US, Cook Islands to Cooperate on Seabed Mining
CEO and President of Hawaii Shipbuilding Company Sentenced for $29M Investment Fraud Scheme
Mexican National Sentenced to 54 Months for Illegal Reentry After Ten Prior Removals and Three Illegal Reentry Felony Convictions
Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum Launches Aircraft Mechanic Training Program
Lahaina: “No commercial buildings have been rebuilt”
MN: … A vibrant and busy town before the fire that killed 102 people and destroyed an estimated 2,200 structures, Lahaina generated about $2.7 million a day in revenue, in addition to having deep historic and cultural significance.
In February, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its partners completed debris removal for the last commercial properties in Lahaina, clearing all 148 commercial lots and allowing a clearer path to rebuilding. In total, 1,538 residential and commercial properties have been cleared of ash and debris.
However, according to the Maui County Office of Recovery, as of July 28, no commercial buildings in Lahaina had been rebuilt and occupied. So far, 33 nonresidential building permits have been issued and another 141 nonresidential permits are being processed. Residential housing has come back at a much quicker rate with 45 homes rebuilt and occupied, 423 permits issued and 183 permits currently being processed.
The number of businesses applying for permits is likely lower than what’s reflected in the nonresidential permits because those permits include multi-unit dwellings, as well as commercial buildings, according to Maui County Recovery administrator John Smith.
Smith explained that the system of permitting commercial buildings and multi-unit dwellings is more complicated and takes more time to review than single-family homes.
“Some of them have underground requirements,” he said. “Some of them have additional storm water requirements. So the complexity is what lends to take more time.” ….
Blystone said the county’s shoreline setback areas are based on scientific modeling and where the county expects the shoreline to be in 70 years.
“What we’re finding is that sea level rise is happening much faster than we thought,” she said, idiotically.
(CLUE: Per NOAA, sea level rise at HNL is 1.5mm per year. 6 inches per century. LINK >>> NOAA CHART <<<)
“SMA majors typically take much longer than that,” Blystone said.
From what she’s seen, Blystone said a lot of owners are trying to figure out their path forward, whether or not they go for the full SMA for permit.
She said the biggest problem that can stall the process is when an application is incomplete or when the applicants aren’t responsive to comments by the planning department.
“That’s when things get stuck,” she said.
“We had the same problem with the Planning Commission as well. We were down to five members for a couple months,” she continued.
“So we need good people to apply for the Planning Commission – everything from clerks to planners.”
Some commercial property owners are trying to navigate the permitting process, but others have delayed applying for permits, saying they are unsure of their chances of approval and citing steep costs to pursue multiple permits.
“The processes are daunting,” said Kaleo Schneider, spokesperson for Front Street Recovery, a group representing more than 70 landowners. “They have not made it easier.”
Schneider said her family’s property once housed 15 businesses including the Sunrise Cafe, Dole, the Cookie Company and Wyland Galleries. Schneider said they are looking at being required to get 10 permits and estimated that would cost about a half a million dollars….
Read … Commercial rebuilds lag in the heart of Lahaina | News, Sports, Jobs - Maui News
Hundreds of Honolulu police officers weigh in on the qualities, experience their next chief should have
HNN: … “We see the qualities they’re looking for. That’s really not what makes a great police chief,” said Jonathan Frye, SHOPO Honolulu Chapter Chair.
Frye said those qualities that the commission emphasizes may work in the private sector or another career, but “it’s not the qualities that we need in a leader to run this department.”
HPD is currently seeking the fourth chief in less than 10 years and officers are weary about the continuous turnover at the top, which contributes to the low morale.
The three most important leadership qualities cited by respondents: a chief who visibly advocates for the the officers, stands up to politicians and lawmakers on issues detrimental to the department, and takes ownership of challenges, then urgently acts to solve them.
“That doesn’t mean somebody that’s going to go out there and always defend us no matter what we’ve done, good or bad, but to advocate for us and to be able to stand up and say, yes, my officers did this or they did that and I stand by them,” Frye said.
“We haven’t seen that in years and this is what has led to a lot of the issues in the department because we don’t feel represented by our command,” Frye said.
When it comes to qualifications and experience, officers said it was essential that the commission choose someone with more field experience. They don’t want someone who spent most of their career making decisions from an office.
Number two on the list of qualifications, they want someone fair and consistent when it comes to discipline.
And third, a chief who oversees recruitment and retention. Addressing the 465 vacancies is crucial to increasing patrol staffing and keeping officers from burning out.
Among the written responses from officers, “We need a chief who shows extreme ownership” and not one who makes excuses.
Another officer wrote, “Right now, our dept. is outdated when it comes to police equipment, uniforms, and overall innovation…..
