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  • Downtown Neighborhood Board No. 13 Minutes Posted for THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 Meeting

With Permission / Courtesy of: City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office

DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO 13


DRAFT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

ALOHA TOWERS, MULTI PURPOSE ROOM 2

CALL TO ORDER -- Chair Alvin Au called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., with a quorum of seven (7) members present. Note: This nine (9) member Board requires five (5) members to establish a quorum and to take official Board action.

Board Members Present -- Alvin Au, Anthony Chang, Dolores Mollring, Jonathan Saupe, Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock (departed the meeting at 8:00 p.m.), Tom Smyth and Bob Tom.

Board Members Absent -- Jasmine Mancos and Stanford Yuen.

Guests -- Captain Kenneth Kahahawai and Fire Fighter 3 Stan Kimura (Honolulu Fire Department); Lieutenant Shellie Paiva and Sergeant Clinton Corpuz (Honolulu Police Department); Laurel Johnston (Governor Ige's Representative); Megan Muramatsu (Mayor Caldwell's Representative); Councilmember Carol Fukunaga; Pat Lee (Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation); Sonny Le (Senator Karl Rhoads); Sam Moku (Hawaii Pacific University); Greg Payton (Mental Health Kokua/Safe Haven); Lee Stack (Chinatown Improvement District); Nicole Reid (Arts, Culture, Merchants, Etc.); Miki Lee, Ronald Higa, Joan Davis, Ryan Kanno, and Kalawai'a Goo; Videographer (‘Olelo); and Sharon Baillie (Neighborhood Commission Office).

INTRODUCTION OF BOARD MEMBERS -- Chair Au and the Board members introduced themselves at this time.

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS

Honolulu Fire Departments (HFD) -- Captain Kenneth Kahahawai reported the following:

• November 2016 Fire Statistics -- There were 2 structure fires, 8 nuisance fires, 1 cooking fire, and 5 activated alarms. There were 200 medical emergencies, 1 motor vehicle collision with a pedestrian, 6 motor vehicle crashes/collisions, 1 ocean rescue, and 3 hazardous materials incidents.

• Fire Safety Tip -- Holiday Safety:

o Dried Christmas trees, wreaths, and other natural decorations are extremely flammable. Remove them from the home as soon as possible. Consider disposing them in your green waste bin or taking them to the nearest refuse center.

o Aerial fireworks and novelty items, such as sparklers and fountains, are illegal on Oahu. Firecrackers are legal on Oahu and require a permit for purchase and use. Firecrackers are dangerous and should only be used by a responsible adult. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by trained professionals.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:

1. Kamali'i Park -- Mollring inquired and Captain Kahahawai answered that the HFD has responded to several incidents at Kamali'i Park which include assaults and overdoses. Adding that HFD has notified HPD several times when noticing illegal activity taking place at Kamali'i Park.

2. Safety Check -- Tom noted living at Capital Place and how Honda parks their cars at the kukui side bottom floor which he believes may be a fire lane/wall and requests that HFD look into it. Tom added that the cars will block the line of site for exiting motorist of the building. Captain Kahahawai will look into these concerns.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) -- Lieutenant Shellie Paiva reported the following:

• November 2016 Crime Statistics -- There were 5 motor vehicle thefts, 4 burglaries, 64 thefts, 19 unauthorized entries into a motor vehicle (UEMV's), 22 assaults, 2 sexual assaults, 2 graffiti incidents, and 11 drug offenses. A total of 2,106 calls were placed for service.

• Safety Tip -- Parking Lot Safety: Actions -- Do not text and talk while looking for a parking space, accidents increase when distracted by a phone. Do not argue over parking spaces.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:

1. Safety -- Chair Au noted the positive differences at Smith Beretania Park, adding that when HPD park their patrol cars at major intersections in town, it seems to decrease jaywalking. Chair Au made a request for HPD to monitor the traffic around 5:00 p.m. at the intersections of Nuuanu Avenue and Kukui Street as well as on Maunakea Street and Kukui Street as motorists tend to speed causing safety concerns for other motorists and pedestrians.

2. Requests -- Shubert-Kwock requested that the 26 cameras around Downtown-Chinatown be placed on the statistics given at the monthly meetings and would like the drug arrests to be divided by people selling drugs versus consuming drugs. Shubert-Kwock noted the sad state of King Street and River Street as well as on Hotel Street and River Street with all of the homeless and tents everywhere. Shubert-Kwock inquired if there was an ordinance against stores who do not go out and collect their shopping carts, which are taken and used by homeless, Lieutenant Paiva will take these concerns back and look into the question.

