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Funding recovery: County has so far spent nearly $10M in response to 2018 Kilauea eruption

Hawaii County could receive more than $300 million in state and federal funding to support recovery and response efforts stemming from the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano, but only a portion of funding has so far been obtained and even less has been spent as the county works to cement long-term recovery plans.

Recovery funds will be used to address a number of needs, such as replacing public infrastructure, housing and creating and implementing a recovery plan, but the various funding sources are subject to specific uses, regulations, guidelines and time restraints.

Nearly 14 square miles of land was inundated with lava during the months-long eruption, which destroyed more than 700 structures and homes in lower Puna and displaced 3,000 residents.

The eruption caused an estimated $236.5 million in damage to roads, waterlines and other facilities and $27.9 million in farm losses, resulting in decreased agriculture and floriculture production, and triggered a decrease in tourism revenue, among other impacts, according to the county’s Kilauea recovery website.

As of August, about $9.8 million has been spent on response and recovery activities, including $2.85 million on emergency work, $5.4 million on emergency labor and $1.59 million on other expenses.

“We’ve had definitely several (Federal Emergency Management Agency) disasters in our history,” county Finance Director Deanna Sako told the Tribune-Herald. “We are probably the most disaster-prone island in the state just in terms of the number of FEMA events. So we’re used to dealing with FEMA. … This is the first one that impacted this many people and (of) this magnitude, where we also needed people to come in and help us manage it.”

Sako said the county submitted requests to FEMA for initial emergency response expenses, which are in the process of coming in. But so far, FEMA has reimbursed the county $1.86 million.

“But now, we’re getting into more of the recovery phase and (asking) how do we recover from this, or what happens in that area,” Sako said. “… And this is where it’s really unprecedented for us. We’ve never had a disaster like this where we had to really plan what’s going to happen in that community and how we move forward.”

Among funding related to the eruption and recovery, the county received $12 million from Gov. David Ige’s office for response during the active eruption phase.

Sako said there was “definitely a lot of overtime that was not budgeted for by us that had to be spent, so that went to help cover that.”

The governor’s office gave an additional $10 million for issues such as health, safety, food, water, housing assistance and relocation planning.

Funds from the governor are not for private sector use or long-term infrastructure repairs.

The state Legislature also appropriated $20 million for relief, recovery, mitigation and remediation assistance.

“That piece, we’re spending a little more slowly,” Sako said. “We have several plans yet to come back — the recovery plan from our vendor, as well as some of the hazard mitigation and other studies that are being done. So then we’ll be able to best determine how we spend the $20 million.

“We’re very appreciative of it, and we are slowly spending and developing plans, but I think as the bigger plan comes back, we’ll have a better way to do that.”

Another $40 million loan from the Legislature is to be used for matching funds required for federal infrastructure projects.

Many FEMA projects require a 25% match.

“Right now, our estimate of our match is actually greater than $40 million, but we’ll work that out into our whole plan as that comes clearer in the coming weeks and months,” Sako said.

The county is in the midst of applying for an estimated $245 million in FEMA 428 funds, which would include $170 million for public road reconstruction projects, $38 million for water infrastructure and $37 million for park reconstruction projects, according to the recovery website.

Sako said normally FEMA wants infrastructure repaired to the state it was before a disaster.

FEMA 428 funding, however, allows for alternative projects and more flexibility. The funding is pending FEMA review and approval.

The county also will seek an estimated $60 million in U.S. Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief funding.

The state announced in May it would receive $66.9 million in CDBG Disaster Relief funding, a portion of which Hawaii County can apply for.

“However, for that funding to be available to us to apply, they have to publish their federal register notice,” said Ali Slous, Kilauea disaster recovery program coordinator. “So they have not published the federal register notice yet, and that will let us know how much we’re eligible to apply for, and it will also let us know the kind of rules and guidelines and requirements for the program.”

But to receive the funds, the county knows there will be “a few major deliverables,” Slous said.

One is an implementation plan to ensure the county has policies, processes and staffing in place to implement the grant, and the second is an action plan to outline what the money will be used for.

It is unknown when the federal register will be published.

The county received a handful of other grants for recovery, including a $1.68 million FEMA disaster case management grant. It also received a $150,000 donation from Puna Geothermal Venture and donations of $29,245 from Japan.

“… We have this big disaster, we get access to different kinds of funding sources than we have before. Some are highly flexible and we can do basically what we can do, and some are highly restrictive,” Slous said. “And so part of the challenge of this team is to build capacity for the funding streams that we’ve never handled before, and that we’ll greatly need to increase our staffing to be able to manage, for example, a $60 million CDBG-DR award.”

The county also has to meet individuals’ needs now, “and help them get back to some semblance of normalcy while being very strategic about how we spend down the flexible funds,” she said. “We may not have enough money to do everything we want to do, and so there’s this strategic element to how we utilize the funds over time, such that when we get to the long-term strategic plan, that we still have enough to do some of those larger initiatives.”

Sako said priorities “rise up to the surface.”

