On The Bay And On The Air, Nonprofit Groups Spur Talk At Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Meeting

Nonprofit groups were a topic of conversation during our October 20 meeting. Here’s a report. 

Kaneohe Bay Regional Council: Our chairman, Mo Radke, reported on the Council’s deliberations over a company with ties to the nonprofit group Kama’aina Kids.

The company, Holokai Kayak and Snorkel Adventures, offers guided and self-guided tours of the bay. Holokai’s website says that the firm serves 5,000 customers a year from He’eia State Park and that the programs it offers are educational. The website says Holokai’s revenues support Kama’aina Kids’ operations. Kama’aina Kids operates the state park and a range of childcare programs that serve 9,700 children and families island-wide.

Board Chairman Mo Radke

Mr. Radke represents the Neighborhood Board on the Council. He reported that the Council has concluded that Holokai Tours is a commercial entity because it markets its services to adult tourists and that it should cease commercial operations on the bay. He also said that a Council committee recommended that the Council define the terms “commercial” and “educational” as they apply to activities on the bay. (A report by the committee includes more details).

The Council is a state-chartered group that provides guidance on public use and protection of Kaneohe Bay. The group’s focus is the Kaneohe Bay Master Plan, which encourages limits on commercial use of the bay.

PSA’s for NPO’s: We learned about this program from Donna Ylen, manager of the Windward Community Media Center, a division of Olelo Community Media based at King Intermediate School. She said Media Center staff will produce a public service announcement on request for local nonprofit groups.

Recording times are offered on the first Thursday of each month. Interested groups should develop a short message about themselves and then email windward@olelo.org to schedule a recording time.

City Grants for Nonprofits: City Councilman Ikaika Anderson told us that the deadline is approaching for local nonprofits to apply for grants of up to $125,000. He said each City Council district must receive at least $250,000 in nonprofit grants each year.

Grant proposals are due to the City by 2 p.m. on Monday, November 14. An online application is available on the City’s Division of Purchasing website.

Comments Welcome: 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.

Note: To see an earlier report on our October meeting, click here.

Homelessness, Vacation Rentals, Charter Changes Topics At Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Meeting

Our September 15 meeting was busy. Here’s a quick look at some important developments. To see our earlier reports from the meeting, click here and here.

Windward Homelessness: City Councilman Ikaika Anderson talked with us about options that are being considered for housing Oahu’s homeless. He said the city sees promise in a “housing first” approach, in which homeless people are provided with housing before they begin receiving medical, psychiatric, legal and other services. Many current programs for the homeless require that they receive treatment before they are housed.

One housing first option is opening a multi-unit shelter to provide both housing and services. Councilman Anderson asked the Neighborhood Board what it would think of the city locating a multi-unit shelter for the homeless in Kaneohe. Board member Deborah Collins asked the councilman to provide a map of city-owned properties that might be used for the project.

Councilman Anderson also said he would consider an approach in which the city would provide financial support to landlords to open individual properties for homeless clients. He said this might enable Windward residents to help homeless people who are family members or friends.

Unpermitted Vacation Rentals: Mayors’ representative Lori Kahikina said that funds are running short for the city to investigate vacation rentals to determine if they meet city requirements. She urged residents to provide detailed information about possible violations to help inspectors be more efficient. An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 unpermitted vacation rentals operate on Oahu.

City Charter Amendments: We voted 12-0 on a resolution asking the City Charter Commission to inform the public about each of the 20 Charter amendments that it has put on the November election ballot. The vote came after we voted to add the topic to our agenda. The commission has the language of each measure and a description on its website at http://honoluluchartercommission.org/.

NEW BANNERS: Board Chairman Mo Radke and Board Member Warren Ditch display one of two new banners promoting our monthly meetings. Watch for the banners at Benjamin Parker Elementary School and the corner of Kamehameha Highway and Keaahala Road. 

Comments Welcome: 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.

Dangerous Traffic, Dogs In The Garden And More From The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Meeting

Here’s a further update on developments during our September 15 meeting.

Dangerous Traffic on Pua Alowalo St.: We learned that police had issued four speeding tickets since neighbors raised concerns at our August meeting, and that officers continue monitoring the street.  Speaking for the Mayor’s Office, Environmental Services Director Lori Kahikina told us that the city plans to do a traffic calming study on the street.

Residents are concerned about an increasing number of drivers using the street as a thrill ride and shortcut between the Kaneohe Bay Shopping Center and Kamehameha Highway. A bad curve, a hill and heavy use of the street by pedestrians (since there are no sidewalks) add to the danger.

Dogs in the Kaneohe Community Garden: Mayors’ representative Lori Kahikina told us that the Department of Parks and Recreation will work with the gardeners to complete a fence around the garden. We had learned during our August meeting that off-leash dogs were leaving waste, digging and threatening garden users.

The garden is located behind a baseball field at Kaneohe Community Park, 45-529 Keaahala Road. More information is available on the city’s community garden webpage and the Kaneohe Community Garden Facebook page.