3. Security -- Tom asked if there were any plans to add security to the Downtown-Chinatown area during the holiday season, to which Lieutenant Paiva stated that HPD would love to add more patrol to the area but it may be a matter of budget. Lieutenant Paiva added that there may be extra security during major events and this would be special duty officers.

4. Statistics -- Mollring inquired and Lieutenant Paiva answered that the statistics given in the reports are generated police report numbers and do not give the exact number of arrests or suspects in incidents. More information on reported crimes can be found on www.honolulupd.org.

5. Suspicious Activity -- Miki Lee reported that there was an uneasy feeling and suspected illegal activity taking place around the intersection of Maunakea Street and North King Street. Lieutenant Paiva noted that the HPD cannot bias base profile, and requests that if citizens see anything out of the ordinary to please call so that they are able to check out the activity.

6. Community Policing -- Chair Au stated that the community policing team would be a good way to get the citizens and business owners involved with keeping the area safe. Lieutenant Paiva noted that the community policing team for District One (1) Sergeant Derek Valoroso and his team do a lot of good work in the community.

Neighborhood Citizen's Patrol (NCP) -- Dolores Mollring reported the following: Activities -- Mollring noted that the Community Policing Team held a Christmas Banquet for Kupuna earlier in the day, and that on Saturday, December 3, 2016 there will be a "Shop with a Cop" event at the local Walgreens. Mollring invited everyone out to joining the patrol each Tuesday on the Diamond Head side of Kukui Plaza at 8:00 p.m.

2017 Neighborhood Board Election -- Chair Au announced the following: Elections -- The Neighborhood Board elections are upon us again. The process occurs every odd-numbered year and allows the residents of Oahu to have a deeper involvement with its government by electing its own neighborhood board representatives. Candidate registration began on Thursday, December 1, 2016, with the release of candidate forms. Individuals can register online at the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO) website http://www.honolulu.gov/nco/, or obtain a copy of the form at the Public Information Center located at 550 South King Street #102 or at the new NCO Office located at 925 Dillingham Boulevard Suite 160. Hardcopy forms must be submitted to the NCO. All interested residents are encouraged to register as Neighborhood Board candidates. The deadline for candidate and voter registration is Friday, February 17, 2017. The NCO will be sponsoring informational sessions to further inform the public on the Neighborhood Board election process. Dates to be determined. Copies of the candidate registration form are also available tonight at the sign in table. Please turn in any completed forms to the Neighborhood Assistant for processing. Contact the NCO via email at nco@honolulu.gov or by phone at 808-768-3781 with any questions.

Public Concerns

• Kapolei City Lights -- Ronald Higa announced that the Kapolei City Lights would be taking place Saturday, December 10, 2016 on Ulu‘ōhi‘a Street fronting Kapolei Hale. The parade will start at 6:00 p.m.

TRAFFIC ALERTS

• Honolulu City Lights Parade -- Saturday, December 3, 2016. From 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Street closure on North King Street to Alapai Street.

• 44th Honolulu Marathon -- Sunday, December 11, 2016. Start time 5:00 a.m. Downtown-Chinatown neighborhood route on Ala Moana Boulevard through Nuuanu Avenue, North King Street to Kapiolani Boulevard.

• 4th Annual Jingle Rock Run -- Sunday, December 18, 2016. From 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Street closures on Beretania Street from Punchbowl Street to North King Street, returning through Hotel Street, and Ward Avenue, and to South Beretania Street.

COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Safe Haven -- Greg Payton reported the following:

• Placement -- 82 individuals have been placed in permanent supportive housing from January 2016 through November 2016, surpassing their goal of placing 70 individuals into housing for 2016. An additional 25 individuals are housed at Safe Haven for a total of 107 homeless individuals housed and off the streets.

• Pauahi Hale -- The roof at Pauahi Hale has been replaced; 12 rooms have now opened up that were previously water damaged.

• Annual Count -- The nationwide annual point in time count will be taking place at the end of January 2017. Volunteers are needed to help count and survey homeless individuals on the island. There will be voluntary training for this endeavor. More information will be announced at the next board meeting for individuals who would like to volunteer.

Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) -- Sam Moku reported the following:

• New Years -- There will be a New Year's event at Aloha Towers on Saturday, December 31, 2016. Thousands of people will be in attendance. There will be fireworks and music.