“We’re obviously aware of a lot of community needs, and so we’re trying to make the programs work within all of our government rules and regulations to get the money to the people who need it,” she said. “But I think one of the challenges is definitely working within federal law, state law, county laws, and then also … the restrictions placed on the money to us.”

Slous said, too, “this isn’t the end, necessarily,” because there is other funding that could be sought, depending on needs.

For more information about funding, visit recovery.hawaiicounty.gov/progress/recovery-funding.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/34O2KXK

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DLNR: Endangered vines destroyed at protest site

The state Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday that four endangered vines have been destroyed during the occupation of Pu‘u Huluhulu.

DLNR had previously announced concerns about how the ongoing standoff between the state and opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope might affecting the health of the ‘anunu vine, an extremely rare plant found only on the Big Island.

During a news conference Thursday in Hilo, DLNR officials confirmed four of the vines appeared to have been cut or ripped from koa trees at Pu‘u Huluhulu in August.

“We warned about this early on,” said DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case. “It’s impossible to have so many people there without this happening.”

Edwin Shishido, an officer with the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, said officers investigated the pu‘u Aug. 21 after having witnessed up to more than 2,000 people at or around the hill at any given time.

Vines that were known to be safe and healthy before the protests began in July were found to be cut.

Four other endangered plants — including local mint, tomato and nettle plants — also were found damaged in the area, showing signs of having been trampled.

DLNR botanist Lyman Perry explained that the ‘anunu has a short life cycle, lasting only about a year. Any disturbance, particularly one that severs the vine or removes it from a tree, can be devastating for such an endangered plant.

Perry said Pu‘u Huluhulu had served as an outplanting site for several endangered plants, including the ‘anunu, because of its good soil, relatively high rainfall and general lack of attendance. The pu‘u is one of only five known habitats for the vine on the island, although DLNR spokesperson Dan Dennison said the other known habitats will not be disclosed for safety purposes.

Ian Cole, wildlife manager for the DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife, said the endangered Hawaiian goose, or nene, no longer appears willing to land around the pu‘u, although he added the birds have never been observed engaging in breeding behavior in the area.

Cole also said there is some anecdotal evidence that the wolf spider, which lives in the surrounding lava fields, is being forced out by campers, leading to a rise in invasive insects.

Case said Thursday that the best solution to reduce harm to the endangered plants is for the crowds of people at the camp surrounding the pu‘u to disperse.

Several protesters — who call themselves kia‘i, or protectors, of Maunakea — attended Thursday’s news conference and questioned the DLNR’s motivations for protecting the pu‘u now.

One attendee, Kini Burke, said he worked for the DLNR for about 20 years and never saw any departmental oversight or enforcement at Pu‘u Huluhulu, where he saw “20 to 30 cars parked, every day” before the protests.

Other attendees at the press conference raised concerns about endangered species elsewhere on the island, asking why protecting the ‘anunu takes priority over other issues, such as protecting coral reefs. Case responded, saying the department is concerned with protecting all of the island’s native wildlife.

The presence of protesters seemed to surprise the DLNR officials at the conference, as speakers repeatedly refused to answer questions from nonmedia-affiliated attendees (“I don’t have questions, I have answers,” Burke quipped). Eventually, Case and Perry abruptly left the room even as attendees called out further questions, effectively ending the conference.

Representatives of the protesters called the DLNR’s report “PR propaganda to make the kia‘i look bad.” One protester, ‘Ilima Long, told the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday that the protesters have effectively closed the pu‘u to the public on weekdays and only allow members of the public on the pu‘u during guided trail tours hosted twice a day on weekends.

Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2ZXbbR5

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USDA Offers Disaster Assistance For Hawaii Farmers, Meetings Set

HAWAIʻI ISLAND - Disaster losses - including those from lava and VOG from the the Kīlauea eruption, as well as Hurricane Lane - will be eligible for assistance. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/32JL5yR

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Enrollment up in Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa area

Student enrollment in the Ka‘u-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area has increased, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Education.

There are 5,457 students enrolled in the complex area for the 2019-20 school year, an increase of 67 students from the 5,390 students enrolled in the complex area for the 2018-19 year.

There was little change between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years, despite the upheaval and uncertainty brought by the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano. The eruption, which destroyed more than 700 homes and structures in lower Puna, began as the 2017-18 school year concluded.

The growth this year, though, wasn’t surprising to Complex Area Superintendent Chad Keone Farias, who said many of the complex area’s schools have seen an increase in enrollment — some growing by as few as 10 and others by as many as 40 students.

Farias said Pahoa schools are “up in numbers, and I attribute that to a relatively calm year last year,” he said.

There were no storms, lava emergencies or natural disasters to contend with during the 2018-19 academic year, and Farias said the increase in enrollment is “sort of a spring back as families are coming back because of the stability.”

And as the year continues, Farias said there will be an even greater increase in the complex area’s enrollment.

“A lot of our families travel during the summer. … Some of them really register late,” he said.

