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Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Meeting JULY 2022 Minutes
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With Permission / Courtesy of: City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office

Downtown / Chinatown Neighborhood Board No. 13

July 2022 Minutes

DRAFT REGULAR MEETING MINUTES - INITIAL CONVENING

THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2022

6:00 P.M. HYBRID

Mission Memorial Auditorium

CALL TO ORDER: Chair Pro Tem Laura Sturges called the Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board No. 13 meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Quorum was established with seven (7) members present. Note: This nine-member Board requires five (5) members to establish quorum and to take official Board action.

Members Present: Robert Armstrong, Ernest Caravalho, Sean Fitzsimmons, Ara Laylo, Kevin Lye, Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, Laura Sturges, and Kevin McDonald (6:10 p.m.)

Members Absent: Lori McCarney.

Guests: Deputy Fire Chief Jason Samala, Battalion Chief Kevin Mokulehua, Acting Company Commander Jonathan Waltz (Honolulu Fire Department); Lieutenant Arnold Sagucio (Honolulu Police Department); Lynell Yuu (Councilmember Fukunaga's Office); Senator Karl Rhoads; Representative Daniel Holt; Lee Stack (Chinatown Improvement District); Sultan White (Trust for Public Land); Patrick Watson (Honua Consulting Company); Ken Farm, Kim Coco-Iwamoto, Traci Toguchi, Maria Roth-Tijerina, Chance Na'auao-Ota, Alicia Salta, Noe Tanigawa (Residents); Deputy Dylan Whitsell and Dylan Buck (Neighborhood Commission Office). There were 38 total attendees.

Chair Pro Tem Sturges called a one (1) hour recess to conduct the Candidate Forum at 6:00 p.m.

McDonald joined the meeting at 6:10 p.m.; eight (8) members present.

Chair Pro Tem Sturges called the meeting back to order at 7:00 p.m.

PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS

Honolulu Police Department (HPD): Lieutenant Sagucio reported the following.

• June 2022 Statistics: There were 12 motor vehicle thefts, six (6) burglaries, 53 thefts, 15 unauthorized entries into motor vehicles (UEMV), 29 assaults, 0 sexual assaults, 0 graffiti cases, seven (7) drug offenses, and 2,139 total calls for service.

• Safety Tip: HPD requested that the public exercise pedestrian safety when traveling on foot.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed.

1. Attempted Murder on Hotel Street: Fitzsimmons asked if HPD had any leads on the attempted murder case that occurred recently on Hotel Street and Lieutenant Sagucio responded that it is an on-going investigation so more information cannot be shared at this time. Fitzsimmons asked and Lieutenant Sagucio responded that he does not believe it is gang-related.

2. On-Going Issues: Lye presented several images of on-going issues experienced in the community, regarding homelessness, illegal advertising and noise disturbances, to Lieutenant Sagucio for response. Lieutenant Sagucio provided individual responses to each issue.

3. Legislative Liaison: McDonald noted this Board's previous request for HPD to send their legislative liaison to one of these Board meetings and Lieutenant Sagucio responded that he will forward the request to Captain Braden Ogata.

4. Recruit Process: Armstrong asked and Lieutenant Sagucio responded that 33 recruits recently graduated and will need to complete their tandem field training program before transitioning to solo-beat officers. Lieutenant Sagucio added that HPD plans on increasing the number of recruit classes and reducing the size per class to lower the attrition rate.

5. Security Cameras: Armstrong requested an update on the status of the security cameras that Mayor Blangiardi promised to upgrade.

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD): Acting Company Commander Waltz reported the following.

• June 2022 Statistics: There were four (4) nuisance fires, one (1) cooking fire, six (6) activated alarms (no fire), 91 medical emergencies, two (2) motor vehicle collisions with pedestrian, and four (4) motor vehicle collisions.

• Safety Tip: Every year, a national average of 8,900 home fires are caused by grilling. Visit https://fire.honolulu.gov/ to learn more.

• Kamalii Mini Park: HFD has determined that the Kamalii Mini Park is not suitable to expand the Central fire Station. HFD will continue to work with other City departments on the future use and plans for the park.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed.

1. Reasoning: Fitzsimmons asked and Acting Company Commander Waltz responded that expansion with the park was determined unfeasible after consultation with the State and City.

2. Request for Information: Lye requested that HFD keep the Board and the community informed of any updates regarding the Kamalii Mini Park.

3. Invitation to HFD Fire Chief: Armstrong recommended that the new HFD Fire Chief attend an upcoming No.13 Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board meeting to explain why Kamalii Mini Park is not feasible for HFD expansion.

