Critical Need. Only trained pet shelter managers can open a shelter.

You are invited to the Hawaiian Humane Society’s upcoming Emergency Pet Shelter training on Saturday, February 27 from 3:30 pm to 6 pm. Learn how you can help keep people and their pets together during a disaster. This training will be held in the classroom at the Humane Society at 2700 Waialae Avenue in Honolulu. You may RSVP by clicking here.

For more information, contact Marielle at mterbio@hawaiianhumane.org or 356-2216.

March Meetings Scheduled For Kaneohe Neighborhood Board

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board will hold its monthly planning meeting on Tuesday, March 1. The meeting will be held at the Kaneohe Community and Senior Center, 45-613 Puohala Street, starting at 7 p.m. 

An abbreviated agenda is below: 

 1. Call to Order

 2. Proposed Briefings

Community Concerns

 3. Board Business

          Committee Discussions

 4. Announcements

 5. Adjourn 

The Board will hold its monthly business meeting on Thursday, March 17, at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road. 

Please join us for all of our meetings. 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.

Kaneohe’s Own Update On Local Developments

Here is an update on local developments, from our February meeting:

Photo shows Windward City Shopping Center
on right, with busy u-turn area
in blue, proposed turn lane in red
 and relocated crosswalk in green. 

Kamehameha Highway at Windward City Shopping Center is experiencing frequent backups as vehicles and pedestrians mix at a busy u-turn gap, a community member told the Board. The gap allows access to the shopping center, a medical clinic and other facilities for vehicles and pedestrians along the divided highway.  The gap also has become a focus for drivers trying to bypass long traffic lights. The community member recommended two fixes for the problem: carving a turn lane out of the median Pali-bound and moving the crosswalk to the Pali side of the gap. Board Chairman Maurice “Mo” Radke said he would send the recommendation on to City staff for consideration.

Kaneohe Beach Park is plagued by violence and illegal camping, a nearby resident told the Board. The resident said the disruptive activities are a constant source of anxiety in the surrounding neighborhood. She said illegal campers stay in the park’s bathrooms and run hoses from them to use as personal water supplies. She asked that the bathrooms be locked and encouraged the police to take action. A Honolulu Police Department representative said the Department patrols the park frequently and urged residents to call whenever they see suspicious activity in the area.

Honolulu Police Department’s District 4, based in Kaneohe, made two arrests, issued 30 citations and confiscated 20 pounds of fireworks over the New Year’s holiday, a Department representative told the Board. That was the second-highest enforcement level among the department’s eight patrol districts island-wide. The district covers the Windward side from Waimanalo to Kawela Bay. The information was reported in response to requests from residents at our January meeting.

Earthjustice, an environmental law organization, asked the Board to adopt a resolution against the proposed merger of NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Company. An Earthjustice attorney told the Board that the merger would increase costs for consumers, erode local control and transparency and eliminate local jobs. The attorney recommended cooperative or municipal ownership as better alternatives. The Board took no action on the request.

Hawaii State Teachers Association presented priorities that is has developed for improving public education on the islands. The recommendations include limits on student testing, increases in vocational options, reforms in teacher pay, decreases in class size, and cooling for classrooms. An HSTA representative said she would like to return to the Board’s March 17 meeting to seek a resolution supporting the priorities.

We welcome your thoughts about these issues. To add a comment, please click on the link below or contact Board members directly using our Member Directory. Also, please like us on Facebook and comment there.

KKHARP holds its meetings every 4th Tuesday (6:30) at the LDS church near King Intermediate School.

Last night (2/23/16) we discussed how the public is warned of impending emergencies.

From sirens to those annoying streamers across your TV screen, we are probably aware of most of the ways we get a warning. You may not know about nixle which streams warnings to any smart phone. It even works on some not so smart phones. Go to www.nixle.com and at the bottom of the screen enter your zip code. That will take you to a screen which will display all the announcements related to your community.

I recommend you go to settings and eliminate everything except Honolulu Department of Emergency Management. You may want to eliminate community announcements. For more information click here.

