I. CALL TO ORDER
Alternate Snookie Mello, in the absence of Chair Brittain, called the meeting
to order at 6:55 pm. There was a quorum.
Attendance:
a. Board members present: Scott Derrickson, Jeffrey Harris, Mark Heckman,
Snookie Mello, John Piper, Toby Rushforth and Gerry Silva. Member excused:
Andy Brittain.
2. Executive Director: Maile Bay
3. Community Coordinator: Kia Weaver
3. Goody Consulting – John Goody
4. City Department of Environmental Services: David Nagamine
5. Enchanted Lake Residents’ Association – Bob Bourke
6. Windward resident – Bill Sager
7. CSF – Judy Nakamura
II. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
A. Community Input -
1. Bob Bourke (Enchanted Lake Residents Association) presented a short information
briefing and
request for support to obtain federal funding to dredge Ka‘elepulu Pond.
See Director’s Report,
#6 for final result.
2. Gerry Silva announced that `Olelo Community Television is available to
assist community
groups in producing short one-two minute spots which will show on the `Olelo
TV network.
B. Director’s Report:
1. Dept. of Health (DoH) unilaterally modified both of the 319 contracts (BMP
Park and WRAS update) submitted to CSF for signature in the last week of
November 2004, by adding additional monitoring conditions. DoH “finalized” the
contracts by incorporating these additional requirements without discussing
the matter with CSF/KBAC. The new conditions impose considerably more policy
requirements than had been previously discussed between DOH and KBAC, including
reference to a 108-page document from one of the contracts that DoH had to
locate. Furthermore, during this timeframe, DoH had a reduction in staff
slowing any discussion of acceptable monitoring conditions.
On January 4, 2005, CSF/KBAC submitted proposed amendments to the monitoring
conditions to DOH and continued to track the contracts’ status for acceptance
or further negotiations. That same week, the chief of the branch advised that
it would take about a month to process; but that new staff was being trained
for the task. On February 9, 2005, a new DoH staff person advised that “one
condition” regarding monitoring has been placed back into one of the
contracts; and that the Administrative Service Officer (ASO) would be sending
the changes to CSF. This condition according to that staff person incorporated
the changes that CSF/KBAC advised would be acceptable.
As to the next steps:
a. DOH is presently processing the original contracts (and will send them to
the Attorney General’s Office for approval as to form) and has sent the
modifications on monitoring conditions to its ASO.
b. The ASO will return the modifications to CSF for its signature;
c. CSF will return the contract amendments when signed to the ASO (and will
send them to the Attorney General’s Office for approval as to form);
and
d. Upon approval, then DOH will send the signed contracts to CSF along with
a “notice to proceed”.
KBAC staff has been outlining the scopes of work for various tasks in each
of the contracts to “hit the ground running” when the final contracts
are received; although any work done prior to receiving a “notice to
proceed” cannot be used as match funding. KBAC completed the services
to help upgrade the DOH’s web interface for statewide water quality monitoring
database, and KBAC has been paid in full. The work was accepted by DOH. DOH
staff is working within the department to use the technology developed under
the purchase order by former KBAC Community Coordinator, Mike McMahon.
2. The City’s staff has notified KBAC that the change of administration
has delayed the City’s review of the KBAC draft contract for the City’s
work to oversee, with the assistance of KBAC, the purchase, construction, and
installation of a hydro-modification separator device in the storm water system
below Kahuhipa Street in the industrial area of Kane‘ohe. As soon as
the City has approved the contract, KBAC will complete the separate contract
with Eric de Carlo, who will be conducting the water and sediment sampling
and analysis for the project.
Ameron approached KBAC’s staff about making a donation of major components
of the physical device. John Goody met with its representatives. Given the
Consent Decree mandate that all funding be issued by requests-for-proposals
or invitations-to-bid, the recommendation is that this item should be put out
to bid. Upon submitting a bid, Ameron may include it in an offer and reflect
any donation in its budget. Thus, this item needs no action at this time.
3. After KBAC’s last meeting, a letter was sent to the Hawaii ¬Office
of Hazard Evaluation & Emergency Response (HEER) regarding the results
of the final report from HIMB on the sampling that was done in Enchanted Lake.
Specifically, KBAC informed HEER of “...high levels of chlorinated benzenes,
a fungicide that could potential pose a threat to human health and safety.” It
was noted that this chemical has a short half-life in the range of a few weeks
to a year. Thus, although no conclusive evidence has been offered, these findings
cause concern that there is an ongoing or current “source” of this
chemical that continues to find its way into Enchanted Lake.