INITIAL CONVENING BUSINESS

Election of Board Officers - Chair: Lye nominated McDonald for Chair. Shubert-Kwock nominated Sturges for Chair, Sturges declined. Shubert-Kwock nominated Fitzsimmons for Chair, Fitzsimmons declined. Sturges nominated Caravalho for Chair. Hearing no other nominations, the Board took a roll-call vote. The Board elected Caravalho as Chair; 5-3-0 (Caravalho: Caravalho, Fitzsimmons, Laylo, Shubert-Kwock, Sturges; McDonald: Armstrong, Lye, McDonald; Abstain: None).

Election of Board Officers - Vice Chair: Caravalho nominated Fitzsimmons for Vice Chair. McDonald nominated Lye for Vice Chair. Hearing no other nominations, the Board took a roll-call vote. Election of Vice Chair was deferred as neither candidate received a majority vote; 4-4-0 (Fitzsimmons: Caravalho, Fitzsimmons, Shubert-Kwock, Sturges; Lye: Armstrong, Laylo, Lye, McDonald; Abstain: None).

Election of Board Officers - Secretary: Fitzsimmons nominated Lye for Secretary, Lye declined. Caravalho nominated Shubert-Kwock for Secretary, Shubert-Kwock declined. Hearing no other nominations, the Election of Secretary was deferred to the next meeting.

Election of Board Officers - Treasurer: Lye self-nominated for Treasurer. Shubert-Kwock nominated Sturges for Treasurer. Hearing no other nominations, the Board took a roll-call vote. The Board elected Sturges as Treasurer; 6-2-0 (Sturges: Armstrong, Caravalho, Fitzsimmons, Laylo, Shubert-Kwock, Sturges; Lye: Lye, McDonald; Abstain: None).

Fitzsimmons left the meeting at 7:32 p.m.; seven (7) members present.

Lye MOVED and Armstrong SECONDED the motion to amend the agenda to insert the Neighborhood Citizen Patrol report. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

Neighborhood Citizen Patrol: Lye presented images and reported observations by the patrol during the prior month, including Lye inviting the public to walk with the patrol on the second Tuesday of every month, departing at 7:00 p.m. from the Diamond Head Tower lobby of Kukui Plaza. Please bring a friend, join the patrol, and help identify areas of concern within the community.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed. Gratitude: Armstrong expressed his gratitude towards Lye, the Neighborhood Citizen Patrol and Mayor Blangiardi for their efforts to clean up Chinatown. Armstrong also noted that while this Board does fight and have disagreements, at the end of the day this Board gets the work done of the concerns of the Downtown-Chinatown neighborhood.

Selection of Meeting Date, Time, and Location: McDonald MOVED and Armstrong SECONDED the motion to retain the previous term's meeting date, time, and location. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

Determination of Board Recess Schedule: McDonald MOVED and Caravalho SECONDED the motion to defer the determination of the Board's recess schedule until a later date. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

Adoption of Oral Testimony Rules: Lye MOVED and Armstrong SECONDED the motion to retain the previous term's oral testimony rules. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

Appointments by Chair (Parliamentarian, OahuMPO CAC Representative): Hearing no volunteers, Chair Caravalho volunteered to continue serving as the Board's Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizen Advisory Committee's Representative. Chair Caravalho deferred the appointment of a parliamentarian until a later date.

Designation of Board Committees and Committee Chairs: Shubert-Kwock MOVED and Armstrong SECONDED the motion to defer the designation of Board Committees and Committee Chairs until a later date. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

PUBLIC CONCERNS

Chinatown Business Community Association (CBCA) Report: Shubert-Kwock provided the report from the Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Chinatown Business Community Association (CBCA) meeting and announced that the next CBCA meeting will be held at Golden Palace on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. The CBCA meets on the second Tuesday of the month and are joined by City Officials, HPD, Chinatown Stakeholders, and residents.

�A`ala Park Revitalization: Sultan White, Program Manager at Trust for Public Land (TPL), reported the following. The TPL Grass Roots Community Engagement Report for �A'ala Park is now available at: https://www.tpl.org/our-work/%CA%BBa%CA%BBala-park. TPL is now transitioning into an event phase with active skateboarding classes and dog obedience training. The Dragon Boat Race Festival will take place on Saturday, July 30, 2022. A Resource Fair, partnered with the Inter-Agency Council on Immigration, will take place on Saturday, August 20, 2022. TPL also partnered with Kamehameha Schools Mural Club to do public art activities at �A'ala Park. For more information contact Sultan White at sultan.white@tpl.org

Chinatown Improvement District (CID) Report: Lee Stack reported that CID raised $1,000.00 for the Institute for Human Services (IHS) to help with the increased demand for food services, following the closure of the River of Life's food distribution program.

