Kaimuki Neighborhood Board Minutes Posted for May 15, 2013 Meeting

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Kaimuki Neighborhood Board Minutes Posted for May 15, 2013 Meeting
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Next meeting is 6/19/2013- Read the agenda. . Click here.

Courtesy of Neighborhood Commission Office

Source Neighborhood Commission Office

Kaimuki Neighborhood Board No. 4

DRAFT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013

KAIMUKI CHRISTIAN CHURCH FELLOWSHIP HALL

CALL TO ORDER: Chair Lyle Bullock Jr. called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. with a quorum of eight (9) members present. Note -- This 11 member Board requires six (6) members to establish quorum and to take official Board action.

Members Present: Lyle Bullock, Jr., Paul Hoe, Marilyn Moniz-Kahoohanohano, Brian Kang, Abigail Leong, Sharon Schneider, Leonard Tam, and Lori Yamada.

Members Absent: Abigail Leong and Russell McGuire.

Vacancies: There are two (2) vacancies on the Board. One (1) vacancy in Subdistrict 1, East Kaimuki and Business District, and one (1) vacancy in Subdistrict 3, West Kaimuki.

Guests: Fred Pablo (Governor Neil Abercrombie's Representative), Mark Garrity (Mayor Kirk Caldwell's Office),Sergeant Lieutenant Alan Nagata and Officer Chad Yamada (Honolulu Police Department); Captain Ricky Mamiya (Honolulu Fire Department); Lorna Heller (Board of Water Supply); Jarrett Yip (Councilmember Kobayashi's Office staff); House Speaker Emeritus Calvin Say, T. Tsuyama, Julia Wong, Amelia Matera, Jared Okamura, Sharon Okamura, Lydia Chock, Joseph Heaukulani and Aisha A.C. Wang (Neighborhood Commission Office staff).

FILLING OF BOARD VACANCY: Chair Bullock opened the floor for nominations or volunteers to fill the two (2) vacancies on the Board (Sub district 1 and Sub district 3). There were no nominations or volunteers at this time.

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS:

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD): Captain Ricky Mamiya reported the following:

April 2013 Statistics: Included 2 structure, 0 wild land, 1 rubbish fires and 1 vehicle fire, 116 medical emergencies, 3 search and rescue, and 27 miscellaneous emergencies.

· Fire Safety Tip: Compact Flourescent Light (CFL) Bulbs: Energy-saving CFL bulb usage is becoming more common in homes and at work. In addition to using less electricity, they also have a positive impact on the global climate. When a CFL bulb burns out, it may smoke and blacken at the plastic base. This is normal and not a fire safety issue. CFL bulbs are made of glass and can break. Be careful when removing it from packaging and installing or removing from a socket. CFL bulbs contain a small trace of mercury within the glass. When broken, mercury will immediately dissipate into the air. Concentrations of mercury will likely approach zero is an hour or so if a CFL bulb breaks:

o Open a window to allow for the room to ventilate for five to ten minutes.

o People and pets should leave the room.

o Turn off the air conditioner.

o Collect broken glass and visible powder using stiff cardboard, tape, or a damp paper towel.

o Place the debris in a glass container with a metal cover and store it in a safe location outside until you can dispose of it.

o Continue ventilating the room for several hours

o CFL bulbs should never be discarded with household trash. Contact local government or visit epa.gov/cfl/cfirecycling or earth911.org for local recycling options.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD): Lieutenant Nagata reported the following:

· April 2013 Crime Statistics: Includes 11 burglaries, 1 robbery, 25 theft, and 14 Unauthorized entries into a motor vehicle (UEMV).

· Safety Tip: When receiving a call from a stranger, be very cautious and do not give any personal information over the phone (Social security number, credit cards, bank accounts, etc.) Legitimate businesses will never ask you for this information over the phone.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:

1. Mariposa Drive: There is a report of speeding on Mariposa Drive and by the time HPD arrived, the speeder was gone and not apprehended. It was asked if anything more can be done.

2. Illegal Parking: A question was raised as to if it is legal to park in front of a fire hydrant.

Board of Water Supply (BWS): Lorna Heller reported the following:

· Main Break Report: There were no water main breaks for the month in the Kaimuki area.

· Discontinuation of Bi Monthly Billing: This was a business decision by both the BWS and the City Department of Environmental Services (ENV) based on the large bi-monthly combined water and wastewater bill. Currently 86 percent of the residential accounts have a combined water/wastewater bill. The average monthly bill for these customers is $151.50 which translates into a bi-monthly bill of over $300.00 BWS and ENV also wanted to be more in line with the other utilities which offer monthly billing services and to make household budgeting easier. In 2011, an initial bill stuffer was sent to customers announcing BWS's attempt to move to monthly billing. A second bill stuffer was sent in 2013 as well as a separate letter to customers. BWS did not receive a large negative response to the move which indicated that the majority of customers were not adverse to the move to monthly billing.

· Why is the Billing Charge of $7.02 not half of the cost? The BWS monthly bill has 2 major components -- the billing or customer charge and a water usage charge. The customer charge are fixed or uniform costs that are associated with furnishing water service, whether or not any water is used. The charge recovers costs such as meter reading, billing, collection and other costs that BWS incurs equally per customer or account. These are charges that occur now on a monthly basis. The second component, water usage cost includes all costs associated with producing and delivering water services to customers. The BWS billing charge of $7.02 is used to cover the following customer expenses.

o Current and future costs of the new billing system which is replacing an antiquated and no longer supported hardware and software system;

o Monthly costs to collect, process, and mail billing information and process payment;

o Current and future meter maintenance and repair;

o Costs of customer service and finance personnel.

