2026-10-06 - Policy Committee on Health Safety and Well-being

00:07Hello

00:08sir.

00:18>> What?

00:20>> Oh, this isn't my committee.

00:23>> Yeah, it's mine.

00:24>> I know.

00:26>> What happened?

00:26>> Deputy, are we ready? Why don't you No,

00:28you

00:30>> I'm just asking about if they're ready.

00:34>> Aaron ready. You guys ready?

00:37>> I think so.

00:54Okay. Good morning.

00:56Today is

00:58October 6 and it's 9:30 a.m. We're at

01:02the Hawaii County Building. This is the

01:04Committee on Health, Safety, and

01:05Well-being. This is 12th session. Uh in

01:09attendance today, to my far left is Miss

01:11Kimble, Miss Kimba, Miss Viegas, Mr.

01:13Keli Kleinfelder, Chair uh Inaba. To my

01:18right is Miss Kagiwana, Mr. Hust, Miss

01:21Kirkowitz, and I'm Chair Onishi.

01:26Mr. Clerk, any testimony?

01:30>> Thank you so much, chair. We have a

01:31couple testifiers here in our Hilo

01:33chamber to start us off this morning.

01:36First of all is Amado Markoff testifying

01:38on both bills 199 and 200 to be followed

01:41by Lami Versure. Amado, when you're

01:44ready to begin, please turn the mic on

01:46by hitting that green button,

01:47introducing yourself, and you'll have

01:48three minutes per agenda item if you can

01:50clearly transition. If not, it will be

01:52three minutes total.

01:55>> [snorts]

01:57>> Uh, aloha everybody. Um, nice to be back

02:00in chambers. Um, I just wanted to speak

02:04briefly on bills 199 and 200. Um, my

02:09name is Amado Marov. I live in Puna and

02:11serve as the executive director of the

02:13Po Lava Zone Museum. I'm speaking today

02:15in strong support of bills 199 and 200.

02:20Through our museum and community

02:21programs, I see how much it matters for

02:23people to understand the place where

02:25they live. Here in or in Kuna, our

02:28landscape continues to change, sometimes

02:30dramatically. Preserving the names and

02:33memories and stories connected to the

02:35landscape helps our community maintain

02:37continuity across generations. Bill 199

02:41would establish a historic place marker

02:43program and help residents and visitors

02:45recognize our traditional MOU in Au Pua.

02:48These places names carry knowledge about

02:50the land history and the relationships

02:52between the people in their environment.

02:54With those when those names become less

02:56visible, opportunities to learn that

02:59knowledge is also diminished. Making

03:01them visible again can encourage people

03:03to ask questions, learn from others, and

03:05develop a deeper sense of responsibility

03:07towards the place they call home or that

03:09they are visiting. I particularly

03:12support the involvement of cultural

03:13practitioners, practitioners, lineal

03:16descendants, historians, and educational

03:18institutions. Their participation should

03:20at should guide the accuracy, language,

03:23and placement of these markers. The

03:25people who hold this knowledge need a

03:27meaningful role to determine how it is

03:28shared. Some places are not supposed to

03:31be talked about and some are. Um, bill

03:34200 creating a Mollo interpretation

03:37program complements the efforts by

03:39providing opportunities to tell the

03:41stories behind the places. A marker can

03:43help us understand where we are. A

03:45thoughtfully developed display, mural,

03:47or interpretive installation can help us

03:49understand why the place matters. At the

03:51Poa Lavazone Museum, we see the value of

03:54bringing people together around local

03:55history and shared experience. These

03:57encounters create opportunities for

03:59education, conversation, and connection.

04:02This bill would give communities a

04:03pathway to bring that kind of learning

04:05into public spaces across our island. I

04:07encourage implementation that welcomes

04:09[clears throat] community proposals,

04:10supports participation from rural

04:13districts, and provides an ongoing care

04:15and maintenance. Cultural knowledge

04:17should be shared with the guidance and

04:19consent of those entrusted with it,

04:21including respect for stories or

04:23information that should remain private.

04:25Together, these bills offer a practical

04:27investment in cultural preservation,

04:29public education, and community

04:30identity. They can help our children

04:32grow up knowing the names and stories of

04:34their home while helping newcomers and

04:36visitors approach Hawaii Island with

04:38greater understanding and respect.

04:42Um,

04:50I just want to say that when I go to a

04:52new place, whether it be on island or

04:54off island, the very first thing I do is

04:57look up what is the name of the place I

04:58am visiting. And I think that that is a

05:01missing ingredient a lot of times. And

05:04for somebody who's deeply entrenched in

05:06the visitor industry and community

05:09programs for our community, I cannot

05:12express how important that Melo around

05:16the areas that we are visiting is. And

05:18so I urge you to pass these bills. Thank

05:21you so much. Nice to see you all.

05:23>> Thank you for your testimony, chair. Our

05:25next testifier is Lami Vers

05:29>> to be followed by Eileen O'Hara. When

05:32you're ready to begin, you can unmute

05:34that mic by hitting the green button,

05:35introducing yourself, and you'll have

05:37three minutes to testify on bill 199.

05:40>> Hi, my name is actually Lahi Lahi

05:42Versure, and I am from uh Call Upon a

05:45Civio Estates, and this is what

05:47originally started me on this process of

05:50introducing this proposal to Ashley last

05:52year because CI View, we're not in

05:55Kalapana. or seven aua away from

05:57Kalapana and I didn't like how the

06:00developer misappropriated that place

06:02name for um economic gains. So let me

06:06just read my testimony because it's

06:08already three minutes. Aloha chair and

06:10members of the council. Mahalo for

06:12introducing bill 199 and for recognizing

06:14the importance of Hawaii Island's

06:16traditional aua. The oh and by the way

06:19I'm I'm speaking on behalf of Kone Kave

06:21and myself. The bill contains many

06:24elements consistent with the community

06:26vision we have been developing. Mapping

06:28traditional land divisions, preserving

06:30place names, documenting oral histories

06:31and cultural information, educating the

06:34public, and creating a coordinated

06:36county program. I support we support

06:38moving this work forward and we

06:40respectfully ask that the bill be

06:41strengthened in several important ways.