BOARD BUSINESS

Red Hill Fuel Tanks Decommissioning - Resolution: Deferred to next meeting.

Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes: Thursday, December 2, 2021, Thursday, May 5, 2022 & Tuesday, June 7, 2022: Several amendments were announced. Hearing no objections, the Thursday, June 7, 2022 meeting minutes were approved as amended by Unanimous Consent. Armstrong MOVED and McDonald SECONDED the motion to approve the Thursday, December 2, 2021 & Thursday, May 5, 2022 meeting minutes as amended. Hearing no objections, the Thursday, December 2, 2021 & Thursday, May 5, 2022 meeting minutes were approved as amended by Unanimous Consent.

Motion to amend something previously adopted: Cinco De Mayo Cultural Celebration Fundraiser Block Party: Lye MOVED and Shubert-Kwock SECONDED the motion to amend the Board's previous motion of support for the Cinco De Mayo Cultural Celebration Fundraiser Block Party. Discussion followed. Hearing no objections, the motion PASSED by Unanimous Consent.

Lye MOVED and Armstrong SECONDED the motion to support an alcohol-free Cinco De Mayo Block Party on Thursday, May 5, 2022 with the cessation of all outdoor music by no later than 10:00 p.m., continuous monitoring by event promoters of sound levels at each sound or music venue to ensure that no illegal sounds levels are exceeded at any time, a timely presentation of a full report to the Neighborhood Board No.13 during the first regular meeting of same following said event, and exclusion of the entity �Hank's Cafe Honolulu' from coordinating or participating in said event. Discussion followed.

McDonald MOVED and Caravalho SECONDED the motion to amend the motion by striking out the words "alcohol-free". Discussion followed. Hearing no further discussion, the Board took a roll-call vote. The motion to amend WAS NOT passed; 3-4-0 (Aye: Caravalho, McDonald, Laylo; Nay: Armstrong, Lye, Shubert-Kwock, Sturges; Abstain: None).

Hearing no further discussion, the Board took a roll-call vote. The motion to amend the Board's previous motion of support to now read "to support an alcohol-free Cinco De Mayo Block Party on Thursday, May 5, 2022 with the cessation of all outdoor music by no later than 10:00 p.m., continuous monitoring by event promoters of sound levels at each sound or music venue to ensure that no illegal sounds levels are exceeded at any time, a timely presentation of a full report to the Neighborhood Board No.13 during the first regular meeting of same following said event, and exclusion of the entity �Hank's Cafe Honolulu' from coordinating or participating in said event" was PASSED; 6-1-0 (Aye: Armstrong, Caravalho, Laylo, Lye, Shubert-Kwock, Sturges; Nay: McDonald; Abstain: None).

Treasurer's Report: No report was available.

Board Member Concerns: McDonald announced that the Neighborhood Commission has introduced the topic of potentially dissolving this Board for discussion, which was listed on the Neighborhood Commission's Monday, June 27, 2022 agenda. Lye echoed McDonald's concerns and emphasized the significance of this action if it is approved. Shubert-Kwock echoed McDonald's concerns and commented on the negative effects that dissolving this Board would have on the community. Shubert-Kwock commented that she does not blame the Neighborhood Commission for considering this option as a solution to several problems and complaints experienced by this Board over the years. Chair Caravalho echoed McDonald's concerns and commented that this Board must stand together on this issue.

Future Items for Board Consideration: No discussion.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Next Regular Meeting: The next Downtown - Chinatown Neighborhood Board meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at a location to be determined.

Rebroadcast: Rebroadcasts of Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 meetings are scheduled on � lelo channel 49 every third Thursday at 9:00 p.m., as well as 6:00 a.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. An archive of past meetings may be found on https://olelo.org/olelonet/ upon searching on .

Neighborhood Citizen Patrol: The Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Citizen Patrol departs on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. from the Diamond Head tower lobby of Kukui Plaza. Please wear a mask, bring a friend, join the patrol, and help identify areas of concern within our Downtown-Chinatown community.

ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:01 p.m.

Submitted by: Dylan Buck, Neighborhood Assistant

Reviewed by: Dylan Whitsell, Deputy

Finalized by: Ernest Caravalho, Chair

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First Friday Hawaii News Item

Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Meeting JULY 2022 Minutes

Downtown / Chinatown Neighborhood Board No. 13

First Friday Hawaii
News Item