4. Other community groups have become involved in the May 1st event that Lauren
Apiki advised of, in which the Polynesian Voyaging Society has committed to
bring the Hokule‘a into Kailua Bay on Sunday, May 1, 2005. Formerly,
it was reported that this event is to celebrate the students’ efforts
and the various community organizations that focus on watershed health. She
has provided the most recent webbed-essential question as part of the new web
project: savekailuabay.com Apiki will be working this year with the theme: “How
can we renovate the ecosystem of Kailua Bay?” Castle Foundation appears
to have provided funding for the event. Mark Heckman was contacted via the
Waikiki Aquarium and is working with KBAC’s Community Coordinator, Kia
Weaver, regarding KBAC hosting an activity during the event. KBAC needs approved
funds to support the effort; because the tasks still need to be finalized;
a maximum spending allotment of $1,000 is being requested to support KBAC’s
participation in this event.
A motion was made by Heckman and seconded by Derrickson to approve up to $1,000
in funding to support the effort. Vote: 7 ayes.
5. The homeowners’ representative informed me that they agreed to connect
the parcel to the sewer line in lieu of using a septic system at the Ka‘elepulu
site we discussed at our last meeting. The City approved the connection as
part of the conditions of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division
of Conservation and Coastal Lands, Conservation District Use Approval (CDUA)
application for a single-family home proposed to be built on 3 acres of dryland
in the Conservation District, General Subzone, along the shoreline of Ka‘elepulu
Pond (Enchanted Lake) at one of the sites that KBAC is considering for its
BMP park. This request conformed with KBAC’s November 1, 2004, request
by letter submitted to DLNR that the CDUA should be conditioned on the house
being approved by the City and County of Honolulu for a sewer connection. The
property owners’ representative noted that the current provisions of
the “covenant” regarding wetlands areas conforms with the terms
of the original agreement to protect the area proposed the Army Corps of Engineers
and the former landowner be implemented to preserve open space and the wetlands.
DLNR has 180 days from the date of acceptance of the application in September
2004 to issue its decision; BLNR will hear the matter on February 25, 2005,
with DLNR staff recommending approval of the house and pool with the sewage
connection approved by the City.
6. In early January 2005, council aide, Ikaika Anderson, from Councilmember
Barbara Marshall’s office, contacted KBAC for a letter of support for
a federal appropriation through EPA to dredge Enchanted Lake. Anderson advised
that EPA requested a letter of support be obtained from KBAC; he sent along
letters from former Mayor Harris and Marshall. I contacted the City’s
Storm Water Branch who had no knowledge of this current effort, but who informed
me that in 1989, during Mayor Fasi’s administration, the Corporation
Counsel’s office had issued an opinion that public funds could not be
spent on dredging for this area because it was private and no access was allowed
for the public. Further research indicated that, according to EPA staff, a
private citizen had requested this funding through Senator Inouye’s office.
Bob Bourke has requested to make a presentation to KBAC at this February meeting
regarding dredging of Enchanted Lake.
KBAC staff attempted to understand the request by contacting EPA staff and
leaving a message with Bourke. EPA staff said that it is unclear exactly what
is being proposed and that it was responding to the congressional inquiry.
In the WRAS/KBAC Master Plan, dredging in this area is a 2nd priority action
(B level action, 4th step) for Kailua. It is recommended that KBAC send to
EPA a letter stating the Master Plan’s recommendation and advising that
this is KBAC’s position on the matter.
A motion was made by Derrickson and seconded by Rushforth to send a letter
of support. Vote: 6 ayes, 1 nay.
Director Bay will draft a letter and have the executive committee review it
first before sending the letter out.
7. In helping to find a permanent location for the KBAC website, Mike McMahon
has been working to move it to the Maui Community College server. This would
entail ending the web service at Windward Community College and the service
with the Canadian company, Latitude Geographics. This company has been hosting
the maps and providing gratis its 3-D map format. This new site would be a
permanent archive site for the KBAC web site at no cost; we pay $400/month
at the Canadian server and its 3-D software costs thousands!
Mike McMahon has advised:
There are multiple sample mapping sites for KBAC -- the new address for the
main mapping site is at: <http://www.hinhp.org/imf406/imf.jsp?site=kbac>http://www.hinhp.org/imf406/imf.jsp?site=kbac
-- it's virtually identical to the original Geocortex site, except that their
address is slightly different and it is missing the buttons for the 2 tools
that enable 3D visualization. The host, Geocortex (Vancouver Island), originally
provided those tools gratis as a courtesy to KBAC, and as a chance for it to
show off the application with the unique Hawaiian terrain. Mike’s organization
cannot provide that service because it is too expensive.