Keaau Elementary, for example, has grown by as many as 70 students by the end of the year in previous years, Farias explained.

Currently, the school has about 850 students right now, but Farias said “they’ll end the year with as many as 920, 930 kids.”

Overall, Farias said, it’s “nice to see the seats filled, and it’s great to be back to school. … We encourage our families to keep our students coming because attendance matters.”

Enrollment in the Hilo-Waiakea Complex Area remained nearly steady with 7,893 total students, compared to 7,895 in 2018-19, and up from 7,744 students in 2017-18.

The Honokaa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area saw a slight decrease in enrollment, with 10,061 students compared to 10,075 students in 2018-19.

Statewide, enrollment was 179,331, down 0.2% from the 2018-19 school year’s student population of 179,698, according to the DOE. Of those, 11,877 students were enrolled in 37 charter schools.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2HZgVjd

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County waits for Hwy 132 deadline extension

Paving of the upper portion of the once lava-covered Highway 132 in lower Puna began Sept. 3, according to the county Department of Public Works.

But with an Oct. 5 deadline to complete the reconstruction of the roadway approaching, the county has yet to receive approval from the Federal Highway Administration for a requested three-month extension.

Portions of Highway 132 were inundated by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano. Work to re-establish the road began June 10 but needs to be completed by Oct. 5 to qualify for 100% reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration.

Public Works Director David Yamamoto said in an update before the County Council Public Works and Mass Transit Committee earlier this week, that temperatures in the lower section of the roadway are a lot higher because that portion of the road was opened up later and has more dense rock.

Temperatures wouldn’t be conducive to install the asphalt concrete base course at this time because the asphalt would melt, he told the committee.

Crews have encountered temperatures of up to 800 degrees in some spots of the lava rock.

Yamamoto said the department has requested an extension from the FHA to finish the bottom section “given the higher temperature that is preventing us from completing it.”

That request was sent several weeks ago, but the department has not received a response, “although we have spoken to some of the staff-level members and their take on it was that it was a reasonable exception to make for us,” he said.

Although the extension request is for three months, Yamamoto told the committee the department would proceed with the asphalt installation on the lower section “as soon as the temperatures came to (an) acceptable level and complete it as soon as we can.”

In addition to the extension, Public Works also wants permission from the FHA to open the road in two phases — the upper and lower sections.

As reported previously, the temporary road is following the path of Highway 132 before it was inundated with lava and is designed to have the same alignment and design speed as the pre-existing roadway. Highway 132 will feature two 12-foot travel lanes and 10-foot shoulder, on par with the highway’s pre-eruption condition.

According to department spokeswoman Denise Laitinen, the FHA has committed to reimburse the county $6,503,337.

While initial construction costs were estimated at nearly $12 million, Laitinen said the estimate was based on the project being completed via “typical processes,” and includes costs for consultant designs, bidding and construction by a contractor.

But design and construction work are being done in-house by the department, “where cost savings are anticipated.”

With initial paving, the projected cost of the reconstruction is approximately $6.5 million now, according to Laitinen.

Unless the Federal Highway Administration increases its funding, any costs above its current funding obligation would need to be assumed by the county, she explained.

As of Aug. 30, Laitinen said rough grading and crushing and spreading of base material was complete in the upper section of Highway 132, from the Puna Geothermal Venture checkpoint to the kipuka, an area cut off by last year’s lava flows, which is a distance of approximately 1.6 miles.

Fine grading was expected to be completed in the first week of September and paving with the asphalt concrete base course began Sept. 3.

Laitinen said shoulder dressing, sign installation and striping will follow the paving work.

In the lower section of Highway 132, from the kipuka to “Four Corners,” or the intersection of Highway 132 and Highway 137, approximately 1.5 miles, and on Highway 137 from Four Corners to the start of the lava, a length of about 1,100 feet, rough grading has been completed and crushing and spreading of base material is ongoing.

Fine grading was set to start the first week of September and paving with asphalt concrete base course will begin as soon as the road temperature cools down to allow for the paving work.

Shoulder dressing, sign installation and striping work will follow the paving.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2PVlVf3

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Study: Kilauea lava triggered massive algae bloom

In the midst of the destruction during last year’s lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea volcano, scientists from the University of Hawaii and the University of Southern California observed how one of nature’s most devastating forces can also create and sustain life.

Their study, published in Thursday’s edition of the journal Science, documents how millions of cubic tons of lava flowing into the ocean in lower Puna caused a cocktail of nutrients to rise to the surface — resulting in a massive algae bloom that could be seen from space. NASA satellite photos of the eruption showed water around the lava’s entry was turning green, signaling huge amounts of chlorophyll, the green pigment in algae and other plants responsible for photosynthesis, a process that converts light into energy.

A rapid-response scientific team on the UH research vessel Ka‘imikai-O-Kanaloa conducted round-the-clock operations in the vicinity of the lava entry to test water chemistry and the biological response to lava pouring into the ocean between July 13-17, 2018. What they discovered was a phytoplankton bloom more than 100 miles long and 20 miles wide caused by higher-than-normal nitrate levels, silicic acid, iron and phosphate in the water.