06:44First, establish a cultural and

06:45community steering committee or advisory

06:47body with a defined role in

06:49decision-making.

06:51The state's aua marker program

06:53[clears throat] offers a useful model.

06:54There, a community partner develops

06:56proposed marker locations using historic

06:59sources and community knowledge while

07:01the department of transportation

07:02provides the governmental framework,

07:04technical review, safety requirements,

07:06and approval. In other words, the

07:09community brings the cultural knowledge

07:11and proposal. The state provides the

07:14governmental and technical support. This

07:16is what the group in Hamakua did. They

07:19use the Hawaii [clears throat] State

07:21Department um program.

07:24Bill, Bill 199 currently places planning

07:27in the role of administering the program

07:29with cultural practitioners, lineal

07:31descendants, and others consulted as

07:34appropriate.

07:35I believe we can build on or we believe

07:37we can build on the state model by

07:39making the county the governmental and

07:41technical partner while giving a

07:43cultural and community body a defined

07:45role in researching, proposing and

07:47shaping the markers. Equally important,

07:50build meaningful community and youth

07:52engagement into the process from the

07:54beginning. These markers should not

07:56simply appear within 18 months as county

07:59installed signs leaving communities to

08:01ask where did these signs come from? If

08:04that happens, we will have missed an

08:06extraordinary opportunity to create

08:08pelina relationship

08:11with relationship and connection with

08:14these places.

08:15>> 30 seconds, please.

08:17>> The process itself can be an important

08:19part of the project. Communities,

08:20schools, cultural practitioners,

08:22educators, and youth can research their

08:23aua, learn the moleu and place names,

08:25document component knowledge, and help

08:27shape how these places are represented.

08:29that creates understanding and community

08:31ownership that a top- down installation

08:33cannot create.

08:35Um,

08:37and really important to make

08:39implementation phased and partnership

08:41based rather than requiring installation

08:42on an 18-month clock. We have an

08:44immediate opportunity right now, which

08:46is the written testimony I put into your

08:49folder, which is

08:51>> Thank you so much for your testimony.

08:53Okay,

08:54>> chair. Your next testifier is Eileen

08:56O'Hara, testifying on both bill 199 and

08:58200.

09:04>> Eileen, when you're ready to begin,

09:05please introduce yourself and you'll

09:07have three minutes per agenda item if

09:08you can clearly transition. If not,

09:10it'll be three minutes total.

09:16>> Uh, good morning, County Council, and

09:18thank you for accepting testimony. My

09:21name is Eileen O'Hara and I'm here to

09:24testify in support of bills 199 and 200.

09:29Now, um relative to the testimony just

09:33given, there may be some tweaks needed

09:37in the process that is laid out in these

09:39bills in particular for um the boundary

09:43markers as pointed out. Um, but I think

09:47the intention is excellent and I really

09:50um commend you all for considering these

09:53uh two bills.

09:55I know that in my neighborhood we were

09:58fortunate to have a cultural

10:01practitioner who really wanted to see

10:03things changed such that everyone in the

10:07community understood the history of

10:08place.

10:10and the name was changed in our park

10:13plus uh signage was put there to

10:18uh tell the history of the place the

10:21village and why it was named by

10:23Kahakiola.

10:24And while there was some push back from

10:27people who uh weren't really happy to

10:30see more signage, I don't know why,

10:33there were very nicely made signs. Um, I

10:37really appreciated that that was done by

10:40the county and I think everyone is

10:43better informed about place as a result.

10:46And I this is especially important to

10:48our younger generation because the

10:51knowledge that we consider the EK that's

10:54supposed to be passed down from

10:55generation to generation starts to

10:58disappear if we don't talk about it and

11:01show those histories and make it in a

11:04form that anyone can absorb the

11:07information. So thank you so much for

11:09considering these bills. Like I said,

11:10there might be a little tweaking needed

11:12on the process part, but good job. Thank

11:16you so much.

11:19>> Thank you so much for your testimony.

11:22With that, chair, those are all the

11:23testifiers you have at the beginning of

11:25the meeting, noting that we have a

11:26couple testifiers requesting to provide

11:28testimony on specific agenda items.

11:30>> Okay. Thank you very much, Mr. Clark.

11:32Can you read in bill 199?

11:35>> Thank you, Chair. I think um I'm going

11:37to check with Rey to see if the

11:39testifiers want to testify uh before

11:41bill 199. Um, please take those really

11:44and then we'll reach out to the universe

11:46to see if anyone else is interested.

11:48>> Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. And with

11:50that, our first testifier on bill 199 is

11:54Vai Vichimay to be followed by EJ

11:56Peterson. Vai, when you're ready to

11:59begin, you can unmute your mic and

12:00introduce yourself and you'll have three

12:02minutes.

12:07>> Um, okay. Aloha. My name is Vayima.

12:10coordinator for Moahanoloa Fishing

12:12Association. I'm just trying to check if

12:14I'm coming across clear.

12:17>> Yes, you are.