You have missed a lot, but it is not to late for you to be involved. We have a core group of about 30 people but we need you. If you want to volunteer, contact Bill at 375-1114

Mark Your Calendars, Kaneohe Neighbors, For Weekend Events And More

From the February 18 Kaneohe Neighborhood Board meeting -- announcements about some interesting events and opportunities in the next few days. All the events are free:

Windward Community College and the Hawaiian Council for the Humanities will host a booksigning and authors’ discussion of “E Luku Wale E,” which documents and laments the construction of the H-3 freeway. The event will take place Sunday, February 21, from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in Hale Akoakoa 101-105 at the college. The book features photographs by Mark Hamasaki and Kapulani Landgraf. Hamasaki is humanities chair and an art professor at WCC, and Landgraf is a Native Hawaiian artist who is best known for her black and white photography.

Blue Zones Project will hold a cooking demonstration Tuesday, February 23, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the KEY Project, 47-200 Waihee Road. The workshop will show how to use healthier cooking options such as veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans and nuts. RSVP by sending an email to bluezonesprojectkoolaupoko@healthways.com.

PACT Kaneohe Community Family Center, the state Department of Education and Kamalapua o Koolau (KOK) will hold a workshop on preparing children for kindergarten. The workshop takes place Thursday, February 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road. Free childcare will be provided.

Preschool Open Doors is accepting applications to help needy families send their children to preschool from July 1, 2016, through June 2017. The program provides monthly tuition subsidies to qualified families. It is operated by the state Department of Human Services. Applications are available online. The application period runs through March 31.

PACT Kaneohe Community Family Center will start a new session of its Parent Leadership Training Institute on Saturday, February 27. The institute teaches skills for effective community organizing and political engagement at the local and state level. Contact Cynthia Okazaki at 808-235-7747 for information.

Lots more information was shared at the Board meeting, and we’ll be posting about it on our blog soon.

Comments on this blog are welcomed. To add a comment, please click on the link below or contact Board members directly using our Member Directory. Also, please like us on Facebook and comment there.

Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Supports Windward Community College In Dispute Over State Hospital

The Bishop Building is at the center of a dispute that could affect the future of Windward Community College and the Hawaii State Hospital.

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board has voted to support Windward Community College in a disagreement over the location of a proposed mental health facility next to its campus.

The Board approved a resolution calling on the State Department of Health to negotiate a land exchange that would move the proposed facility to a larger parcel nearby. The land exchange would protect the historic Bishop Building, which the college would like to use for a charter school but is to be torn down to make way for the new facility.

The vote during the Board's February 18 meeting was 9-2, with two abstentions.

The vote came after a statement by Gov. David Ige’s chief of staff, Mike McCartney, supporting the Hospital’s plan and noting that the work needs to be done to fix problems related to serious overcrowding.

Proposed Facility Would Give Geriatric Care 

The proposed facility would provide psychiatric and nursing care for up to 50 State Hospital patients needing geriatric services. The patients would be discharged from the Hospital and transferred to the new facility, which would be financed, built and operated by privately owned Avalon Health Care Group. The transfers would free up beds to serve an expanding population of potentially violent patients.

Hospital Administrator William J. May told the Board that the Hospital is 90 patients over its 170-patient capacity and growing. Mr. May said a land swap would set back development of the long-term care facility by five to six years.

College Chancellor Defends Land Swap

College Chancellor Doug Dykstra told the Board that the Hospital can’t begin work on a key part of the project because it lacks state permission to demolish the Bishop Building. He also said past claims by the Health Department that it was ready to start work on the long-term care facility have not proved true. And he noted that the land swap would not affect plans to build a separate, expanded Hospital facility to handle potentially violent patients.

Mahealani Cypher

The resolution, which was introduced by Board Vice Chair Bill Sager, says the Health Department did not consider the possibility of a land exchange, which the college has offered on four occasions in the past five years.

Neighborhood Board member Mahealani Cypher said she believed that a land swap would raise costs for the State Hospital but that the costs could have been averted if the Hospital officials had talked with community members sooner. She said relocating the long-term care facility elsewhere was a better solution.