Since lava itself doesn’t contain nitrate, the massive bloom couldn’t have been predicted.

“One of the things that’s novel about this study is that we know that the lava was … heating up in deeper waters that have nutrients,” said Nick Hawko, co-lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at USC who will join the UH-Manoa Oceanography Department in January 2010. “And because (the nutrients) were heating up, they became really buoyant and floated back to the surface.

“And that sort of mechanism wasn’t on our radar at all.”

Sam Wilson, a UH-Manoa microbial biogeochemist and the study’s other co-lead author, said the phytoplankton bloom was “very intimately tied to lava entering the ocean.”

“When the lava started entering the ocean … we started seeing the presence of this high abundance of phytoplankton,” Wilson said. “When you see something like that, the two processes, the growth of the phytoplankton and the entry of the lava into the ocean are intimately related. Then, it’s just figuring out the extent of this relationship.

“That started when the lava went into the ocean, and … the bloom dissipated after the lava stopped entering the ocean at such a large scale.”

“What we think happened is that the phytoplankton, the algae in the ocean, is constantly growing but is also constantly being eaten by grazers, like grass is being eaten by cows and goats and stuff,” added Hawko. “This new accumulation of nutrient being pushed up was enough for the phytoplankton to accumulate. But after a couple of days, it’s probably going to be eaten up.”

The authors suggest it’s possible this mechanism has led to similar ocean fertilization events in the past associated with the formation of the Hawaiian Islands and other significant volcanic eruptions.

Asked about changes in fish or marine mammals in the area because of the algae bloom, Hawko replied, “I think it’s hard to say at this point.”

“Unfortunately, we were not able to sample fish and figure out what ones were supported by lava and what ones were supported by other activities on the coastline,” he explained. “I’m not sure we can say anything definitively, but generally, algae is sort of the base of the marine food chain, so all other life that we see in the ocean, whether it’s fish or whales or giant squids, are … dependent upon this base of the marine food chain.”

In the future, the team hopes to sample the newly-formed pond at the bottom of Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kilauea’s summit and further investigate lava-seawater interactions in the laboratory. Wilson said the current study can be examined “on many scales.”

“The Kilauea 2018 eruption was devastating, with many homes, properties and items destroyed,” he said. “Yet at the same time, the lava going into the ocean fueled microscopic life, created new land and, while it was destructive, was also creative, as well. When you drill down to what we learned from a scientific perspective, we learned about what type of phytoplankton responded under these conditions. That’s very useful for us to know. When you add nutrients or add fertilizer … are we able to predict what types of plants grow? We can do that for land better than we can for the ocean. So when nature throws us a situation like this, it’s really a test for how well we know the ecosystem.

“It’s a great example of land-sea interactions. When you have these sort of boundary environments such as a land-sea interaction, you have the opportunity to create situations that don’t occur in either land or the ocean but at these boundaries.”

Email John Burnett at hawaiitribune-herald.com from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2Uykeml

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Lava Fueled Phytoplankton Bloom, Researchers Eye Kilauea Water Pond Next

HAWAIʻI ISLAND - During the 2018 eruption, heat from the lava ocean entry caused nutrient-rich deep waters to rise, which led to a phytoplankton bloom, researchers say. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/2UDEtze

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2018 Kilauea eruption: Interim recovery strategy moves ahead

Hawaii County is taking another step toward recovery from the 2018 Kilauea volcano eruption.

The County Council Finance Committee on Tuesday voted to recommend for full council approval an interim recovery strategy crafted using input from public, private, nonprofit and community sectors.

The interim recovery strategy aims to provide focus around ongoing efforts to coordinate recovery actions related to the impacts of the months-long eruption that destroyed more than 700 homes and structures in lower Puna.

According to the document, the strategy is organized by “recovery support functions,” which are defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Disaster Recovery Framework, to improve access to resources and better align and coordinate county, state and federal agencies, non-governmental parties and community stakeholders.

Immediate priorities listed in the plan include, among others, expediting temporary access to enable residents of the kipuka, or areas isolated by lava flows, to get home or back to work on their properties; identifying ways to monitor the budget and defining budget tracking procedures to ensure transparency and accountability; and developing a plan for ongoing community engagement.

Meanwhile, some of the objectives identified in the plan include accelerating the development of a boat ramp in Puna; pursuing workforce development opportunities; assisting Kua O Ka La New Century Public Charter School, which lost its campus to the lava flows, with interim needs and permanent relocation; exploring housing opportunities and creating innovative housing options; and road recovery, which prioritizes getting lava-locked residents back to their properties and accelerate reviews of lava-inundated roads, among others.

“I think what you have before you in the form of this interim recovery strategy is my heart for Puna,” Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz told the committee. “If I could wrap my arms around you and give you a lei of aloha, this is it. It is the time that I spent in the community to help with disaster response and it’s the 10 months that I’ve been in office being the people’s champion, meeting with (the) community nearly every week in Pahoa and giving them a chance to elevate their heart and soul and their voice in this document. So this document is a reflection of community sentiments. And what it all boils down to is accountability and transparency.”

