Research Reserve, Dog Park And Traffic Study Earn Support From Kaneohe Neighborhood Board

We approved resolutions supporting three Kaneohe-area projects during our March meeting. The projects focus on the environment of Kaneohe Bay, providing off-leash space for dogs and combatting speeding through a residential neighborhood. All three resolutions passed on 9-0 votes.

Here are highlights of the resolutions:

Kaneohe Bay Environment: This resolution, offered by Vice Chairman Bill Sager, supports the He’eia National Estuarine Research Reserve and state funding to match federal funding for the project. The new reserve will provide research and a mix of traditional and scientific practices to keep the 1,385 acre He’eia estuary healthy. The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology is to manage the reserve.

The federal government has committed approximately $700,000 to the project, and the state needs to provide approximately $400,000. The resolution includes a provision that the manager of the reserve make twice-yearly reports to the Neighborhood Board. The provision was added at the request of Board Member Felipe San Nicolas, who wants assurances the project is meeting its goals.

Legislation to provide the state funding (Senate Bill 1178) passed the Senate on a 25-0 vote and is in the House.

Off-Leash Space For Dogs: Offered by Vice Chairman Sager, this resolution supports the work of the Windward Dog Park Hui to build a fenced enclosure where dog owners can let their pets roam. The facility would cover about an acre and would have separate areas for large and small dogs.

Janine Tully (left) and Emily Vergara presented the
case for an off-leash dog park on the Windward side

The Hui’s president, Janine Tully, and vice president, Emily Vergara, told us that 56 percent of Windward residents own dogs. They said area residents have been trying to open an off-lease park for 20 years. The Hui leaders said their group picked up the effort three years ago and has been working with legislators and city officials to move the project forward.

In response to a question from Board Secretary Jonathan Hanks, Ms. Tully said that cost of the project has not been determined. She said Hui members hope to secure donations and city funding, as a similar group in Hawaii Kai did in 2008.

Residential Speeding: Introduced by Board Member Deborah Collins, this resolution asks the city Department of Transportation to reconsider a request to install traffic calming measures on Pua Alowalo Street between Pua Inia and Makalani Streets.

The resolution says residents feel threatened by an unusually high volume of traffic on Pua Alowalo, tied to cars seeking a fast way to return to the Kamehameha Highway from the Windward City Shopping Center. The resolution also says speeding is a problem shortly after school lets out and in the evening.

The resolution notes that the Transportation Department studied the issue briefly a few months ago but recommended no action. The resolution asks that the department return for more in-depth study and that it consider traffic-calming measures that are “effective and self-enforcing.”

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.

Construction, Research Reserve, Dog Park, Traffic On Agenda For Neighborhood Board Meeting

The agenda is set for our meeting on Thursday, March 16, and we hope you will join us. Details are below. To review the complete agenda online, click on this link.

Anoi Road Water System Improvement Project: Bryan Gallagher and Sean Shigenaga of the Honolulu Board of Water Supply are scheduled to give a presentation of the upcoming work. The project will replace more than a mile of pipe that was laid from the 1930s to 1950s.  It will involve daytime lane closures on roads including the Kamehameha Highway.

Ahuimanu Wastewater Pretreatment Facility Improvements: James Nearman of the City and County of Honolulu is scheduled to give an update on this project. It is part of the Kaneohe-Kailua Wastewater Conveyance and Treatment Facilities Project, which is designed to reduce sewage pollution in Kaneohe Bay. A map of the Ahuimanu facility is available by clicking on this link  and scrolling to Page 4.

Board Resolution: Our vice-chairman, Bill Sager, is scheduled to introduce a resolution about the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve for consideration and decision-making. The new reserve will encompass 1,385 acres of Kaneohe Bay. The Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology will manage the reserve.

Windward Dog Park Hui: Janine Tully and Emily Vegara are scheduled to present information about establishing a fenced area as an off-leash dog park on the Windward side. Mr. Sager is scheduled to present a resolution about the issue for consideration and discussion.

Pua Alowalo Street Resolution: Board member Deborah Collins is scheduled to present the resolution for discussion. Residents say speeding drivers threaten pedestrians and crash on the road. They believe drivers are using the road as a thrill ride and shortcut from Windward City Shopping Center back to Kamehameha Highway.

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 the highlighted links above to read the full agenda and find more information about agenda topics. The minutes of our February meeting also are now available. Click on the highlighted link to read them.

Board Vacancies: There are three vacancies on the Board. They represent Sub-District 2 (Windward Mall area), Sub-District 6 (Waikalua) and Sub-District 12 (Mokulele). 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).

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.