12:18>> Perfect. I'm testifying in support of

12:20bill 199. Um we're interested in

12:23supporting this bill because it aligns

12:24with a project that I've been working on

12:27um in getting AUA signage along Hilo

12:29Paliku. So, we already have about seven

12:32AU to account for thus far. Uh there was

12:35no process in place when we started our

12:38project and we were kind of just working

12:39alongside DOT um and made it up as we go

12:43pretty much. But I wanted to commend

12:44council member Kirkowitz for introducing

12:47this amendment of the county code and

12:48it's definitely something that our

12:50community has shown interest in um

12:52especially as our signs have gone up and

12:55I would agree that the community might

12:57not have the capacity to get this done

12:59for the AUA um across the island. So, I

13:02appreciate the initiative to do it and

13:04wide. Um, a few things I wanted to bring

13:06up which echo what fellow testifiers

13:08have already said. Um, there definitely

13:10needs to be review of the different

13:12historic maps that determine where

13:14signage is most appropriate. Um, we use

13:16several different databases to review

13:19um, our maps before we install the

13:21signs. And it doesn't they don't always

13:23align. So, there definitely needs to be

13:24care when it comes to deciding what

13:27names go where. Um, I would also

13:29advocate for there to be a community

13:31consultation process before the signs go

13:33up so that there can be community review

13:35and input. Um, at the very least I think

13:37there needs to be a process in place in

13:39case community takes issue with where

13:41the signs are installed. Uh, another

13:44concern that I had was that installing

13:47signs for the entire island seems a

13:49little ambitious within a year. Um, and

13:52maybe considering doing it mouku.

13:55Uh that also seemed to be the consensus

13:57when we were working with DOT, which is

13:58why I bring it up. Um they were they

14:01they thought that it could be difficult

14:04with labor and staffing. I'm not sure

14:07how that works out or if you guys talked

14:08about that already with DOT, but just

14:11wanted to bring that up too. And then I

14:13also was able to take a peek at the

14:15culture resource commission meeting

14:17where it was brought up and I had some

14:19comments that align with said there. Um

14:21the aesthetic appeal of the signs. Um,

14:23Maui and Kauaii do have really beautiful

14:25signage for their Awa signs in

14:28particular, but when we were starting

14:29the process and asked if we could

14:31redesign them, um, DOT did give us some

14:34push back on that, um, because they had

14:37already done signs in on Kona side for

14:40Queen K. Um, but yeah, I just thought I

14:43should bring those things up as

14:44potential issues that could arise and I

14:46appreciate the time that you folks have

14:48given me to testify here today. model.

14:51>> Thank you so much for your testimony.

14:53Chair, your next testifier is EJ

14:55Peterson. EJ, when you're ready to

14:56begin, please introduce yourself and

14:57you'll have three minutes.

15:00>> My name is EJ Patterson. I'm a resident

15:02of County uh Highway 137. I'm president

15:06of the Red Road Resilience Network, a

15:09nonprofit working to build resilience in

15:12our community. I'm testifying in support

15:15of bill 199. Through funding from the

15:18Kilaway recovery grant and in

15:20partnership with Mohaka Pelaka, our

15:23organization will be updating the 2015

15:26corridor management plan. We plan to use

15:29the AOPUA divisions as the basis for

15:33measuring changes and assessing needs in

15:36our area as well as a way to collect

15:40current and historical visual and

15:42databased needs um and information for

15:46our community to work on to make

15:48changes. Um

15:51we are excited that the Yahoo aha

15:55markers came up. that is something that

15:57was in the 2015 quarter management plan

16:01and is still in there. Um we're really

16:03happy to see that. Um but we've been

16:06giving the so we've been giving the Aahu

16:08um markers a lot of thought recently.

16:11One of the things that happened is I

16:13attended the state department of

16:16transportation presentation on their auh

16:19uh uh program and like some of the other

16:22presenters I have some difficulty with

16:24some of them. One of the things was that

16:27they were saying that because they're

16:29using a standard size, a uniform size,

16:33that they only want two to three signs

16:37per road. Well, we have more than 15 on

16:43a 16 miles section of our road. So, what

16:47happens with the others? And who gets to

16:50decide which is more important? Uh we

16:54have been a scenic byway. Um the state

16:58recognized us uh for our uh unique

17:02characteristics and so we are really

17:05concerned about um if their signs are

17:09not seen as appropriate to the

17:12characteristics of our area that they're

17:14going to be defaced or they're going to

17:16be uh destroyed. Um and that's going to

17:19bring up some tensions in our area. Um,

17:22we're also concerned about decision

17:24making. Who does decide what if the

17:27boundaries are in now current uh side

17:31roads or driveway?

17:33>> Seconds, please.

17:34>> Um, that can be a problem and what

17:38information can be carried on those

17:40signs. Um, we have no pullouts, no wide

17:44shoulders for people to look at signs.

17:47Um, so I'm concerned about some of the

17:50parts of this. So, I echo others in

17:52saying that we really need the community

17:54to to be involved in this, especially

17:57the Hawaiian community in our area. I

18:00thank you so much for bringing this up.

18:01I really support it. Uh, and I'm looking

18:04forward to it. Thank you so much.

18:05>> Thank you so much for your testimony.

18:07And with that, chair, those are all the

18:08testifiers you have for this item.

18:13>> Last chance. If we missed anyone, anyone

18:15like to testify in bill 199, please

18:17speak up now.

18:20Hearing and seeing none, Bill 199 amends

18:22chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code

18:241983 2016 edition as amended by adding a

18:27new article relating to the

18:28establishment of historic place marker

18:30program. Requires the planning

18:32department to administer a historic

18:34place marker program. Requires the

18:35Department of Public Works to install

18:37and maintain historic place markers.

18:39Requires the Department of Research and

18:41Development to support the program

18:42through research and outreach. Requires

18:44the submission of historic place marker

18:47implementation plan within one year. and

18:49requires the installation of all

18:50historic place markers within six months

18:52thereafter introduced by council members

18:54Kirkowitz and Inaba.