The 2nd mapping site is at: <http://www.hinhp.org/website/kbac/viewer.htm>http://www.hinhp.org/website/kbac/viewer.htm
- identical to the one currently found at <http://www.geocortex.net/mapping/kailua/viewer.htm>http://www.geocortex.net/mapping/kailua/viewer.htm
Thirdly, the ahupuaa viewer can now be found at :<http://www.hinhp.org/website/kbac/map.htm>http://www.hinhp.org/website/kbac/map.htm
-- identical to the one found at <http://www.geocortex.net/mapping/kailua/map.htm>http://www.geocortex.net/mapping/kailua/map.htm
Scott Derrickson, KBAC’s knowledgeable GIS guru has given input on the
new site. Recommend changing the domain to the new one.
A motion was made by Harris and seconded by Derrickson to change the web-site
hosting service to Maui Community College. Vote: 7 ayes. Derrickson suggested
doing an MOU and Director Bay concurred.
8. Windward Community College has been a generous host to provide the server
to KBAC gratis for all these years. Efforts to negotiate a permanent home there
stalled during the term of the interim provost. Over the years, KBAC has loaned
its Trimble and other equipment to WCC, with the hardware (now outdated) remaining
at the campus and a spectrometer on loan. Given the long-term relationship,
I recommend giving KBAC’s current Trimble to WCC and approve the purchase
of a replacement for the KBAC Community Coordinator. A Trimble costs in the
range of about $13,000.
A motion was made by Piper and seconded by Heckman to donate the Trimble, server
and spectrometer to Windward Community College. Vote: 7 ayes.
Before purchasing a new Trimble or similar device, staff will research other
equipment.
9. A KBAC contractor conducting hands-on education works has inquired whether
an additional RFP will be issued. Given the budget at this time, there is room
for 2-3 small projects not to exceed $20,000. Staff recommends issuing an RFP
for small education and restoration projects.
A motion was made by Derrickson and seconded by Rushforth to have Director
Bay write up RFP’s for small education and restoration projects; not
to exceed $20,000 per project. Vote: 7 ayes.
10. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has a program to apply for the
use of a Sustainable Design Assessment Team in a region that focuses on sustainability
as the key to quality, balance, and long-term viability. AIA is offering $20,000
per project with match of $10,000 to $20,000 to assist in future policy or
design solutions in the context on sustainability (AIA will award five projects
in 2005 in the nation). Using the WRAS/Master Plan update under the 319 grant
with its KBAC match, I recommend that KBAC apply on behalf of Ko‘olaupoko
region as a candidate for this program. The package is due March 14, 2005.
This effort could serve as a launching pad for life beyond KBAC at the end
of the Consent Decree. It entails having a team of various profession groups
tour the area who would make recommendations and draft a final report (as part
of the update of the WRAS/Master Plan). AIA team then follows up with the stakeholders
on the recommendations six months after the final report and a year after the
final report. See package at: http://www.aia.org/liv_sdat
A motion was made by Derrickson and seconded by Silva to have Director Bay
write and apply to the AIA for the use of a Assessment Team to assist in future
policy or design solutions in the context of sustainability. Vote: 7 ayes.
11. Current contracts will be discussed in executive session; contract status
matrix and other
attachments will be forwarded under a separate cover
C. Kia Weaver – Community Coordinator’s Report
1. Presented to Neighborhood Board Meetings information concerning KBAC and
our upcoming projects:
- (Jan 10) Waimanalo Board Meeting –would like storm drain separator
in Waimanalo, appreciated receiving KBAC’s 2002 Master Plan
- (Jan 12) Kailua Environmental Zoning and Planning Committee
- (Jan 14) Kane‘ohe Board Meeting
- (Feb 3) Kailua Neighborhood Board Meeting—would like aerial photographs
of the bay after storm events
- Kahalu‘u presentation scheduled for March 9
2. Created New Color brochure (attached)
- Comments from Waimanalo Board Meeting: Wants the brochure to be placed in
the public library—especially as regards the information for the website
data.
3. (February 16, 18) Attended planning meetings for the Malama Kailua Family
Day.
KBAC will set up a table with crafts and water quality information.
4. Streamwalks
- (Dec 5) Waimanalo Streamwalk and work-day with Lisa Ferrentinos. Positive
comments from the 8 volunteers included appreciation for being able to do
something proactive (planting ile‘e on the streambank) to help restore
the stream.
- (Feb 19) Ahuimanu Streamwalk with Kaipo Faris.
- Another group participating offered and KBAC accepted the offer to pay a
stipend to Kaipo for his experience, time, and effort.