CB: Honolulu Police Union Members Want Next Chief To Come From Within HPD - Honolulu Civil Beat
KHON: Police union poll: HPD officers searching for charismatic chief
Read … Hundreds of Honolulu police officers weigh in on the qualities, experience their next chief should have
Honolulu property tax exemptions could ease living costs for kupuna
KITV: … Homeowners in Honolulu are a step closer to getting some relief on property taxes, especially kupuna with financial challenges.
Bill 50 would raise the property tax exemption from $140,000 a year to $250,000 a year. Bill 49 proposes to raise the tax exemption for seniors from $160,000 a year to $300,000; almost doubling the exemption.
Some in support see it as a way to help with our expensive cost of living….
Read … Honolulu property tax exemptions could ease living costs for kupuna | News | kitv.com
Boring Repetitive News: Haleiwa housing project stalls after lawmakers defer action on key measure
HNN: … (Predictably) More than 800 people submitted testimony against Bill 37, which would rezone some land in Haleiwa from agricultural to urban ….
(IDEA: Save your testimony as a Word file so you can re-use it next time.)
ASD: Council pumps the brakes on Hale‘iwa development
KITV: Honolulu City Council blocks Haleiwa housing development | News | kitv.com
Read … Haleiwa housing project stalls after lawmakers defer action on key measure
Media access to HPD radio channels receives pushback
SA: … Formby added “to the extent that we can massage the language, so that they can protect the data and the information that need to be protected, from the public I feel like we can get on the same page.”
Likewise, HPD Interim Chief Rade K. Vanic, who indicated initial support for the measure in June, told the Council his position has since changed.
“Our position is that we fully support the intent of the bill,” he said. “We do believe that we should provide information to the media in a timely manner. However, our position is that we shouldn’t be releasing our police radio communication, or our police dispatch, to the media.”
But Vanic added “that I believe we would be in support of the bill if we were to take out the words ‘police radio dispatch’ and change it something along the lines of ‘media alert system.’ So just those specific words.”…
Read … Media access to HPD radio channels receives pushback | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
EPA plans to claw back $62M awarded to Hawaiʻi for solar projects
HPR: … The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the EPA is drafting termination letters to all of the program's recipients.
That list includes the Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Agency, which was awarded more than $62 million in Solar for All funds.
HGIA Executive Director Gwen Yamamoto-Lau said seven community solar projects spread across Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Molokaʻi and Oʻahu are contingent on those funds…
NYT: E.P.A. Moves to Cancel $7 Billion in Grants for Solar Energy - The New York Times
Read … EPA plans to claw back $62M awarded to Hawaiʻi for solar projects | Hawai'i Public Radio
Mayor vetoes bill regarding roadside soliciting
HTH: … Hawaii County Mayor Kimo Alameda announced Wednesday that he has vetoed County Council Bill 59 on July 31, a rare move that challenges a recently passed ordinance regulating pedestrian behavior near roadways.
The bill, which the council unanimously approved 9-0 on July 9, sought to prohibit pedestrians from entering or remaining within 15 feet of a roadway to solicit or offer rides, employment, business or any other goods or services from occupants of vehicles unless those vehicles were legally parked.
Under the ordinance, violations would carry fines ranging from $250 to $1,000 and community service requirements of between 50 and 200 hours, with increased penalties for repeat offenses within one year….
In his veto message, the first of his term, Alameda expressed concerns the legislation could infringe upon constitutionally protected speech and expression in public spaces and expose the county to legal challenges.
He also noted that the bill’s restrictions could interfere with the use of “flag stops” on certain county bus routes….
The bill’s sponsor, council Chair Holeka Inaba, said in a statement to the Tribune-Herald: “Following new legal guidance from our Corporation Counsel after the council’s final action on Bill 59, I appreciate Mayor Alameda’s commitment to prioritizing the best interests of both the county and the public. The council remains committed to working with community partners to introduce a new bill that upholds the safety measures intended in Bill 59 while also addressing the identified legal concerns.” ….
RELATED: Bill 59 Could Have Stopped Homeless Panhandling in Traffic
CB: Hawaiʻi Mayor Did The Right Thing In Vetoing Anti-Free Speech Bill - Honolulu Civil Beat
Read … Mayor vetoes bill regarding roadside soliciting - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
COVID-19 cases in Hawaii still on upward trend this summer
SA: … The Hawaii Department of Health today reported a statewide test positivity rate of 16.1% on its COVID dashboard Opens in a new tab, up from 14.3% last week. The prior week, it was at 12.0%. Ideally, the rate would be much lower — below 5.0% — which is where it was during most of this year.
The 7-day average of new cases statewide also continued to rise, to 88 this week, compared to 83 last week. The prior week, it was at 67….
Hospitalizations of COVID patients in the state are also on the rise, according to data from the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
In the last week, Hawaii hospitals have had an average of about 60 COVID patients a day, according to HAH President and CEO Hilton Raethel. During the second week of June, the latest data available from DOH, there was an average of 20 COVID patients a day….
Read … COVID-19 cases in Hawaii still on upward trend this summer | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
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