• Commencement -- Fall commencement will be on Thursday, December 15, 2016. Commencement speaker will be Jeff Moorad.

• Project in Hilo -- HPU in partnership with the Oceanic Institute will be starting a project in Hilo for a Feed Mill. This project was originally earmarked by the late Senator Daniel Inouye 17 years ago.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) -- Pat Lee reported the following:

• Update -- HART has prepared and submitted an update of its Financial Plan to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the Full Funding Grant Agreement and HART's project recovery plan. Also, Shimmick Traylor Granite JV, the contractor building the guideway and stations from Middle Street to Aloha Stadium including the airport station, has just received their "notice to proceed" to begin construction work for that 5.2 mile segment of the rail project.

• Construction -- Construction is proceeding through the western portion of the alignment. The rail guideway spans (between the columns) along Kamehameha Highway should be completed by the middle of December 2016. Over 50% of track work has been installed for the KHG segment of the project (from Pearl Highlands to Aloha Stadium).

• Limited Closures -- There will be limited lane closures from Saturday, December 17, 2016 to Monday, January 2, 2017 in observance of the holiday season. Any closures associated with the rail project will take place during off-peak hours and will be limited to those directly affecting the safety of the crews and traveling public. All 24/7 closures currently in place will remain in place during these hours, and maintenance crews will be on-site during the Holiday season as needed. All crews and normal lane closure hours will resume on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.

• 75th Anniversary of the Attacks on Pearl Harbor -- Additionally, there will be restrictions on rail construction in the Pearl Harbor area to accommodate the 75th Anniversary events on Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

• Operations Center -- The Rail Operations Center (ROC) in Waipahu is the location for train operations and maintenance. The five (5) miles of test track in the ROC should be energized in February 2017, and train testing up on the guideway should start around March 2017. The trains will be tested at nights and on weekends. Testing includes verification of all safety features of the signaling system, propulsion and braking at various station locations, and maintaining proper speed and stopping at the correct spot at the stations where the platform passenger safety gates open and close for boarding.

• Award -- The ROC was recently awarded a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. LEED developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. Buildings are rated on their environmental components, including sustainability and energy efficiency.

• Shop and Dine on the Line -- Just a reminder about the Shop and Dine on the Line program to assist businesses along the rail alignment during construction. The website is www.shopanddineontheline.com for more details and a list of the participating businesses.

• Information -- For general project information, traffic updates, a complete list of all lane closures, meeting notices, and more information, please visit the website www.honolulutransit.org, call the project hotline at 566-2299 or email a question at info@honolulutransit.org.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed: Newspaper Article -- Tom inquired into a newspaper article which suggested the rail was not being built correctly, P. Lee noted that the article referenced tendons along the guideway which have fractured and had rust due to water intrusion. These three (3) tendons out of 1,486 have been replaced and all of the tendons along the guideway are being looked at.

Chinatown Business and Community Association (CBCA) -- Shubert-Kwock reported the following:

• Meeting -- CBCA held their monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at Empress Restaurant.

• Movie -- Robin Lung's film "Finding Kokun" made its premier at the International Film Festival at Dole Cannery.

• Veteran's Day -- CBCA attended an event for Veterans Day this year.

• Holiday Party -- CBCA celebrated the United States China's People Friendship Association, Oahu Chapter holiday party.

• Fundraiser -- CBCA assisted and supported the Chinese Community Action Coalition at Golden Palace for a fundraiser.

• Board Meeting -- Shubert-Kwock attended a joint board meeting as president elect for Associated Chinese University Women (ACUW).

• Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland -- CBCA attended a Mahalo and Appreciation party on Saturday, November 12, 2016 for Senator Chun Oakland.

Chinatown Improvement District (CID) -- Lee Stack reported the following:

• Accomplishments -- Stack highlighted the CID accomplishments for 2016.

o Two (2) park cleanups.

o Partnership with Historic Hawaii for Chinatown Upstairs and a Preservation Series.

o Taste of Chinatown.

o Safe Sidewalk cleanups.

Shubert-Kwock departed the meeting at 8:00 p.m.; Six (6) board members present.

Arts Culture Merchants Etcetera (ACME) -- Nicole Reid reported the following:

• Initiatives -- Business owners who are a part of ACME are taking initiatives to create a direct line of communication between service providers who provide services and those people they may see that need help.

• A'ala Dog Park -- A'ala Dog Park is in progress and hopes to be open by the same time next year 2017. Fundraising efforts are taking place.

