Maunawili Community Association

Maunawili Community Association October 7, 2003

Minutes October 7, 2003

Maunawili Community Association
Regular Meeting: October 7, 2003
Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park Pavilion

Present: Jim Corcoran (Director); David Laeha (President); Iwalani Sowa (Treasurer); Alicia Flores (Rep Pendleton’s office); Linda Ure (Secretary); Jim & Shannon Wood (Bust-A-Dumper Campaign); Gayson Ching (BWS); Richard Suzuki & Kristi Kawamura (URS Corp.)
The meeting was called to order by President David Laeha at 8:00 p.m.
Minutes of August 5, 2003and September 2, 2003 Meetings were deferred to next month.
BWS: Gayson Ching (BWS) and Richard Suzuki (URS) presented the BWS project and notified the Board that instead of the existing line being replaced, an additional 8 inch water line will be installed under Maunawili Road and Maunawili Loop from Auloa Road to Aloha Oe Drive. The two 12 inch lines were placed in the area during 1963-4 and are a duct line of steel (cast iron). The system of watermains feeds a 500 system to include the reservoir tank in Maunawili Estates to provide water pressure for the Estates, and a separate 272 system in Maunawili Park that has its reservoir tank near the Women’s prison on Olomana. The water pressure for Maunawili Park is provided by the tank on Olomana. The new 8 inch main is a backup to the 500 elevation system. Fire Hydrants will be located at a spacing of 350 feet for the residential area of Maunawili Road and Loop, 700 foot spacing for the agriculturally zoned land between 1118 Maunawili Road and Aloha Oe Drive intersection. The new Maunawili Road / Loop fire hydrants will be placed at 1050-1056 Maunawili Road/Loop and 1036 Maunawili Loop to satisfy the City/County requirement for fire hydrants every 350 feet in residential areas. Eight fire hydrants will be located on the section between 1118 Maunawili Road and Aloha Oe Drive. The 8 inch water main will be placed under Maunawili Loop and Maunawili Road and will run parallel to the existing lines with lateral connectors in three locations. The project is slated to begin in April 2004 and end in one year, or April 2005. Permits are being sought by the contractor; URS and Materials are being ordered and stocked. The project will consist of 4 phases and cost $1,600,000.00. Should any section of the line be interrupted in the future, the BWS has the ability to deliver uninterrupted water service by the parallel line with the transverse connections. While the three fires in Maunawili have been of concern to residents, the BWS suggests the addition of fire hydrants in accordance with City and County requirements is appropriate at this time with the water main project. BWS is not, according to Gayson Ching, aware of any future development in Maunawili. It was explained that any developer was required by law and ordinance to bear the cost of private installation of water mains, to include water tanks (reservoirs) to meet the need of such development. The BSW will not allow hook-up to their system until these requirements are met under City permitting. Mr. Ching will research past projects at the request of the Board. Gayson Ching can be reached at 748-5710 or GChing@hbws.org.
Bust A Dumper Campaign: Jim & Shannon Wood discussed the history of illegal dumping on Kapaa Quarry Road and Kapaa Quarry Access Road. Despite efforts of community members to clean out dumped material and haul it to the Transfer Point for proper disposal, the discouragement arose when the dumping continued to pile up faster than community members could remove it. A working group was formed of landowners and tenants to address the problem. Out of those efforts came the ability to use EPA criminal enforcement to fund, train and authorize persons to document dumping and assist with prosecution. Digital cameras, GIS locators and trained Citizens will document violations. HPD may now use this documentation to enforce the no-dumping laws. It is the opinion of the working group that educational outreach to the community will create awareness that small contractors may not actually be hauling items away despite charging fees for the service, and homeowners and residents have the right to ask that any removal for hire be in strict adherence with laws. Further, the hours of operation for the Transfer Point in Kapa’a Valley should be increased to facilitate the hours of operation of residents and small contractors as well as be cost effective to those small contractors. In a effort to beautify the roadside so as to discourage dumping members of the working group will erect stone walls to keep the dumped vehicles off the adjacent land where it is a fire hazard and difficult to reach and retrieve, provide plants and watering service to stimulate growth of Hawaiian plants to restore the area, and hold repetitive sign waving campaigns to educate the public. A Waimanalo nursery, Hui Ku Maoli Ola Nature Plant Specialist is offering to provide 5 Hawaiian plants to this endeavor and one Hawaiian plant to the purchaser of fund-raising coupons. The pick-up location for coupon holders will be arranged with the nursery, Funding and manpower has been provided by Ameron, Inc., Castle Medical Center, and Kailua Bay Advisory Council (KBAC) among others who are landowners or tenants of Kapa’a Valley.
In-line Hockey League: The Sports Council Meeting to determine the schedules for play courts was held September 16, 2003 at the Kailua District Park at 6:30 p.m. The MCA attended the meeting to address In-Line Hockey play at the Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park. Rep. Pendleton and Councilwoman Barbara Marshall, as well as Wil Ho have all been asked to address the ongoing over-use of the neighborhood park by the In-line Hockey League. The players continue to take all the courts and disregard the residents wishing to use the park. The prior complaints were discussed in an effort to clarify the position of the Maunawili Community in preparation for the upcoming meeting with the Sports Council. The Sports Council and the Parks Department of the City and County of Honolulu have extended the permits for the inline Hockey league to December 4th, 2003 for Monday to Thursday from 4:45 pm to 8 p.m. this allows basketball to use the courts Friday, Saturday and Sunday during their season which begins in November. At that time the Inline Hockey League must re-apply for permitted use of the park. Despite the understanding and opposition of Councilwoman Barbara Marshall and Representative David Pendleton to the inappropriate over-use of Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park and the negative impact to residents and park goers, the City and the Parks Department, to include the Sports Council have not satisfactorily addressed this issue. 1) the misuses of the court as it is not a hockey court, it was designed to be a basketball court. 2) the community feels it has not been heard by the regulating agencies to which the complaints were addressed. 3) the removal of the volleyball post holes by the Parks Department to facilitate the In-Line Hockey league were never authorized by the Maunawili Community Association, nor was the Association ever asked to support such a project. The MCA Board will continue to address this issue and Representative Pendleton’s office will follow-up on the issue. The In-Line Hockey League requires additional locations to play and a court of their own in addition to the single court now provided by the City. However, the Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park is not appropriate for such an activity and our park must be returned to the residents and community members. Treasurers Report: The MUSE has been distributed and cost of copying and mailing was turned over to the Treasurer. The current balance in the accounts September 30, 2003 is $6,021.22.
Pot Luck: Saturday, September 13th the community pot luck began at 5 p.m. Despite heavy rain just before the event, the pavilion and the addition of chairs and tables allowed the community to enjoy a great variety of food and display boards that addressed issues affecting Maunawili Valley sparked good discussions. The event was well attended. A good time was had by all. Tables, chairs, utensils and paper products, along with cold sodas were provided by the Community Association and residents. The white dry-erase boards were put up by Association President David Laeha several days before the Pot Luck and assisted the residents of Maunawili in remembering the event.
Halloween Parade: The MCA turned its focus to organizing the children’s parade and pumpkin carving contest. The parade will begin at 5:30 on October 31, 2003.
KNB Report: The possibility of Kapaa Quarry as a landfill site remains. It must be remembered that there is tremendous pressure to locate a new landfill site by the Mayor.
Adjournment: There being no further business of the Board the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Submitted by Linda C. Ure, Secretary

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