Learn More

More information about the issue is available from the sources listed below. Click on the highlighted text to access the information:

The text of the resolution.

The hospital’s 2015 Master Plan Update.

A report from the Board’s Hawaii State Hospital Master Plan Review Permitted Interaction Group.

Posts on this blog from January 26, 2016, October 19, 2015, September 19, 2015, and July 31, 2015.

Comments on this blog are welcomed. To add a comment, please click on the link below or contact Board members directly using our Member Directory. Also, please like us on Facebook and comment there.

February Meeting Agenda Available Online

The agenda for the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board’s February 18 business meeting is now available online. Among the scheduled topics are:

> The proposed merger of NextEra Energy and Hawaiian Electric Company. A representative of Earthjustice has asked to present a resolution opposing the merger.

> A disagreement between Windward Community College and the Hawaii State Hospital over the hospital’s plan to build a long-term care facility next to the college. A Neighborhood Board member has presented a resolution recommending that the hospital negotiate with the college over a proposed land exchange to resolve the dispute.

> A proposal to change the location and date of the Neighborhood Board’s monthly planning meeting.

> Community member concerns about sewer odors on Waikalua Road; roadwork equipment blocking access to Keaalau Neighborhood Park; road work on Kamehameha Highway; and the Clean Water Natural Land Fund.

Click on the highlighted text above to read the agenda and find more information about agenda topics. The minutes of the Board’s January meeting also are now available. Click on the highlighted link to read them.

The Neighborhood Board meeting will take place in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road, starting at 7 p.m. 

Please join us for all of our meetings. Every meeting includes time for residents to share concerns and information with the Board. If you are unable to attend, you may provide testimony online and contact Neighborhood Board members directly.

Also, please like us on Facebook and comment there.

Comments on this blog are welcomed. To add a comment, please click on the link below.

Blue Zone Activities

News Update

Blue Zones Project Ko’olaupoko is celebrating news that Hawaii has regained the top spot in U.S. well-being! Click here for more information. The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board helped bring the Blue Zones Project to the Windward Side and continues to support the Project’s valuable programs to enhance personal well-being.

Blue Zones Project Koʻolaupoko Upcoming Events

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Learn how to apply Blue Zones Project principles for healthier cooking options using veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans and nuts. You'll take home tips for tastier and healthier meals and snacks that your family and friends will love.

FREE to attend, please RSVP by sending an email to bluezonesprojectkoolaupoko@healthways.com

COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS

Friday, February 19 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

Ai Love Nalo
41-1025 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI

Tuesday, February 23 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

KEY Project
47-200 Waihee Road, Kaneohe HI

Thursday, March 24 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Ai Love Nalo
41-1025 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI

Wednesday, May 17 8 a.m.-11 a.m.

KEY Project
47-200 Waihee Road, Kaneohe HI 

Tuesday, September 20
Time TBD

KEY Project
47-200 Waihee Road, Kaneohe HI 

PURPOSE WORKSHOPS

Attend a two-hour facilitated Purpose Workshop where you’ll have the opportunity to discover or re-discover your gifts and talents. Learn how to navigate through life’s transitions, and improve your well-being by living your purpose.

FREE to attend, please RSVP by sending an email to bluezonesprojectkoolaupoko@healthways.com

Saturday, February 8 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Ai Love Nalo
41-1025 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI 

Saturday, February 20 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Sweet Annie
41-859 Kalanianaole Hwy Waimanalo, HI 96795 
and

Monday, March 14 6 p.m. -8:30 p.m.

MISCELLANEOUS

Events that Blue Zones Project will be attending by invitation of partnering Koʻolaupoko organizations.

Film/Food Event Friday, March 11 Time TBD in P.M.