• Events -- ACME is excited for events taking place in the community. The Holidaze event by the Office of Economic Development (OED) and ArtxFlea as well as Honolulu Community Action Program (HCAP) Winter Walk will bring welcomed foot traffic.

• Stores -- There have been new stores coming into Chinatown. The latest one (1) is a tattoo shop on Maunakea Street.

ELECTED OFFICIALS

Mayor Kirk Caldwell's Representative -- Megan Muramatsu of the Managing Directors Office (MDO) reported the following:

• River of Life -- Jun Yang, Director of the Office of Housing is in the process of setting up a meeting with River of Life Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob Marchant to discuss the neighborhood board request.

• Ala Moana Beach Park -- The HPD has made checks of the beach park at various times of day and has issued two (2) citations for animals prohibited in the park. Officers will continue to monitor the area. The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) encourages the public to call HPD at 911 and file a report when they witness any prohibited activities in parks.

Councilmember Carol Fukunaga -- Councilmember Fukunaga reported the following:

• Meeting -- The City Council held their final meeting of 2016 earlier in the day.

• Charter Commission -- Councilmember Fukunaga and the other Councilmembers thank the Honolulu Charter Commission for all of their hard work. 17 of the 20 charter amendments passed at general election time.

• Honolulu City Lights -- Honolulu City Lights will be held on Saturday, December 3, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. at Honolulu Hale.

• December 7th -- Councilmember Fukunaga provided a list of events taking place around the neighborhood which would be commemorating veterans. Councilmembers Fukunaga and others have been attending events that are celebrating our nation's heroes.

• Bill 63 -- Bill 63 passed second reading during the meeting earlier in the day and will go back to the Budget Committee for final approval. Bill 63 would require the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (BFS) to grant the real property tax compromises upon Council approval.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed: Bill 63 -- Chair Au suggested that the Home Owners Associations (HOA) should be included in Bill 63, so they are alerted to when surveys are being done to reclassify the land use for tax purposes. Councilmember Fukunaga noted that this route will act as a safety belt for extreme circumstances.

Governor David Ige's Representative -- Laurel Johnston, Governor Ige's Chief of Staff reported the following:

• Veterans -- Thank you to all military veterans.

• Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) -- The federal law ESSA gives the states more controls over their schools. The ESSA team focuses on more school empowerment and ways to prepare students for the 21st century.

• Homeless -- An additional $20 million is being allocated towards homeless efforts.

Questions, comments and concerns that followed:

1. Fees -- Chair Au stated hearing about a proposed 55% increase in shipping fees, Johnston noted that this was a proposal which would help go towards Harbor improvements but it is still in discussion as some people have opposing views on the increase.

2. Improvements -- A resident asked and Johnston answered that the fees would be for the Honolulu Harbor as other Harbors are run by different entities.

Senator Karl Rhoads -- Sonny Le reported the following:

• Cleanup -- A request was received to have the grass trimmed and rubbish picked up along the grassy area between Nuuanu Stream and River Street between Vineyard Boulevard and Kukui Street. The issue was forwarded to the Department of Facilities Maintenance (DFM).

• Pedestrian Button -- The pedestrian button on the mauka side of Beretania Street at Smith Street does not work if cars are not waiting on Smith Street. The issue was forwarded to the city.

APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 3, 2016 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES -- The Board approved the November 3, 2016 regular meeting minutes by UNANIMOUS CONSENT, 6-0-0. (AYE: Au, Chang, Mollring, Saupe, Smyth, and Tom; Nay: none; Abstain: none).

BOARD BUISNESS AND REPORTS

Liquor License Applications

• Pitchers LLC, 1153 Bethel Street, Category Three (3), Consumption on premises. Liquor Commission hearing will be held Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 4:00 p.m.

• Element Events and Catering LLC. has applied for a one (1) day special liquor license permit on Saturday, December 31, 2016 starting at 6:00 p.m. to Sunday, January 1, 2017 ending at 2:00 a.m. for the Aloha Towers New Year Event.

Treasurer's Report -- Treasurer Mollring reported a remaining balance of $247.80. The report was filed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Next Meeting -- The next Downtown Neighborhood Board No. 13 meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 5, 2017 at the Hawaii Pacific University, One Aloha Tower Drive, Multi-Purpose Room 2 at 7:00 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT -- The meeting adjourned at 8:29 p.m.

Submitted by: Sharon Baillie, Neighborhood Assistant I

Reviewed by: Stephen Saito, Neighborhood Assistant I

Final Review by: Chair Alvin Au and Vice Chair Tom

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