The billing charge was developed from an independent study, based on American Water Works Association standards, to ensure the BWS would not overcharge customers taking into account the switch to monthly billing. The charge is strictly designed to allow the BWS to recover costs for billing services with no additional windfalls or gain to the BWS.

For additional information, the BWS "Billing Charge" is what HECO and the Gas Company refer to as their "Customer Charge". Currently HECO charges $9.00 and the Gas Company charges $8.50 per bill.

BOARD ADMINISTRATION:

APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 15, 2013 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES: Yamada moved and Hoe seconded the minutes of the regular meeting minutes of the April 15, 2013 The motion was UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED, 8-0-0, (Aye: Bullock, Hoe, Moniz-Kahoohanohano, Kang, McGuire, Schneider, Tam, and Yamada).

Treasurer's Report: Treasurer Schneider reported the April 2013 expenditures were $60.16 for printing and the postage of agenda and minutes; leaving a current balance of $601.44. The report was filed.

PUBLIC INPUT: None.

OLD BUSINESS:

Waialae Avenue Rehabilitation Project Update (DTS): Mark Garrity reported the following:

· Concerns: Keeping bicyclists off sidewalks.

· Problem: Bike lanes hinder parking solutions with opening of doors causing danger for bicyclists.

· Honolulu Bike League: Offers safety classes for bicyclists.

NEW BUSINESS: None.

ELECTED OFFICIALS:

Mayor's Representative: Mark Garrity reported the following:

· Traffic Lights: There was a concern raised about lights at the corner of Kuana Street and Kolohala Street that has been out for three months. The Department of Transportation Services (DTS) state that this belongs to the Department of Facilities Maintenance (DFM) because they are street lights and not traffic lights. The issue is being brought to the correct properties.

· Timing of Lights: The timing of the lights at Kalakaua Avenue and Royal Hawaiian Avenue since updating crosswalks to an all way crosswalk has backed traffic both ways on Royal Hawaiian Avenue and two blocks back on Kalakaua Avenue. The response from DTS is that it has been adjusting the signal timing at Kalakaua/Royal Hawaiian and Kalakaua/Lewers after the intersections were modified for an exclusive pedestrian crossing phase. It usually takes 1-2 months for traffic to adjust to the modifications and DTS will continue to monitor and adjust the signal timing. The traffic congestion along Royal Hawaiian Avenue is primary caused by the backup on the hotel side of the road, where tour bus and visitors load/unload on private property.

· Benchmarks: It was requested to have statistics in the form to compare with benchmarks to show the progression of crime reduction. HPD has standardized its crime statistics presentations for all neighborhood boards and this allows the Community Policing Team (CPT) for all districts to focus on problem solving as opposed to statistical report preparation. The NB members as well as residents may access additional statistical information via HPD website www.honolulupd.org in the information section under "Crime Mapping."

· Unsigtly Dumping: It was noted that a BWS truck was seen dumping muddy water at Kapaolama Field on 12^th Avenue. The response from BWS was that a complaint has been assigned to a supervisor but he is unable to confirm the allegation without more specific information. He will continue his investigation and attempt to obtain more information to ascertain the responsible person(s) and/or reasons and enable BWS to respond to the complaint.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed:

1. Overgrown Weeds: It was asked what department should be called for the overgrown weeds. The response was that the Department of Environmental Services (ENV).should be called for overgrown weeds.

2. Pothole: It was reported that there are several potholes on the 1200 block. It was suggested that the pothole hotline be called for road repairs. .

Councilmember Ann Kobayashi: Jarrett Yip distributed the Councilmember's report and highlighted:

· Restore Bus Routes: CM Kobayashi is trying to find enough money in the budget to restore the bus system to the routes that were originally existing during the Carlisle administration.

· Sewers in Kakaako: The issue of having a large enough capacity for sewers in the Kakaako development is dependent on the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) to get permits,

· Complete Streets: This Friday May 18, 2013 will be a Bike to Work day starting at 7:45 a.m.

· Bill 7: Relating to obstruction of sidewalks passed today in City Council.

Councilmember Stanley Chang: Micah Munekata distributed the Councilmember's report and made himself available to take back any questions.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:

1. Bulky Items Violators: It was asked if anything was being done to violators of Bulky Item rules.

Governor's Representative: Fred Pablo reported the following:

· New Website: Complimented the new interactive website that was up for the Governor's office.

· HCDA: It is reported that the HCDA is at capacity and there is no permit available to further develop the Kakaako area.

Senator Sam Slom: A representative was not present and no report available.

Senator Les Ihara: A representative was not present and no report available.

House Speaker Emeritus Calvin Say: Representative Calvin Say reported the following:

· Historic Homes: In response to an inquiry in the last meeting regarding the program that was on-going to identify historic homes, this act was repealed.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:Stance on Medical Marijuana: House Speaker Emeritus Say was asked what his stance was on medical marijuana. He stated that he supports the use of medical marijuana.

Senator Bertrand Kobayashi: Senator Bertrand Kobayashi reported the following: Kupuna Care Program: This program received a 1.5 million dollar grant from the Clarence Ching Organization.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

· Next Board Meeting: The next meeting of the Kaimuki Neighborhood Board No. 4 will be on Wednesday, June 19, 2013, 7:00 p.m. at the Kaimuki Christian Church, Fellowship Hall, 1117 Koko Head Avenue.

· Liquor Commission Hearing: Will be held on Thursday, May 30, 2013 to provide testimony for the 12 Street Grill.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 8:42 p.m.

Submitted By: Aisha Wang, Neighborhood Assistant

Reviewed By: Rise Doi Neighborhood Assistant

Reviewed and Finalized By: Lyle Bullock Jr., Chair

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