Paying the people who have been leading the streamwalks seems an excellent
idea. Thus, Director Bay and I are recommending that KBAC offer a reasonable
stipend for this service; given that 6 walks occur per year, at $75 per walk
it increases the budget for this effort by $450 annually.
A motion was made by Piper and seconded by Harris to approve a stipend of $100 per walk for services rendered. Vote: 7 ayes.
5. Rewrote KBAC’s Stream Awareness Survey (attached)
- With feedback from the participants in the Waimanalo Streamwalk and John
Goody, the survey has been rewritten to remove some of the ambiguities, has
a more ‘fair’ scoring system and includes pictures, standard
operating procedures, and a separate protocol for debriefing streamwalk groups.
6. (Feb 8) Attended the Waihee Stream Restoration Working Group
- Will be working with Bishop Museum in February ending or early March to have
a field day with middle school students. They will be using KBAC’s
Stream Awareness Survey as part of the curriculum.
7. (Dec 3) Met with Kekai Irwin at the Alala Point project for the Samuel
Kamakau Charter School.
- Kekai showed me the plans to include benches, performance stage, and picnic
areas in the restoration site. Students came up with plans that were incorporated
into the landscape’s blueprints. This KBAC project is really expanding
to include more funding and volunteer efforts, especially from the Job Corps
in Waimanalo.
BMP Park
1. (Jan 25) Attended the Pili Grass Demonstration Field Day with Dr. Defrank to obtain ideas for the BMP Park.
2. (Feb 15) Submitted a pre-proposal for a Native Plant Conservation Grant
as regards the BMP Park. The proposal is for a project that “will establish
native Hawaiian Pili Grass on the shores of Ka‘elepulu Pond as an ‘on
the ground’ conservation effort and as a living mulch supply for demonstration
native garden plots.”
3. Gave my recommendation to Director Bay to include a Volunteer Quality
Assurance Project Plan for Water Quality Monitoring as a compromise to the
proposed Sampling and Analysis Plan.
Website
1. Updated pages to include my contact information, Waimanalo Streamwalk, and
upcoming meetings.
2. Am in the processing stage for redoing the stream assessment survey data website: http://www.kbac-hi.org/Assessment. The website will reflect the new stream survey and simplify stream rankings. At present, the streams, based on the survey results, are ranked as Poor, Fairly Poor, Fair, Fairly Good, Good, or Excellent. I will be replacing the current stream ranking system to be Poor, Fair, Good, and Excellent. This is based on the average score from all surveys taken at one location. Both surveys have a total score of 16. Zero (0) to 4 will be an Excellent Stream with13-16 being Poor. This is an excellent time to make any recommendations on how you would like to see this site improved.
3. Website is still being hosted at Windward Community College. As of January 2005, their server stopped putting up security window updates. Brian Tokuda from WCC told me the site should be fine for the next few months. Mike McMahon has said that the KBAC site transfer to Maui Community College is imminent.
Other
1. Completed Online GPS Trimble certification training course (December).
2. Purchased new computer and transferred data.
3. Ka‘elepulu TMDL Meetings:
- Ron Walker did a preliminary bird count for the group and marked it on map
with sites for the proposed dredging.
- Floyd McCoy wants to create his own GIS mapping site for Ka‘elepulu
Pond. He recognizes KBAC’s work and mapping site—but feels his
will be more comprehensive and will include all UH Data.
4. Ko‘olau Greenbelt and Heritage Trail Meetings
- In the process of getting public and private input—eliminating sites
to be used, mostly for cultural reasons.
5. (Jan 26-27) Attended 2005 Hawaii Water Quality Conference
One presentation at the conference showed the Hawaii results of a nationwide
survey on water issues. I selected one question to show that watershed education
in our communities is vital.
Q16. In your opinion, what is the quality of surface waters where you live?
Quality Frequency Percent
Good or excellent 15 9.6
Good and improving 18 11.5
Good but deteriorating 30 19.2
Fair 35 22.4
Poor but improving 11 7.0
Poor 27 17.3
No opinion/don’t know 20 12.8
Water Issues in Hawaii: A Survey of Public Attitudes in Hawaii
August 2003
III. MINUTES
A motion was made by Silva and seconded by Piper to accept the November 17,
2004 minutes.
Vote: 7 ayes.
IV. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Discussion – KBAC contracts and pending proposals.
V. MEETING
Meetings will be held at Windward Community College, Hale Alaka`i #118 at 6:45
pm:
May 4, 2005 (Wednesday)
August 3, 2005 (Wednesday)
VI. ADJOURNMENT
The business meeting was adjourned at 9:25 pm.