18:56>> Mr. Kirkowitz

18:57>> chair motion to forward bill 199 to the

19:00council with a favorable recommendation.

19:02>> Second motion by Miss Kirkowitz, second

19:04by chair. Miss Kirkowitz, go ahead.

19:07>> And I hope my colleague from Puna will

19:09agree that this is a nice number. Um

19:13you know this bill is actually a a real

19:15dream come true. So much of the work um

19:17my office has done on the council has

19:19been about elevating community voice,

19:22community story, and what better way

19:25than to kind of elevate this islandwide

19:28um and showcase the traditional place

19:32names of Aapua and Moku. Um it almost

19:36seems radical in a sense to kind of

19:39rediscover and elevate these names. Um,

19:41and the whole point is to get residents

19:44proud of um and and better educated

19:46about where they're from and to give vis

19:48visitors an opportunity to understand um

19:52where it is that they are visiting. So

19:55this particular ordinance um it creates

19:58a framework for various county

20:00departments to collaborate and as they

20:03say come up with a plan come up with a

20:05plan to work in partnership with

20:07community to evaluate various maps that

20:11have been developed over time um that

20:14showcase the the boundaries for Aua and

20:18Moku um and to decide in partnership

20:20with community with academia with

20:23cultural resource commission

20:24Where is it best appropriate to put

20:26these um to put these signs? We don't

20:29want them to be obstructive. We want

20:31them to be very tasteful and to have

20:34some kind of uniformity to them so that

20:36there is a cohesive look and feel uh to

20:39the signs and that they're recognizable

20:42that when everybody whenever anyone sees

20:44that sign, they immediately think of

20:46this program. Um these signs are not

20:49enough. Um, the dream is for one day for

20:52there to be a historic marker inventory.

20:56So that when you see an Aapua, there is

20:58a map that the county has where every

21:02single place name has been inventoried

21:05and if there are articles or mole or

21:08chance or photos of old Havi um about

21:11that area that we have done a good job

21:13of inventorying it. That's the long-term

21:16goal. We can't get there if we haven't

21:19yet created this map to identify where

21:22the signs could go. Yes, all of that

21:24will be done in partnership with

21:26community. I really want to make sure

21:28that is emphasized here. Um it would

21:31give the county one year to come up with

21:33this plan. Um I do believe that there is

21:37community consultation that will be

21:38happening in every council district

21:41around the island. not a oneanddone

21:42thing but multiple engagements and touch

21:45points because we really want to make

21:46sure that we are getting this right. Um

21:49and then after that has been finalized

21:52bringing it forward to the council so

21:54that it can be presented on record um

21:57and then an appropriation made so that

21:59signs can be installed um islandwide.

22:02Um, I have gotten support from our DOT

22:05director, Ed Sniffen, so that as we are

22:08doing installations islandwide, if

22:10something is on a county or state right

22:12of way, that work, that effort to

22:14install can be coordinated. Um, there's

22:17a lot to unpack there. Happy to answer

22:19any questions, but just really

22:21appreciate the opportunity to bring this

22:22forward on behalf of community. Thank

22:24you, Chair.

22:25>> Okay, members, chair.

22:28>> Thank you. Um, I'd just like to mahalo

22:30council member Kirkwood's office for

22:33taking lead on this and um, it was

22:36interesting to see recently in the news

22:38various

22:40MOU working towards this and then for

22:44this bill to have come together because

22:45in Kona uh, there's a group of us right

22:48now working on something similar. Um so

22:52to have this uniform approach now um

22:55that also ensures that there is some

22:57consultation within each community

23:00because as we know you know two puna

23:03from down the road might disagree on

23:05where where the boundary is right um but

23:08that's why I think when we can have a

23:10uniform approach um from a county

23:13program

23:15we're going to be better off um and as

23:17long as that that consultation does

23:19happen with community. Um, we can

23:22hopefully roll this out in as efficient

23:25and accurate a manner as possible. So,

23:27thank you, Council Member Clitz.

23:31>> Yeah, I just want to echo those

23:32sentiments. Mahalo. Mahalo. Mahalo. Um,

23:35it's

23:39beyond time for this, but uh we're

23:43further along now than we've been in

23:47restoring the uh place names that were

23:51stripped from not only the people but

23:54the places. And uh there is so much

23:58wisdom in every single one of these

24:00names um and what they reflect uh and

24:03the duality of the spaces. So um I'm

24:07really excited to see this moving

24:08forward and the opportunity for uh

24:12myself to continue to learn but also for

24:15my daughters and my grandchildren. Uh

24:18because we we pick things up. I mean,

24:21that's why corporations spend millions

24:23of dollars to put billboards up when we

24:25read signs when we're driving by. That

24:27information goes in and we can carry

24:30that with us and um helps us create that

24:34greater sense of belonging and sense of

24:36place and makes me think of um

24:41oh goodness now I'm forgetting his name.

24:43uh gave us the presentation on um kamu

24:47kamo plunket and his deeper dive into au

24:51puahuaha and all the wisdom and

24:53understanding that resides even within

24:55those systems. So this is a great place

24:57to start in just helping us all

24:59understand that better. I yield

25:02>> Kimble.

25:03>> Yeah, thank you. Um, I really like this

25:07and and where we're going with this. And

25:09I want to just start by uh giving credit

25:12to Vi and Blake from Makahonalo Fishing

25:16Association that really kicked this off

25:17in Hamokua to start identifying those

25:19places along the state highway. Um, and

25:22I I can say that my community really

25:24appreciates those. I get a lot of value

25:26out of it. And um you know when we look

25:29at the recent events that have happened

25:32here um with the storms you know the the

25:36place names they have they're a database

25:38of information and so presenting that in

25:42a meaningful way to the public I think

25:44is is an important first step in all of

25:47this. Um there's a couple things that

25:49I'd like to have the authors consider.