Diane Ley, director of the county Department of Research and Development and Kilauea recovery manager, said the recovery team was working on an interim strategy early in the year and shared it with Kierkiewicz and Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy of Hilo in about April.

“And the two council members, in consultation, have added substantially to the strategy, really focusing on defining that recovery process, inclusion of the community and administrative transparency, and that’s all good,” Ley said.

With the interim plan, “we can hit the reset button,” rebuild trust and establish a clear, objective decision making process, “where the council knows its role” and the community knows where it fits in, she said.

“This was an unprecedented event,” Lee Loy told the committee. “And so, this has become an unprecedented document, which has a lot of innovative thoughts and a way to re-imagine the area with the various sources of funding that we are seeking. … I think this document, for the rest of my colleagues, really develops the framework to be agents of change, help give the community exactly what they need, and empower them, as Ms. Kierkiewicz said, with the tools to re-imagine their community, (and to) truly bounce back and truly recover.”

She urged council members to “take a good hard look at the measurables, the deliverables, the accountability, the transparency, all of these key words the community has been asking for for a very long time, and urge that they support this interim recovery plan as we move through this and then the long-range plan going forward.”

A comprehensive strategic plan is still a work in progress and anticipated to be completed by the end of the year. It will supersede the interim plan.

“The county is developing a formal or comprehensive recovery strategic plan, and that’s really essential for us in order to know what our game plan is as a community and as a county government, and allows us to be held accountable and also be able to justify when we go out and seek additional resources, particularly at the federal level,” Ley said after the committee meeting.

According to Ley, the interim and overall strategic plans are “being worked together simultaneously.”

“The likelihood that we’re going to be able to implement everything in here is probably not really high, because in the enthusiasm and all the needs, there’s a lot in it,” Ley said. “But what it will do, this will actually help inform the long-term comprehensive strategic plan, it will also give us work to do now … It will keep the recovery process moving forward.

“But note that the recovery process is going to continue to evolve and it will move forward with new information and will need to make changes as new information comes in, both from the community (and) from government, things we might not be able to do because of other laws precluding us, and also (restrictions) from our funding sources.”

Recovery, is a process, Ley said

“It’s a major process for us as both the administration and the council to find our way, it’s a major process for our communities to find their way,” she told the committee “And that requires patience with one another and trust, because in the bottom line, this is a small community and we’re all in this together, and we all need to come out of it together. It’s going to take us many years. This is not a short-term initiative.”

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/30XsbUH

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VIDEO: Highway 132 Delays Due To Lava Heat Detailed

HILO, Hawaiʻi - Public Works Director David Yamamoto gave the Hawaiʻi County Council an update on the effort to recover the lava-inundated Highway 132 in Puna. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/32wh2KW

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DHHL Says It Will Remove Structure Near Puuhuluhulu When Resources Are Available

MAUNA KEA, Hawaiʻi - A building that has been erected on the lava field near Puʻuhuluhulu in the midst of the ongoing standoff over the Thirty meter Telescope on Mauna Kea has gotten the government's attention. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/2MS2j9p

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Thermal Map Of Kilauea Lower East Rift Zone Lava Flow Produced

HAWAIʻI VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK - Scientists with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory recently conducted an overflight of the lower East Rift Zone flow field to create a thermal map. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/30Qq84H

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Important Lava Recovery Measures Go Before Council Next Week

HILO, Hawaiʻi - The Hawaiʻi County Council will consider a grant to establish another temporary road and a resolution to adopt an Interim Recovery Strategy. from Big Island Video News https://ift.tt/2NEM6Ea

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Grand opening for Puna Kai set for October

The Puna Kai shopping center in Pahoa is nearing completion, and an October grand opening is planned.

Developer Gary Pinkston said Wednesday that the project is about 90 percent complete.

“We’re on target, and many, many kudos … to Mayor (Harry) Kim and the entire county, (who) have been the best that I’ve dealt with anywhere in probably 30 years,” he said.

Pinkston said that a third of the site would be paved last week, a bus stop is going in and landscaping is ongoing.

There’s also “significant tenant improvement work” in process, he said.

Traffic signals, located where the newly extended Kahakai Boulevard intersects with Keaau-Pahoa Road just past the Pahoa roundabout, “are almost lit up,” and the center is almost fully leased.

A state Department of Transportation spokesman said the DOT and county are coordinating to activate the traffic signal to coincide with the Puna Kai development project.

Once activated, the signal will be operated by the county.

Only 5,000 square feet of the 120,000 shopping center remains to be leased, but Pinkston said “possible tenants are looking at that.”

The demand for space has been high, he said.

Sitting on 9.93 acres near Kahakai Boulevard and Pahoa Village Road, Puna Kai will feature retail, office, dining and entertainment space, according to punakaihawaii.com. The development will be anchored by the 35,000-square-foot Malama Market, which will relocate from its current site in Pahoa.