Construction on Lilipuna Road: City Councilman Ikaika Anderson told us that he recommends the city take foreclosure action in response to questioned construction activity at 46-107 Lilipuna Road. Mr. Anderson also said the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting is working on the issue.

Neighbors told our April meeting that a residence under construction on the site was taller and covered more square feet than allowed, and that it lacked a shoreline use permit. They said construction was 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.

Still To Come: Our August meeting also included discussions of housing the homeless, dealing with illegal vacation rentals and proposed changes to the city charter. Watch for updates on those issues in a future post.

Comments Welcome: 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.

Board Appoints Team To Study Crime Concerns

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board has appointed a team to study community concerns about criminal activity along Kahuhipa Street.

Board member John Flanigan will chair the group. Fellow Board members Warren Ditch, Felipe San Nicolas and Holly Sevier also will serve, as will community volunteer Ben Baniaga. The Board made the appointment at its September meeting and designated the team as a permitted interaction group.

The appointment follows complaints at the Board’s June meeting about violence and drug deals along Kahuhipa Street. One concern is that the activity may be linked to the 4 a.m. closing time for bars.

The team will coordinate its work with City Councilman Ikaika Anderson’s office, which also is looking into the issue.

The appointment came at the Board’s September 17 meeting. In other developments at the meeting:

Repaving Advances: The Board learned that the city is soliciting bids for repaving Waikalua Road and will begin work as soon as the permits are in hand. The road serves Benjamin Parker Elementary School, a police station and a library, and is the main access to Kamehameha Highway for a busy residential area.

Cell Tower Proposed: The Board heard a report about a proposed Verizon Wireless cell phone tower across Kulauli Street from Puohala Elementary School. The tower would stand 70 feet tall, and would be on land owned by the Windward Church of the Nazarene and used for the Bay View Golf Course.

What's Next: Next up for the Board will be its monthly planning meeting, Tuesday, October 6, at 7 p.m. at the Kaneohe Community and Senior Center, 45-613 Puohala Street.

The Board will hold its next regular meeting on Thursday, October 15, at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road, Kaneohe.

End May Be Nearing For Haiku Stairs, Neighborhood Board Is Told

City Councilman Ikaika Anderson

A plan to remove the Haiku Stairs is progressing, Honolulu City Councilman Ikaika Anderson told the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board on April 16.

Councilman Anderson said the city Board of Water Supply, which owns the stairs, anticipates spending $1 million to $5 million on the project. He said no government agency will accept responsibility for managing the stairs. He also said the Board of Water Supply was unwilling to enter a public-private partnership to have a business manage the stairs.

Safety, Hiker Conflicts Are Issues

The stairs, which are more than 60 years old, stretch about 2 miles and rise about 2,000 feet on the Kaneohe side of the Koolau mountain range. The stairs offer spectacular views of Windward Oahu and the Pacific Ocean. However, public access to the stairs has been restricted since the 1980's.

An excellent history of the stairs up till 1990 is available at http://haikustairs.org/history/. In 2003, the stairs were repaired, costing the city $950,000. Since 2003, the Friends of Haiku Stairs have conducted quarterly work parties to maintain the stairs and control alien species which dominate much of the vegetation in the valley.  

In 2013, the Caldwell administration determined the Board of Water Supply owns the property under the stairs, and the Board of Water Supply has not allowed any maintenance of the stairs since they took over. In February 2015, a strong wind storm toppled trees across a lower section of the stairs and damaged some railings.  Reports that the storm damaged the stairs beyond repair are vastly exaggerated. 

Despite the restrictions and maintenance issues, the stairs have attracted hundreds of hikers each month. That activity has led to numerous conflicts with residents at the base of the stairs over noise, trespassing and parking.

Task Force Offered Plan To Reopen Stairs 

A task force that included representation from the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board recommended last fall that the stairs be reopened with a managed access point away from homes. However, that recommendation has not gained support.

The Board of Water Supply has stated that their mission is supplying water to Oahu. Agency officials say that managing a recreation facility such as the stairs is not their mission and that they have no expertise which would enable them to manage the stairs safely.

Destroying Stairs Would Be Short-Sighted

The Haiku Stairs is definitely not a hike for those faint of heart.  There are places where a fall would be fatal.  However, hundreds of thousands of people have climbed the stairs with no accident related to the stairs.  People who hike in the mountains of Hawaii need to be aware that straying from established trails can be dangerous.

Haiku Valley, which surrounds the stairs, is marked by a mix of ownerships among the city, the state and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The head of the valley could be a valuable community resource for passive recreation, Hawaiian cultural practices and environmental education. The continuing conflict over the stairs is one reason that potential hasn’t been realized. 

The Haiku Stairs are important historically, and they represent a unique and spectacular climb that attracts people from all over the world.  The solution to the problem of homeowner conflict is to actively manage the valley for the benefit of Haiku Valley residents, and for the people of Hawaii and of the world.  Short-sighted politicians are planning to destroy one of the wonders of the world.