Ai Love Nalo
41-1025 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo, HI

5R’s
Saturday, March 12 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Windward Mall
46-056 Kamehameha Hwy. Kaneohe, HI 

Imi Pono-Fundraiser for Hui Makua
Saturday, March 12
10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Puohala Elementary School 45-233 Kulauli St,
Kaneohe HI 

Gardening Class Friday, March 25 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Ai Love Nalo
41-859 Kalanianaole Hwy Waimanalo, HI 

Puohala Wellness Fair Friday, April 8
7:45 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

Puohala Elementary School
45-233 Kulauli St, Kaneohe, HI 

Tentative
Community Work Day Saturday, April 16

8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

Windward Community College
45-720 Keaahala Rd, Kaneohe, HI

More Noise

Date: Feb. 4, 2016

Increased aircraft activity at MCB Hawaii

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay - Residents on Oahu should anticipate an increase in military aircraft and ground operations due to multiple training events occurring in February 2016 at all Marine Corps Base (MCB) Hawaii locations, which include the base at Kaneohe Bay and Marine Corps Training Area Bellows (MCTAB).  

Oahu residents may see and hear increased aircraft activity surrounding the base during the hours listed below. F/A-18 Hornet aircraft will be temporarily based at MCB Hawaii for approximately 30 days starting mid-February; these aircraft will follow normal airfield hours.  Additionally, there will be periods of 24-hour airfield operations, and maintenance may occur overnight to ensure the safe operation of all aircraft. 

Expected Airfield Hours, February 2016     
Normal Operations: 
Monday - Thursday, 7 a.m. to midnight  
Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.  
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.   
Exceptions: Feb. 8 - 10 and Feb. 15-19, 24-hour operations
Note: Airfield hours may change without notice due to operational commitments.  Aircraft maintenance will occur 24 hours a day as required to maintain aircraft safety.

Bellows Beach Park located at MCTAB will be closed due to amphibious operations from Feb. 19 to 22, and is expected to reopen at noon on Feb. 26. The City and County of Honolulu's notification is available here: https://camping.honolulu.gov/ 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii sincerely appreciates the community's support and understanding as service members train to defend this great nation and prepare for overseas contingencies. The exercises and real-world military operations sometimes generate an increase in aircraft and weapon noise.  Community members can report noise concerns through our website at http://www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil/Departments/PublicAffairs/NoiseConcerns.aspx or call us at 808-257-8832. The Noise Concern phone number is monitored Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily; we are closed all federal holidays and may close at other times due to operational or training commitments.  

Kaneohe Construction Update

Here’s an update on Kaneohe-area construction projects, from our January meeting:

Kamehameha Highway: A city contractor is scheduled to complete repairs from a pipe replacement project by the end of February. Francisco Figueiredo, from City Councilman Ikaika Anderson’s office, said the work is taking place from Heeia Street to Heeia Boat Harbor. Once that is finished, the city will patch other parts of the road that need work. He said the city also is planning to completely repave the highway from Haiku Road to Kahekili Highway. That project is about a year away.

Kaneohe-Kailua Tunnel: Oversize trucks are scheduled to deliver pipes down Kulauli Street past Puohala Elementary School, through Friday, April 1. Project Liaison John Katahira told the Board that about 10 deliveries a day will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Deliveries are to be suspended within 30 minutes of school pickup times and during the evening commute from 4 to 5 p.m. Mr. Katahira also said work would begin soon on upgrading a pump station and installing new pipes in the neighborhood around Mikiola Drive and Kimalu Place. He said the project team is considering doing some of that work 24 hours a day, which would require a noise variance from the city.

Ohana Pacific Management Company: The owner of Ann Pearl Rehabilitation & Health Care is seeking city permission to remodel a building and build a parking structure to provide office space in the 45-500 block of Pahia Road. Architect Casey Kusumoto told the Board that the project would consolidate office space and parking for 15 employees who handle accounting, payroll, billing and other jobs. The parking structure would have a residence on its second story.

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology: Work is expected to start soon on replacing utility lines to the Institute’s Coconut Island research facility. Institute Director Ruth Gates said the project will involve tunneling under the bay from the HIMB parking area to the island, with some related truck traffic on Lilipuna Road. She said the project is projected to take about a year. Project officials plan to distribute information leaflets to neighbors before work begins.

We welcome your thoughts about these projects. You may add comments to any item on this blog by clicking on the link with the word “comment” directly below it. You also may contact Board members directly using our Member Directory. 

Thank you for your interest in our community and the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.