Pump Stations, Research Reserve, Traffic Risks Are On Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Agenda

The agenda is set for our meeting on Thursday, February 16, and we hope you will join us. Details are below. To review the complete agenda online, click on this link.

Pump Stations Upgrade: Representatives of the engineering firm Okahara and Associates Inc. are scheduled to provide information about plans to upgrade wastewater pump stations in the Kahanahou and Walkalua Road areas. A map showing the location of both stations is available by clicking on this link.

He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve: A representative of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology is scheduled to brief us on plans for the new reserve. It will encompass 1,385 acres in Kaneohe Bay, including the He’eia Fishpond, forests, grasslands, reefs and Coconut Island. The institute will manage the reserve.

Board Resolution: Our vice-chairman, Bill Sager, will introduce a resolution about the He’eia National Estuarine Research Reserve for consideration and decision-making.

Speeding On Pua Alowalo St.: Board member Deborah Collins is scheduled to lead a discussion of residents’ concerns about dangerous traffic. Residents say speeding drivers threaten pedestrians and crash on the road. They believe drivers are using the road as a thrill ride and shortcut from Windward City Shopping Center back to Kamehameha Highway. Police have monitored the street, and city officials have concluded that there is no need for additional safety measures.

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

Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Receives Reports On Traffic Concerns And Crime Maps

Some final notes from our November 17 meeting:

Traffic on Pua Alowalo St.: We learned that the city does not plan any new traffic restrictions after following up on residents’ reports of speeding and dangerous driving on the street. However, traffic signs will be repainted. Our chairman, Mo Radke asked that a police officer patrol the area with a radar gun.

We also learned that there are no plans to add an exit from Windward City Shopping Center onto Kamehamena Highway, as residents had suggested. Residents had told us earlier that an increasing number of drivers were using Pua Alowalo as shortcut between the center and the highway.

Crime Map: We learned about the Honolulu Police Department’s interactive crime map. This online tool allows users to enter an address and view reports of crime reports in the neighborhood. The department added reports of violent crimes to the map in mid-November, after neighborhood boards and a city council member raised concerns. Users may now search for reports of 15 different crimes by entering an address, landmark or zip code.

During the police presentation, an audience member asked where to find the locations of sex offenders. Those appear on a map maintained by the state Attorney General’s office.

Next Meeting: Please join us at 7 p.m., Thursday, December 15, at Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road.

Vacant Seats & Upcoming Election: 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.

Also, the 2017 Neighborhood Board elections will take place April 28 through May 19. All 17 seats on our Board will be up for election. Any Oahu resident who will be at least 18 years of age by February 17, 2017 is eligible to be a candidate. 

Candidates may register online or submit a Candidate Declaration Form to the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO). The form must be hand delivered to the NCO or postmarked by February 17, 2017.  Assistance is available by calling 768-3781.

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).

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.

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.

Residents Approach Kaneohe Neighborhood Board For Assistance With Dangerous Traffic

Speeding cars and narrow streets don’t mix. That was the message our Board received at its August 18 business meeting.

Residents of the Puohala neighborhood shared their concerns about an increasing number of drivers using Pua Alowalo Street as a shortcut and thrill ride. Resident Carol Lee said the street has a dangerous curve and hill, and has been the site of at least 5 accidents recently.

She said the speeding cars are a threat to the neighborhood’s numerous pedestrians, who walk on the roadway because it has no sidewalks. The walkers include senior citizens, residents in wheelchairs and schoolchildren.

Ms. Lee asked that police increase enforcement on the street, and a police representative at the meeting said he would have officers monitor the area. Ms. Lee also asked that the city add a traffic calming installation such as speed bumps on the street. She said a neighborhood petition shows that 90 percent of residents support those actions.

In response to a question, Ms. Lee said most of the speeding occurs after school lets out. She said that some of the traffic is coming from the Windward City Shopping Center, as drivers seek a quick route back to the Kamehameha Highway. The center has an entrance from the highway but no direct exit. Drivers leaving the center must navigate long lines, u-turns or backtracking through potholed streets to get back on the Kam. Pua Alowalo Street offers a convenient shortcut.

Board members talked at the meeting about forming a work group to investigate long-term solutions for the traffic issue. Board Chairman Mo Radke, member Deborah Collins and several Puohala residents said they would like to be members of the group. The Board plans to consider forming the group at its next meeting on September 15.

More To Come: Our August meeting also included discussion of legislation, the Kaneohe Community Garden, homelessness and more. Watch this blog for updates soon.

Meeting Minutes are available by clicking on this link.

Vacant Seats: Two seats are currently open on the Board. They represent 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).

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.