Waimea Community Association

At its July 21 meeting, the board of the Waimea Community Association voted to present to the membership an amendment to our bylaws which will redefine “membership” and break the link between payment of dues and eligibility to vote at community meetings. The intent of the change is to emphasize that everyone who is a part of our community is a part of the community association as well. Whether someone attends every meeting or just one meeting, whether they make a financial contribution or not, their opinion and their right to vote at association meetings should be equal to that of anyone else in the community. The bylaw amendment will be presented at the next community meeting on September 9 and will be voted on at the meeting on October 7.

The change will eliminate references to “dues.” We will still depend on contributions, but after passage of the amendment, people who make donations will be called “supporters” rather than “members.”  The rest of the current definition of membership will remain intact. The changes are as follows:

“Membership: Any adult or organization whose dues are paid for the current year and who resides and/or owns property in, operates a business or not-for-profit service agency in, or is otherwise interested in the area, and who is in agreement with the purposes of the Association, may be shall be considered a member of this Association.”

The board urges the current membership, those entitled to vote under the current bylaws, to support this change.

Fruit of Rauvolfia is spread by birds.

First noticed in North Kohala in 2002 but not properly identified until two years ago, the Poison Devilʻs Pepper Tree (Rauvolfia vomitoria) has spread to 1,000-2,000 acres. It is resistant to most herbicides, can grow at a rate of more than one foot per month, and can reach fifty feet in height. It competes with albezia, strawberry guava, and will even grow under ironwood. All parts of the plant are toxic and may cause nausea. When the plants reach six feet in height, they begin producing thousands of red berries, which are distributed by birds. This has the potential to be more invasive than miconia and presents a major threat to native Hawaiʻian forests.

Continue reading Have You Seen This Plant, the Poison Devilʻs Pepper Tree?

Kanu o ka ‘Aina’s amazing LEED Platinum certified 21st Century Learning Center and a recent week-long swat team’s efforts to eradicate a nasty poisonous tree from Pololu Valley will top Waimea Community Association’s Town Meeting agenda on Thurs., Sept. 9, 2010.

But please note several important changes in this month’s town meeting plans:

·         The date has been shifted from the usual first Thursday to Sept. 9 to avoid the long Labor Day weekend.

·         The location will move from Waimea School cafeteria to Kanu’s new Halau Ho’olako 6-12 grade campus and community learning center on Waimea’s Hi’iaka Steet (the back or south side of Kuhio Village) and everyone is invited.

·         The time also is moved up to 4:30 p.m. to include a student-led walking tour of the exceptional new learning center.  The meeting itself will begin as usual at 5:15 p.m.

Continue reading WAIMEA TOWN MEETING SEPT. 9 TO EXPLORE WHAT A ‘LEED PLATINUM’ LEARNING CENTER AND ERADICATING A POISONOUS INVASIVE TREE HAVE TO DO WITH COMMUNITY WELL-BEING

The South Kohala Community Development Plan Action Committee will meet Monday, August 30 at 5:00 p.m. at the Lily Yoshimatsu Senior Center. Below are links to the agenda and other documents for the meeting:

Agenda

Draft Minutes of the July 26, 2010 meeting

Land Use and Permit Map

Land Use and Permit Report

Office of Housing and Community Development proposal for a parcel in Kamakoa Nui

Operating Guidelines for the Action Committee

Frustrated by the County of Hawaii’s lack of response to several requests for documents over the past two years, the South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee filed a formal request on July 14 for those documents. In a letter to Warren Lee, Director of the Department of Public Works, the committee asked  for an accounting of the use of proceeds from a $10 million bond issue for the purpose of relieving traffic congestion in Waimea as well as asking for copies of the Lalamilo Connector Road Environmental Assessment and the subsequent Lalamilo Connector Road “buffer” study. Both documents dealing with the proposed Lalamilo Connector have been delivered to the County but not released to the public.

DPW did not respond to the formal request within the ten day period set by law. SKTSC then filed a complaint with State Office of Information Practices which then notified DPW on August 4 that it had five business days to provide the information. DPW did not respond within that time limit.