“Malama Market will be such an attraction,” Pinkston said. “People from Hilo will come to shop there.”

The store will be state-of-the-art, with gourmet food, wine and restaurants, he said, “just like what Foodland built in Ala Moana Shopping Center.”

Work on the project is being done with Hilo subcontractors, Pinkston said, and once it’s opened, Puna Kai will employ about 250 people.

Pinkston said Pahoa was selected for the development because of the demand for retail services there.

“Malama Market wanted to relocated and expand. O’Reilly’s wanted to come, McDonald’s wanted to come, Popeyes wanted to come,” Pinkston said. “There’s huge demand. There’s no services in Pahoa.”

Confirmed tenants for Puna Kai are: Malama Market, Aloha Petroleum, Chef TK, Outrigger Coffee Co., Pahoa Veterinary Hospital, Black Lava Vape, L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Pizza Hut, SusHI, Under the Bodhi Tree, O’Reilly Auto Parts, McDonald’s, Jeans Warehouse, Family Health &Wellness Center, Stratos New York Pizzeria, Hilo Bay Realty, Coco Cantina, Island Photo, Super Cuts, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Fitness Forever, Goodwill, Super Cuts and Banzos.

Pinkston said a grand opening celebration is being planned for Oct. 25.

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2L6MJ6p

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HVO settles in: Site selection, facility design could take years

The signing by President Donald Trump in June of a long-delayed disaster relief bill means Hawaiian Volcano Observatory can go about the business of finding a new site.

The former HVO facility in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, behind the Jaggar Museum overlooking Kilauea volcano’s caldera, had to be abandoned because of earthquake damage prior to and during last year’s prolonged eruption, which destroyed more than 700 homes in lower Puna.

The $19.1 billion measure contains numerous appropriations for the Big Island, including $49 million for a new facility for HVO and $20.1 million for the volcano watchers to operate in their rented, long-term transitional facility in the Hilo Iron Works building, as well as replace instruments and equipment damaged by the earthquakes and eruption.

“We’re just beginning the formal federal process of finding a site. And then, we’re going to have to envision a design. These things take time,” Tina Neal, HVO scientist-in-charge said. “I don’t even have a rough timeline, but we’re here in the Iron Works for at least a few years until that’s all settled.

“The current thinking about a new facility … is that we’ll have a facility or building here in Hilo somewhere, and also a smaller facility back up in the national park.”

In addition to Iron Works, HVO is also renting warehouse space in Keaau and has an additional storage facility in the national park.

“Right now, about 90% of the folks are here in Iron Works and we’re still settling in,” she said. “And then, our technical crew is … in Keaau. And at that building, we have the bulk of our storage, and we’ve set up some work rooms (and) laboratory space for equipment manufacture and maintenance … .

“That’s our current plan until such time as we have a new building here in Hilo.”

HVO operated out of space at the University of Hawaii at Hilo until the move to the Iron Works building on Kamehameha Avenue. She said that despite the upheaval in facilities, HVO, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey is “at 100% of our monitoring operation.”

“We have some very smart and sharp people on staff who have kept everything running despite the moves and the lava and the loss of some (monitoring) stations. We’re getting all the data we’re needing,” she said. “I will point out, though, the fact that folks are not up in the park means that we’ve lost some efficiency in terms of what’s going on in the park.”

Neal added that scientists now have to drive from Hilo to the national park to take measurements in the pond that’s appeared in Halema‘uma‘u crater at Kilauea’s summit.

“There’s a load of inefficiency in that, so we’re learning new ways of doing business. It’s not as easy as walking out the back door and there’s Halema‘uma‘u,” she noted. “… I would like to reassure that even though HVO is in long-term temporary housing, we are adequately monitoring all our volcanoes and conducting the important work that we need to.”

As for the recently discovered pond, Neal said the only thing known at this point is that it’s “slowly rising still.”

“We’ve not yet figured out when or how we’re going to get a sample of the water. So we’re still in the learning phase,” she said. “I can’t say we’ve learned anything terribly new except that it’s continuing to rise,” she said.

“We’re currently thinking long and hard about the appearance of the water up in the summit and also watching Mauna Loa carefully. It’s continuing to burble along with slightly elevated levels of earthquakes and deformation, but nothing alarming.”

Neal also shared her “wish list” for what a new facility would offer HVO’s scientists and support staff.

“We’ve sort of retrofit this historic building, the Iron Works, and most of our staff are in small, shared offices that aren’t quite optimal for research scientists to have time and space and quiet to work,” she said. “In a new facility, I would hope to have better office arrangements for the science staff. And we have no laboratory facility here, so we’re making do by using university resources and our warehouse, which is still under development. So I think our new building would incorporate any kind of laboratory needs that we would have going into the future.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/33XD22C

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Increased law enforcement activity on Maunakea nets more than 600 violations

The Hawaii Police Department commander in charge of the stepped-up traffic enforcement on Daniel K. Inouye Highway near Maunakea Access Road said authorities “probably should’ve started it a lot sooner.”