25:52Um, one is I I worry a little bit about

25:55capacity and um, I think both from the

25:59staffing standpoint and the timing

26:00standpoint. So,

26:02one thing I might suggest is

26:06I think it would be appropriate to

26:07potentially establish a funding source

26:11in here because I also think one of the

26:14things that we need to pivot towards is

26:15when we do community consultation,

26:17especially when we're asking for

26:19information that is requires deep

26:21research for like this and deep

26:23knowledge base, we need to acknowledge

26:25that as a meaningful

26:28source that deserves some compensation.

26:31Right. And and one of the things that I

26:33think I'd like to see in here is is

26:35wording that is extends beyond just

26:38consultation with these folks, but

26:40actually almost contracting, but maybe

26:42not contracting exactly, but you you

26:44understand what I'm saying. It's like we

26:46need to provide and and make clear that

26:49this is valuable research being provided

26:52to the county and it should be

26:54acknowledged as such through some sort

26:56of compensation. Um the other thing as

27:00mentioned is you know I know for for my

27:02area there are a ton of aua out there

27:05and there are some discrepancies on

27:08naming discrepancies on boundaries. Um,

27:12so similar to how we have an appeals

27:14process for land use decisions, I think

27:16it would be appropriate to build in some

27:18sort of mechanism if if there are

27:21individuals that want to object to

27:24whatever is proposed for an area that is

27:26constructive. Um, which brings me to the

27:29final point, which is I think there

27:31needs to be some really clear language

27:33about who the final decider is on these

27:36things. um because we do have a lot of

27:39folks weighing into this and um whether

27:43that's the planning department or it

27:46comes before this body which I think

27:48would be not a good idea but just a you

27:50know concept um that there there does

27:53need to be some clear indication of who

27:55is the final authority and therefore the

27:58final authority that could be appealed

28:00to if there were a later disagreement

28:02about the navy. Those are just some of

28:04my suggestions, but I do appreciate um

28:06both of you bringing this forward and

28:08excited about future steps that can

28:10build off of this. So, thank you,

28:15>> Mr. Mr. Kane Kleinfelder. Go ahead,

28:18>> uh yes, I like the number and uh the

28:22idea is good and thank you for bringing

28:24this forward. Both both these bills

28:26actually [clears throat] kind of form a

28:28nice hole for community to be able to

28:30interact with county and do the things

28:32that we we struggle with a lot as far as

28:35signage and where things can go and what

28:37places are named and helping people

28:39appreciate the space they're in and

28:41understand where they are. So wonderful

28:43idea

28:50>> Mr.

28:54Mr. Mitz,

28:56>> thank you, Chair. Um, and thanks for the

28:58really wonderful feedback from my

29:00colleagues. Um, I did want to address

29:01the points that you had brought up,

29:03Council Member Kimell. Um, yes, capacity

29:06was a concern. And so, first off, I I

29:09want to thank the mayor. I I went to the

29:12mayor and I said, "Mayor, we're going to

29:14be shaking the money tree. We're going

29:15to need a little bit of financial

29:16support to get some of these initiatives

29:18off the ground. not asking planning

29:20department to do more necessarily with

29:22their current staff. Um so there is

29:24going to be some money set aside to

29:26contract this work out so that the

29:28county can play the role of being an

29:30active participant and not necessarily

29:33have to manage all the logistics and

29:34facilitate the process. Um so there's

29:37going to be some funding for that. I

29:38would be curious and I I hate to put you

29:40on the spot, Director Medina, but the

29:42idea of compensation for residents

29:45because of their expertise, their

29:47historical knowledge. Um, just as we

29:50would pay an archaeologist or an

29:52engineer for their expertise. I I'm

29:54wondering if there's a way for research

29:57and development to I don't know if it's

29:59a credential council member, but to just

30:01kind of recognize the specialized

30:03knowledge that someone is bringing to

30:05the table for a particular area or time

30:08period. So again, sorry to put you on

30:11the spot, but we're going to be

30:12legislating in real time. I have my fall

30:14interns in the gallery here. They're

30:16going to see how the sausage is made

30:18today.

30:19>> Yeah. Thanks uh for acknowledge I'm uh

30:22Benson Medina. from the director of

30:24research and development for Hawaii

30:26County. Um yeah, and I'm 100% there and

30:30and uh working on some level of

30:32compensation for uh people that

30:35contribute um to this or any other

30:37project um that helps not just our

30:40residents but um also our visitor

30:42industry. And so one of the things that

30:43I really liked about about this and

30:47[clears throat] um you know part of the

30:48values that we're trying to go forward

30:50uh with our visitor industry is one um

30:54uh a superior experience for our

30:57visitors. Uh but the second thing is low

31:00community and environmental impact. And

31:02I think that the more knowledge they can

31:05have about the value of a particular aua

31:08or mouku um then I think the more

31:11respectful they become. So you know part

31:14of our whole program what we did with

31:16the with the pono pledge was um to

31:19really get people to understand um the

31:22value that we post that we put on our

31:26and how they can be uh part of that uh

31:29value system. But, you know, going back

31:31to your original question about

31:32composition,

31:34um, yeah, certainly. And, um, and and

31:36the mayor has provided some funds for us

31:38to to, you know, do things like, um, you

31:41know, special events projects, um, some

31:44that we can put towards our visitor

31:46industry outside of, uh, supporting the

31:49Island of Hawaii Visitors Bureau. So,

31:51uh, we do have [snorts] some leeway uh,

31:54to provide funding for that, but yes, I

31:56would be 100% supportive of that.