Below are links to correspondence between SKTSC, DPW, and OIP:

Letter dated July 14, 2010 from SKTSC to Warren Lee, Director, DPW

DPW fails to respond within the ten day period set by State law, and SKTSC sends a letter dated July 29, 2010 to the State Office of Information Practices filing a complaint.

Letter dated August 4, 2010 from OIP to SKTSC stating that it has opened a file relating to the committee’s request for documents under the Uniform Information Practices Act and enclosing a copy of a letter dated August 4, 2010 to Warren Lee, Director, DPW giving his department five business days to respond to the committee’s request.

Letter dated August 9, 2010 from OIP to SKTSC asking for additional information and enclosing  relevant State law regarding the information request and the SKTSC’s request that fees be waived  due to SKTSC providing for the public good and the information requested being public information.

Letter dated August 23, 2010 from SKTSC to OIP responding to OIP’s request for more information.

Letter dated August 25, 2010 from Warren Lee, Director of DPW to SKTSC

Letter dated August 26, 2010 from SKTSC, responding to Warren Lee

SPECIAL MEETING LOCATION – WAIMEA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION’S MONTHLY TOWN MEETING:  5:15 p.m., Thurs., Sept. 9, 2010.  At Kanu o ka ‘Aina’s new Halau Ho’olako 6-12th Grade Campus and Community Learning Center.  Come see this amazing LEED Platinum-certified 21st century learning center right here in our community!  Located on Hi’iaka Street, south side of Kuhio Village: turn off Mamalahoa Highway (Hwy 19).  To get there, turn at the stoplighted intersection near the Police & Fire stations onto Kamamalu Street and drive south to the end where you must turn left onto Hi’iaka Street.  Watch for campus entrance on your right (Mauna Kea side of the road).  Sign out front of the campus reads: Kauhale ‘Oiwi o Pu’ukapu.  Program will include briefing on Kanu o ka ‘Aina’s recent 6-year WASC Accreditation and community learning offerings, called E Ho’okauhale Kakou, as well as the school’s not-for-profit “local school board” Kalo, and it’s vision for life-long learning.  Everyone invited.  All asked to remove shoes in the new kauhale.  Meeting also includes an update by the Big Island Invasive Species Committee and The Kohala Center’s Kohala Watershed management volunteers who successfully staged a week-long swat team to remove a nasty invasive invader – poisonous Devil’s Pepper Tree (aka rauvolfia vomitoria) – that was discovered in Pololu Valley.  Learn more about this poisonous tree that is hard to kill, vigorously re-sprouts and can quickly out-grow other trees.  Sightings of this tree should be reported immediately to 933-3345.  As always for WCA Town Meetings, donations for Waimea food pantries requested, too.  Info:  Sherm Warner (885-1725) or Patti Cook (937-2833).

County Council, District 9 candidates: Pete Hoffmann, J. William Sanborn, and Raynard Torres

A crowd of 175 turned out Thursday, 8/12, to hear candidates for Hawai’i County Council – District 9, State House – District 7, and Governor at the Waimea Comununity Association’s 22nd Non-Partisan Candidates Forum. Special thanks to our co-sponsors, to Sherry Bracken for moderating, to our question panel (Susan Maddox-chair, John Ray, Kanani Kapuniai, Malama Solomon, Rory Flynn, Riley Smith, and Keawe Vredenburg), and to the tireless Patti Cook.

What’s going on behind the black fence on Kawaihae Road, between the transfer station and Sandalwood? The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has begun construction of a one million gallon reservoir to serve its future Lalamilo subdivision. This reservoir will have ten times the capacity of the adjacent Department of Water reservoir which is seen in the left of the photo above. Construction will take twelve months.

Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site will be celebrating the 200th anniversary of the unification of Hawai’i throughout 2010, with the culmination of this celebration being the 38th Annual Ho’oku’ikahi Establishment Day Hawaiian Cultural Festival on August 14-15, 2010. By that date, the repairs from the 2006 earthquakes are to be completed and the Royal Court festivities resumed. As well, throughout the year, the Park will celebrate the 1810-2010 anniversary through special “Talk Story” programs, ranger programs, living history programs, cultural demonstrations, educational programs and other events.

Continue reading Pu’ukohola Heiau National Historic Site celebrates the 200th anniversary of the unification of Hawai’i, August 14-15