Maj. Samuel Jelsma noted two traffic collisions, one on July 23 involving a reportedly stolen van. The alleged driver of the van sideswiped a pickup truck, and police say the incident ended up with the arrests of the van’s occupants, who had fled into a lava field.

Jelsma said that collision was unrelated to the ongoing protests of the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea that started July 15. Those demonstrations, which so far have been peaceful, have brought thousands to the site where the highway and the access road intersect.

“However, had that van continued in its path of travel, it would have passed through the area where protesters had gathered, creating a safety concern,” Jelsma said Thursday.

The other wreck, according to Jelsma, occurred on Aug. 10 near the 22-mile marker of the highway. He said one of the crossing guards hired to assist pedestrians cross the highway at a temporary traffic light placed near the protest area was driving to work, “likely at a high rate of speed,” when his vehicle ran off the highway, overturned several times and ejected the man, who wasn’t wearing a seat belt.

The driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was seriously injured, Jelsma said.

The state Department of Transportation has erected “no parking” signs on the highway near the access road intersection, and police said in a Thursday statement that since Aug. 15, officers have issued 610 traffic and other citations and arrested seven individuals, charging them collectively with 13 offenses.

The 610 citations were categorized as follows: speeding, 167; seat belts, 41; child restraints, six; cellphones, electronic devices, 15; excessive window/windshield tint, nine; driving without a license, 17; driving without insurance, 23; unsafe vehicle, 87; other moving violations, 43; no license plates, 24; regulatory violations, 176; parking violations, two.

The arrests of the seven individuals resulted in the following charges: DUI, three; excessive speeding, one; refusal to show identification, one; resisting order to stop vehicle, one; driving without a license, two; driving without insurance, two; and contempt of court, three.

Lakea Trask, one of the protesters, who call themselves kia‘i or “protectors” Maunakea, which they consider sacred, reiterated Thursday his belief the beefed-up enforcement is aimed at shutting down the protests.

“That whole narrative that they’re not attacking us and not going after us, that is definitely false. That’s a media talking point for them,” Trask said. “Because we have confirmation from multiple sources that they are, in fact, targeting us.

“… I guess this is a way for the state to recoup its costs, attack Hawaiians at their sacred site and par for the course for the state of dysfunction,” referring to the more than $4 million in expenses the county and state have incurred so far for law enforcement presence related to the protests.

Trask said he doesn’t know what percentage of those cited were demonstrators.

“I would say most of the speeding tickets were people just coming through, regular commuters or people not knowing what was going on on the mountain,” he said. “That’s been our experience, a lot of people flying in and not realizing they have to slow down with those barricades and lights and certain features that are there now.

“A lot of the high-profile ones, the car accident, the car wrecks, the stolen car, those were not kia‘i for sure. In those cases, kia‘i were assisting the officers and some cases, they were the ones making citizen’s arrests and apprehended suspects. A lot of that hasn’t hit the news, and I guess now some of those details will start getting revealed. But for the most part, I would say most of those infractions are definitely kia‘i, because they’re the ones that are being targeted and the ones that police are, in fact, monitoring. We have confirmation from the police themselves as well as from some who monitor the (police radio).”

Trask earlier told the Tribune-Herald officers informed demonstrators the enforcement project was ordered by Mayor Harry Kim, who was tasked by Gov. David Ige to negotiate with the protesters.

Jelsma disputed the claim, but said Kim “was aware of it.”

“This is something that came from the unified command,” Jelsma said. “It was something that needed to be addressed, so we have been addressing it. He was informed of the stepped-up enforcement plan, though.”

Jelsma said the unified command consists of himself, representing the Hawaii Police Department, and representatives of the state Sheriffs Division, Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, the state Narcotics Enforcement Division, and Department of the Attorney General.

In addition to the traffic crashes, Jelsma said authorities have received “pressure (from) people saying there’s protesters, but no police presence out there.”

“There’s a lot of complaints from the public about wanting a police presence out there. So if we’re going to have a police presence, we’ll have it, but we’re going to be doing what police do,” he said.

The state Supreme Court ruled last October TMT’s Conservation District Use permit for construction of the $1.4 billion telescope is legal. Construction was scheduled to begin last month, and 38 demonstrators, mostly kupuna or elders, were arrested July 17 for obstructing Maunakea Access Road. Nine of those individuals have court dates today in Hilo.

Asked why arrests related to the continued blockade were curtailed after the initial wave of citations, Jelsma replied, “That is a decision that is at higher levels, elected official levels, to decide that.”

“I can tell you, right now, that for us, as county police, to clear that road and to maintain that passage for the convoys to get up the mountain, with the amount of personnel involved with the protest movement, that is not feasible at this time. We would need outside support to accomplish that mission,” he said.