32:00That's really fantastic to hear. Thank

32:02you. Um, couple other questions came up.

32:05One was about the signs. I mean, there

32:08are some gorgeous signs that have been

32:10developed for Maui and Kawaii. So

32:12beautiful that Mr. Takaba from public

32:14works pointed out. Don't make it so nice

32:16that someone's going to be tempted to

32:18take it home with them. Yeah. Right. So,

32:20you want it to be beautiful but not

32:21tempting where that it's going to become

32:23a home fixture. Um it's also difficult

32:26to fabricate those kinds of signs with

32:29the multicoloring and the different

32:31kinds of graphics. So um the the brown

32:34and white signs that we currently see on

32:36the highway is what the state department

32:38of transportation currently uses. I

32:40think they're beautiful. Why reinvent

32:42the wheel? We can just utilize a

32:44template that's already been created to

32:46just make it easier on everyone. Mr.

32:48Takavo, was there anything else that you

32:49wanted to add? You were very valuable in

32:51the conversation. So, I just want to

32:52recognize you and Director Sagawa for

32:54being here and so supportive.

32:57Okay.

32:59>> Okay. Go ahead.

33:00>> Thank you, Director Medina.

33:03>> Director Medina, I'm going to be

33:04counting on you to kind of keep moving

33:06this forward with the inventory piece

33:08and making sure we capture and document

33:10all of that wonderful knowledge that

33:12accompanies each of these place names.

33:18>> Hi, Erin.

33:19>> Hi. um Aaron Takaba from the traffic

33:22division. Uh generally I'm in support of

33:25the program uh for its c cultural

33:27significance on Hawaii Island, but I

33:30think you might have already touched on

33:31it. You know, I had some concerns with

33:33um making sure we had adequate funding

33:36and support in order to manage the

33:38program. Um the other issue was about

33:41the sign itself and I think um we're

33:43already in discussions about that. So

33:46that was pretty much my main um

33:48comments. Fantastic. We covered all of

33:50that and as the planning process kind of

33:52proceeds um

33:54>> all of that I think will be fleshed out

33:56in greater detail for the departments

33:57and the community.

33:58>> Okay.

33:59>> Yeah. Thank you.

34:00>> Thank you.

34:00>> And then the last concern was about um

34:03if there is a difference in opinion on

34:06boundaries and where signs should go,

34:08who should be the sort of decision-

34:10making authority? I'm going to suggest

34:12the Cultural Resource Commission. Um

34:15they are a public body. they are

34:16appointed by the mayor, vetted by the

34:18council, and and approved to serve in

34:20that capacity. Um, I would be open to

34:22exploring that body being the deciding

34:24factor. Um, but again, open to folks

34:27suggestions if there are other bodies

34:29that we should be considering. Doesn't

34:31even need to necessarily be within the

34:33county. It could be an academic

34:34institution, but again, um, you ask,

34:37council member, just trying to think in

34:39real time, but if you have other

34:40suggestions, I'm I'm open.

34:42>> Thank you, chair.

34:43>> Okay, Miss Kagi.

34:44>> Thank you. Um, thank you for putting

34:47this forward to both of you. I think

34:49it's it's so um key to who we are on

34:53this island and and for making sure that

34:56we uh share that knowledge amongst

34:59ourselves and and with others. Um I when

35:02you were uh bringing up uh director

35:05Medina, it did touch on something for

35:07me. Um, and so I'm just wondering if you

35:10if there's anywhere in here to put in

35:14the language about compensating

35:17um, our community for their knowledge

35:22and expertise. Um, I'm I'm only saying

35:25that because we tried to do that with

35:28our Hilo Bay wershed community plan

35:31project and it hasn't really um

35:37realized its potential with that. Um, so

35:41I want to just be sure that that you if

35:44this is important to you and to us that

35:47that it it it is actually gets done

35:50because I think it's um not something

35:52that we've really been able to do in the

35:54past. So it it's going to take a a

35:57little bit of a heavy lift to to figure

35:59that piece out. So I would just suggest

36:02that um and uh look forward to

36:05continuing to support this work. Thank

36:06you. I yield.

36:08>> Okay. Okay. Any other members?

36:13>> Mr. Kirk,

36:14>> chair, I just I want to confirm that the

36:16points that were brought up today about

36:17the compensation, the appeals process,

36:19that deciding authority, those will come

36:21in the form of a friendly amendment at

36:23the next reading. Thank you.

36:24>> Thank you. Any other discussions? If

36:27not, I have a couple. Can I have the

36:30directors of public works, R&D, and

36:33planning

36:34can you all come up, please?

36:44>> [clears throat]

36:53>> Can we get one with chair?

37:08Okay, thank you guys. Can you introduce

37:10yourselves?

37:12[clears throat]

37:14Aloha, chair, vice chair Kimble, members

37:17of the Hawaii County Council. Jeff Darl

37:19with the planning department.

37:21>> Aloha council members,

37:24director of public works.

37:28Good morning again. Benson Medina,

37:30director of research and development.

37:32Thank you very much. So, you folks read

37:34over the bill. You folks read over the

37:36bill.

37:38>> Yes.

37:40>> Yeah, I know. I understand. But I'm just

37:42asking them for record. Okay. Cuz when I

37:45read the bill, okay, so planning going

37:47to be the lead, right? Then public works

37:51going to be just like I guess in

37:53installation of the signage, making the

37:55signage, right? And then R&D you're

37:57going to be helping with planning and

38:00coordinating of I guess the wordings and

38:03the research of everything.

38:06>> So right [clears throat] I I understand

38:08our role is uh basically the public

38:11engagement piece

38:12>> but also but but supporting planning

38:14because planning is taking the lead.

