He’eia Wetlands, Voting By Mail, Homelessness Are On Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Agenda

The agenda is set for our meeting on Thursday, January 19, and we hope you will join us. Details are below. To review the complete agenda online, click on this link.

He’eia Wetlands: A representative of the He'eia Community Development District is scheduled to brief us on plans to restore this environmental and historic treasure. The Legislature created the district in 2011 to facilitate culturally appropriate agriculture, education and natural-resource restoration and management” of the wetlands. At our last meeting, Board Chairman Mo Radke urged the Governor’s Office to seek state funding to support a related project, the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve. That project has developed a management plan for an area that includes the wetlands, but state funding is needed for the project to go forward.

Election By Mail: Board member Nancy Davlantes is scheduled to present a resolution asking the Legislature to establish a voting system that relies primarily on mailed-in ballots. Lawmakers are expected to introduce a bill to that effect this year, along with one that would set up automatic voter registration. Common Cause Hawaii, an advocate for the legislation, says that more than half of ballots cast in Hawaii during the 2016 general election were mailed in. The group says the state could save money and increase participation by moving to a vote-by-mail system.

Other Business: We also are scheduled to have a discussion about homelessness. And 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.

Vacant Seats: Three seats are currently open on the Board. They represent Sub-District 4, Keahala; Sub-District 8, Kapunahala; and Sub-District 12, Pikoiloa. The Board is authorized to fill vacancies by appointment. Community members may indicate their interest by contacting Board Chairman Mo Radke or by attending a Board meeting. A map of the district is available online, as is a street index that is organized by sub-district (search for District 30 in the index, then find the sub-district).

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 the highlighted links above to read the full agenda and find more information about agenda topics. The minutes of our December meeting also 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. 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.

Neighborhood Board Committee To Study Homelessness In Kaneohe

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board has formed a committee to study homelessness in the area.

Deborah Collins
Chairwoman of
new committee
on homelessness.

At its May 19 meeting, the Board appointed members Mahealani Cypher, Deborah Collins and Mo Radke to the group. Ms. Collins will be the chairwoman.

The decision came in response to a community member’s concerns about funding to address homelessness issues in Windward Oahu. The community member, K. C. Connors, alerted the Board that an official survey in January found only a handful of homeless people in Kaneohe. The low count was related to a lack of volunteers to conduct the survey.

Board members are concerned that the low count could lead to reduced funding from the federal government.

A count in 2015 found 330 homeless people in the area from Kaneohe to Waimanalo. That included 48 chronically homeless people living without shelter.

The Neighborhood Board has heard concerns about homelessness off and on for several years. In 2010, residents reported problems with homeless people living in brush around the Kaneohe Stream Bridge on the Kamehameha Highway. In late 2014, officials cleared a homeless encampment next to the Kaneohe Police Station and Library. And a year ago, the Board reported concerns about homeless people around businesses on Kahuhipa Street and at Pahia Road.

The new committee is expected to report to the full Board at a future meeting.

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.