“I’ve always been strong on traffic enforcement. We’re up there, (and) this is a way for impacting and creating a safer situation for the motoring public and for the protesters, as well. When you’ve got traffic speeding through there, you got drunk drivers driving through there, by us going up there and doing heavy traffic enforcement, we’re actually creating safer roadways.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2ziradC

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County requests more time to complete Hwy 132 work

The county Department of Public Works has requested a three-month extension to complete the reconstruction of Highway 132 in lower Puna.

Portions of the roadway were inundated by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano.

Work to re-establish the road began June 10, but work needs to be completed by Oct. 5 to qualify for 100% reimbursement from the Federal Highway Administration.

County Department of Public Works spokeswoman Denise Laitinen said Public Works is seeking a time extension from the FHA to install the road’s base layer.

Last week, Laitinen said crews working on the roadway are encountering temperatures of up to 800 degrees in some spots, and the concern then is that temperatures exceed recommended levels for the installation of asphalt-treated base.

Public Works also wants permission from the FHA to open the road in two phases — the upper and lower sections.

As of Wednesday, Laitinen said rough grading work has been completed in the upper portion of Highway 132, from just after the Puna Geothermal Venture entrance heading makai for 1.7 miles. Fine grading is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of August, weather and construction conditions permitting.

“Once the fine grading is complete, the upper portion of the road will be ready for paving with asphalt-treated base, provided the area is (a) sufficiently cool temperature acceptable for (asphalt-treated base) installation,” she explained.

For the lower portion of the road, from “Four Corners” — the intersection of Highway 132 and Highway 137 — heading mauka 1.6 miles, Laitinen said the rough grading work will be completed in approximately two weeks.

Once the rough grading is complete, it is anticipated that the fine grading will be finished approximately two weeks after that, “and the road may be paved thereafter, provided weather and construction conditions permit for the above activities being completed,” she said.

“This is an aggressive timeline and crews are working hard to meet the Oct. 5 deadline, or extension thereof if granted, to at least prepare the gravel surface ready for paving, in order to qualify for 100% federal reimbursement of the project,” said Laitinen. “Given the pockets of high temperatures being encountered in the lower portion, that portion of the road will have less time to cool.”

Rough grading work from “Four Corners” toward the old Government Beach Road is ongoing.

According to Laitinen, the temporary road is following the path of Highway 132 before it was inundated with lava and is designed to have the same alignment and design speed as the pre-existing roadway. Highway 132 will feature two 12-foot travel lanes and 10-foot shoulder, on par with the highway’s pre-existing condition, she said.

“As a temporary roadway, initial plans called for this being a gravel road or lined with … cold plane material, pending material availability,” Laitinen said. “The ideal goal was to pave the road with asphalt-treated base to restore the road to its pre-existing state. That paving is dependent on funding availability, as well as the road being cool enough to pave with (asphalt-treated base), provided weather and construction conditions permit for the above activities being completed.”

Initial construction costs were estimated at nearly $12 million, but Laitinen said design and construction work are being done in-house by the department, “where cost savings are anticipated.” from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2Pbwjz0

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PGV gets OK for new wells

Applications from Puna Geothermal Venture for two new geothermal wells have been approved, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources confirmed Wednesday.

According to a DLNR spokesman, one permit was approved on Aug. 9. The second permit was approved Monday.

Drilling can start drilling Sept. 20.

The permits required approval from DLNR Chairwoman Suzanne Case.

But permit approval doesn’t mean that work on new wells will necessarily commence.

The applications were a contingency as PGV assessed wells covered by lava during the 2018 eruption of Kilauea volcano.

Mike Kaleikini, PGV’s senior director of Hawaii affairs, said Wednesday the new wells are still under consideration.

“There’s work to do before we can be firm on the decision making,” he said.

In addition to the permits, Kaleikini said there are more notifications and discussions that need to take place.

PGV will host a community meeting in Pahoa next month, and by that time, “we will definitely have information we will be able to share with the community in general,” he said.

The PGV community meeting is scheduled for 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility, 15-0322 Kauhale St.

According to Kaleikini, permits are usually valid for one year.

PGV is allowed to build as many as 28 wells under a plan of operation approved in 2006.

It currently has 11 wells — five for injection and six for production — that range in depths of 4,000 feet and 8,000 feet.

The 38-megawatt plant produced 31 percent of the island’s power and about half of its renewable energy in 2017.

The well permit applications were filed in April and came as PGV, the state’s only geothermal power plant, moves to resume operations after being isolated by lava flows from last year’s Kilauea eruption.

The applications were reviewed and returned to PGV with comments in early June before they were resubmitted to DLNR for consideration.

“We continue to do assessments of our wells, and that’s going to be ongoing,” Kaleikini said. “There’s a lot more work to do. We still plan to be online by the end of the year. We want to be operational before year-end. That hasn’t changed.”

PGV also is focused on safety and “just want to express our full commitment to HELCO and Hawaii Island … .”

Email Stephanie Salmons at ssalmons@hawaiitribune-herald.com. from Hawaii News – Hawaii Tribune-Herald https://ift.tt/2KNYY8R