38:15>> Yeah.

38:15>> Okay. So I just want to make it clear to

38:17the public how this process going to

38:19work.

38:20>> Also there's a timeline.

38:23So, I'm asking the departments, are you

38:26folks able to meet the timelines

38:31once this pass?

38:32>> Yeah.

38:34>> Cool. On record now. Okay.

38:36>> Yeah. Thank you, chair. Uh it is a tight

38:40timeline. Um as you're aware, we are uh

38:44planning is involved in a lot of project

38:47right now. We have the general plan

38:49amendments. We have the zoning code

38:51update, the subdivision code update, and

38:55more importantly the transient vacation

38:57rental program. All of these are

39:00happening at the same time. Now, um,

39:02this has one year for us to be able to

39:06implement this program or come up with

39:08an implementation

39:10plan and then a period of time to

39:12install the signs working in conjunction

39:16with public works um,

39:18>> and R&D

39:20>> and R&D. Um, the

39:24we will do the best we can. What we

39:26really appreciate is uh council member

39:29Kirkowit's understanding of uh our um

39:34stretch resources right now in regards

39:36to staffing. So this idea of having

39:40monies come for us to be able to um find

39:45another resource to actually do this

39:47work will be uh very extremely helpful

39:51for us to be able to administer this

39:54program. Okay.

39:56>> Public works.

39:58>> Well, I guess uh

40:00public works will be at the

40:02implementation end um

40:04>> creating the signs.

40:05>> Creating the signs. So hopefully

40:08everything gets done beforehand gives us

40:10enough time to solicit for the design

40:14and uh you know all that has to go into

40:17that process

40:19>> because will the signs be done inhouse

40:21or are you guys going to have to

40:23contract it out? I'm pretty sure we're

40:24going to have to go out to design

40:28um and probably uh prepare or make the

40:33signs. Probably need someone to help us

40:36get them out there, post them, uh go

40:39through the regulatory review process,

40:42um maintain them, repair them, replace

40:44them. Um you know, it's at this point in

40:48time, we don't have that capacity. Okay.

40:50But that's what I envision us doing.

40:53>> Okay. Okay. And then R&D, you like Okay.

40:57So, there's going to be money that's

40:59going to be contracted to get

41:01consultants to do most of the work. So,

41:05you going to be working with planning

41:08with the consultants in getting all this

41:11information. Is that correct?

41:12>> That's correct. So, we'll we'll do

41:15whatever we need to support planning's

41:17effort. So we we see our our role here

41:20is uh pretty well spelled out.

41:23>> Okay. And so now within the departments,

41:25are you folks going to have to come up

41:26with any administrative rules on how

41:29this process going to be?

41:32>> Uh well, we're going to have to figure

41:34it out. We don't we don't know yet

41:35because we haven't been through the

41:36process before. But uh but there's

41:39sufficient support for those effort.

41:41>> Okay. So by you saying that

41:44once this bill is passed, okay, and it

41:47takes effect, then you're going to have

41:49to come up with all that information. So

41:51how long would that take?

41:54Because when when does this maybe to the

41:57to the maker, when do you expect this to

42:00take in effect?

42:04>> This takes effect as soon as it is

42:06adopted at second and final reading.

42:08>> Okay. Okay. So you guys heard that. So

42:09now the the clock will start ticking,

42:12right? And so now when you folks got to

42:14meet and get everybody, you know, I

42:17guess your administrative rules or your

42:20how the whole process going to be, how

42:22long do you think that's going to take?

42:29>> I don't know. Well, I mean, we have a

42:31deadline, so we'll be expedition.

42:33>> I know every every time there's a

42:35deadline, but sometimes, you know, it

42:37cannot. So I just you know just for the

42:39public's note because what going to

42:40happen is people going to expect things

42:42to happen right away right and we're

42:46talking about government right and

42:48everybody deals with government right

42:50and there's a process right and then

42:53there like now three different

42:55departments that going have to work

42:56together to get things done and

42:59sometimes working just with one

43:00department is hard right so now we have

43:03three different departments going to be

43:04working together right and so that's

43:06going to be Very interesting. So, I'm

43:08just looking at timeline because I want

43:09to make sure the public understands.

43:11>> Yeah.

43:12>> That this is something new. This might

43:14take a while, right? And just to let

43:17them know upfront so that when this

43:20takes effect and they expect things to

43:22be happening within a year and six

43:24months.

43:25>> Yeah.

43:26>> It might not happen. Right.

43:28>> Yeah. So what I would say is that

43:30probably of the three departments you

43:32here uh we probably have

43:36probably the most available capacity uh

43:39to be to be the driver of the project

43:42not the lead just you know people that

43:44are calling the meetings keeping notes

43:45on it and try to push it along. I think

43:48Councilwoman Kirkowitz alluded to that

43:51earlier said hey I'm depending on you

43:53guys to kind of move this thing along.

43:55So I think that we could we could take

43:57that initial role just to call the

43:59meetings. You know Jeff can drive it. Um

44:02you know

44:04>> the state is the lead of everything. You

44:06folks are just helping subsidies subs

44:09right and so planning is the one that

44:12could have to really organize

44:14everything. Right. And so I just wanted

44:16to make that clear. Right. And hopefully

44:20you have the manpower or

44:23[laughter]

44:24but you know you understand but just to

44:26kind of let the public know. Okay.

44:28>> But thank you and

44:30>> good luck.

44:31>> Okay.

44:33>> Miss Kimble.

44:34>> Thank you.

44:35>> Council member Kirkowitz was first. I'd

44:37like to

44:38>> Okay. Okay. Miss Kirkowitz. Thank you,

44:41chair, and and thank you all so much for

44:43meeting with our offices um to discuss

44:47this bill and and to lend um support.

