Advocacy & Watchdogging

Aviation Noise & Nuisance: We wrote Sen. Dan Inouye opposing his secretive repeal of the Helicopter Tax. We also asked the FAA not to allow chopper pilots to fly below 1,500 feet except in emergency situations.

Oneloa Onsen: David Matsuura made a presentation in January to the Puna Coast Advisory Committee, which our President, Rene Siracusa, attended. It was the usual hogwash plus (1) that the Final EIS would be ready in 4 months (i.e. April) and it would be at least a year to get all the permits, (2) he expects a lot of litigation (he expects right), (3) rezone the makai end for commercial , (4) realign the road by destroying the wetlands, (5) destroy the protected mangos to widen Pohoiki Road, and other totally unacceptable things. But all has been quiet and we suspect that he cant find $$$. We'll keep alert.

Insinger's Illegal Seawall in Kapoho: Despite testimony by the Planning Dept. and Rene, the Planning Commission ruled that the after-the-fact shoreline certification could stand and the setback remain. They did, however rule against Insinger on the Shoreline Management Area violation and set a small fine.

HB1509: We testified in favor of legislation which would create historic preservation zones to save archaeological sites from development. It passed.

Pahoa Regional Park: We have attended the Town Meetings which elicited input on what we, the community, want in this newly acquired 56 acres. A skateboard park is a high priority. We are working with Mainstreet Pahoa, the Department of Parks & Recreation and Councilman Safarik to make it happen.

Sand Hill: We raised red flags about the destruction occurring to this 78 acre coastal site by dirt bikers, building structures, destroying the pu'u, etc. The County is now offering them a Hilo venue in exchange. Let's hope this resolves the problem.

Scenic Corridor Overlay Zones: We testified at the County Council in favor of this useful tool which would allow beautification along our roads despite the zoning of abutting parcels. It passed.

County Budget Hearings: When we testified we noted some "discrepancies" in the budget: fund balances from previous years had not been added in to the totals for the Geothermal Relocation and Asset Funds ($2 1/2 million); $75K Beautification Fund balance from last year unspent. Why not?

Council Bill 98: We testified in support of a $44K appropriation to add additional busses to the Hilo-Pahoa route. It passed.

Council Bill 101: We testified in support of amending the Native Forest Tax Bill to reduce minimum size from 5 to 3 acres and clarify some vague wording. It passed.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park Expansion: Last year we submitted testimony in support of the acquisition of private lands (with endangered species and prehistoric sites) for park expansion, in order to guarantee protection from development. It passed this year.

Puna Regional Circulation Plan: We were invited to sit on this advisory committee and reviewed the proposals from 3 wanna-be consultants. One of them wanted to widen Government Beach Road (its mango trees had just gotten protected). We raised concerns about basing studies on traffic counts taken at non-peak hours and times of month.

Kea‘au Recycling Project Strategic Planning: We are attending workshops and meetings about improving the recycling center and expanding the services to other locations. This is a work in progress.

State Parks: We attended a meeting on McKenzie and Lava Tree needs, such as restrooms, sinks, ADA compliance, more staffing, paint, etc. Sen. Russell Kokubun has invited Rene to sit on a joint legislative-community panel.