Lilipuna/Kahanahou

Sub-District 6 -- Waikalua

The recently elected Board members will be authorized to fill empty seats by appointment after their terms begin.

Additional information about the election is available on the Honolulu Neighborhood Commission website.

Our May 18 Meeting, In Pictures

Many community members gave thoughtful testimony at our May 18 Board meeting. Here are some images from the meeting, provided by Fred Collins. Find commentary about the meeting by Board Chairman Mo Radke in an earlier post on this blog.

Kaui Pratt-Aquino explained the petition she started in opposition to the proposed Serenity Gardens Cemetery.

Arthur Chun said that a proposed expansion of Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery would allow children of veterans to be buried near their parents.

Trisha Watson of Honua Consulting talked about a 50-acre cultural preserve that is part of a proposed expansion of Hawaiian Memorial Park.

Lilinoe Yong objected to trespassers using residents’ yards to get access to the Haiku Stairs.

Dr. Vernon Ansdell of Friends of Haiku Stairs said a managed access plan could ease neighbors’ concerns and give hikers a way to reach the stairs.

We had a great turnout for the meeting and great support from the staff of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, who kept the cafeteria open late so we could hear from everyone who wanted to speak.