44:50Thankfully, we're not starting from

44:52scratch. Thankfully, this is not a new

44:54program. um a framework currently exists

44:57within the state and this ordinance was

44:59modeled after the state process but it's

45:02very deliberate in that it is going to

45:04happen islandwide because there are many

45:07communities that don't have the capacity

45:09to do this themselves. Um

45:13uh committee chair, these departments

45:15have been put on notice, so they should

45:17be working actively now to get their

45:20ducks in a row so that once this

45:22ordinance does pass, they are trigger

45:24ready on everything that they need to do

45:26to fulfill the obligations that they are

45:28required to of this ordinance. I have

45:31great faith in our departments to get

45:34the job done.

45:35>> And I'll just leave it at that.

45:37>> Okay.

45:37>> Thank you, M. Kimble.

45:40>> Thank you. Um and sitting over here

45:42contemplating um this question about the

45:45final authority and let let's maybe well

45:48I I don't know if we can have

45:50conversation about this offline but I

45:52think we have a real opportunity here to

45:58decolonize the decision-m process around

46:00this and to do that might include having

46:05the decision-m authority be from

46:07somewhere outside Um,

46:10I have some ideas on what that might

46:11look like. Um,

46:14so what I what I think might be

46:17appropriate between now and the next

46:18meeting, and I don't know what the

46:19capacity might be to do this, would be

46:21to reach out to some of the people that

46:23testified today and other people that

46:24have other people that have supported

46:26this program and just get a pulse on

46:28where they think that decision-making

46:30authority should lead and then maybe we

46:32can kind of go from there. um you know

46:35when we talk about I don't want to do

46:39token elevation of indigenous processes

46:42and protocols but to do genuine

46:46integration right and so part of that

46:48includes where the authority comes from

46:50and I think it's it it's worth kind of

46:52digging into that and spending some time

46:54getting the feedback from the community

46:56where they think that authority should

46:58lie. I mean, it's kind of a tight time

47:00frame to turn that around, but I have I

47:01have faith in you guys to be able to to

47:04do that. Um,

47:07the the other thing to, and I think you

47:11kind of alluded to this, is is you we

47:12are not starting from nothing on this.

47:14There's there are actually several

47:17resources out there with mapping

47:18information around these locations and

47:21the appropriate naming and the histories

47:23and whatnot that I think are available

47:25to us. Um I can recall about a decade

47:28ago I had a student in my JS class

47:31working as part of consortium on

47:33identifying and and recording the aubua

47:36across the county. So I believe there's

47:38already a pretty substantial database of

47:41information that is accessible. So

47:43really it's it's more defining the

47:46process and and than it is the deep

47:49dives into a lot of that initial data.

47:52So I I think I am a little worried about

47:54the timeline, but I think

47:58forcing it a little bit is actually

47:59valuable here. Yeah. Thank you.

48:02>> Okay. Any other members? Hearing see

48:05none. All those in favor of approving

48:07bill 199 and send it to the council with

48:11a positive recommendations, please say

48:13I.

48:14>> Those opposed? We have eight eyes and

48:18one excused. Mr. Connie Clankfelder.

48:22Okay, moving on to bill 200. If anyone

48:25would like to testify in bill 200,

48:27please speak up now.

48:32Hearing and seeing none, bill 200 amends

48:34chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code

48:361983, 2016 edition as amended by adding

48:39a new article relating to the

48:40establishment of a mole interpretation

48:43program allows interpretive

48:44installations on county property

48:46introduced by council member Kirkowitz.

48:50Chair motion to forward bill 200 to the

48:52council with a favorable recommendation.

48:54>> Second. Okay. Motion by M. Kirkwood,

48:57seconded by Mr. Eustace. Go ahead, Miss

48:59Kirkowitz.

49:00>> Uh, thank you, chair. This is a very

49:02straightforward bill. There are so many

49:03community members and artists that have

49:06approached different county departments

49:07about um installing signs at county

49:10parks or county facilities or doing

49:12murals at um you know, community

49:14centers. This would create a process for

49:17the community to pitch an idea um for it

49:19to be vetted and then approved for

49:22installation at any county facility. Um

49:25this actually came at the request of

49:27parks and recreation because they have

49:28seen a lot of requests. They just don't

49:30have a process to facilitate that. So

49:33through this ordinance we would be

49:34establishing that process. Um and then

49:37the community would have the ability to

49:39pitch either parks and recreation,

49:41public works, fire station, the

49:43administration on the kinds of

49:45interpretive signage or artwork that

49:47they would like installed at a county

49:49facility. Um there is no funding that is

49:52being provided for anybody that puts

49:54forward a proposal. Um that would come

49:56at the discretion either at the

49:58department or be the responsibility of

50:00the individual or organization that is

50:02pitching the idea. But I've been part of

50:05a number of um different art

50:07installations during my time on the

50:09councilman and I can tell you that these

50:11sort of installations um they really do

50:14strengthen connection and pride in place

50:17um and surprise people when they

50:18discover to learn something that they

50:20hadn't known if they hadn't read the

50:22sign. So just looking for everyone's

50:23support. Thank you.

50:25>> Okay. Any other members? Hearing no

50:28seeing none. All those in favor of

50:30approving bill 200 and moving to the

50:34council with a positive recommendation,

50:36please say I.

50:37>> I.

50:38>> Those opposed. We have eight eyes and

50:41one excused. Mr. Connelly [music]

50:43Kleinfelder. And this concludes the

50:46meeting and the time is 10:19. We're

50:50journ.

50:50>> You could have waited like one minute

50:52[laughter]

50:53before taking them both.

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