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Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Meeting JUNE 2023 Minutes
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With Permission / Courtesy of: City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office

DOWNTOWN - CHINATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 13

June 2023 Minutes

DRAFT WRITTEN SUMMARY FOR VIDEO RECORD

THURSDAY 1 JUNE 2023

PRINCESS RUTH KE�ELIK LANI MIDDLE SCHOOL & WebEx

6:00 PM

The corresponding video record of this meeting may be found on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgP1loWfyds.

Reports and other meeting materials may be found in the month-specific folder of the NB 13 public-facing Google Drive on https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F4DdI9R8Er12TNf6Bl-yb4p4EW0-68vu.

I. CALL TO ORDER [0:00:01]: 6:00 pm

Chair Ernest Caravalho called the Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Quorum was established with six members present; this nine-member Board requires five members to establish quorum and to take official Board action.

Members Present: Ernest Caravalho, Sean Fitzsimmons, Ross Isokane, Kevin Lye, Lori McCarney, Kevin McDonald (6:08 pm), Willis Moore (6:07 pm), and Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock.

Members Absent: Laura Sturges.

Guests: Lieutenant Arnold Sagucio (Honolulu Police Department); Ryan Catalani (Family Promise); James Tennant, Kelsie-Ann Suan-Kon (Hank's Cafe); Shawn Hamamoto (Governor Josh Green); Deputy Director Ian Santee (Mayor Rick Blangiardi - Honolulu Emergency Services Department); Richmond Luzar (Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam); Kai Hamamoto (Senator Karl Rhoads); Iris Oda (Board of Water Supply); Greg Payton, Elijah Ebert (Safe Haven); Harry Cho (Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation); Patrick Watson (Honua Consulting Company); Travis Thompson, Eugene Chang, Lyn Pyle, Doug Pyle, Alberta Lono-Morolt, Ara Laylo, Charles Jonsson, Rick Keene (Residents); Dylan Buck (Neighborhood Commission Office). Names were not included if not recognized or not legible on the sign-in sheet; there were as many as 43 unique attendees.

Lye MOVED and McCarney SECONDED to amend the agenda by inserting agenda items to reflect the discussion and potential action on amendments to regular meeting minutes that have been previously approved by the Board. Discussion followed. The motion to amend the agenda WAS NOT adopted 5-1-0 (Aye: Caravalho; Fitzsimmons, Isokane, Lye, McCarney, Nay: Shubert-Kwock; Abstain: None) [0:08:15].

Moore joined the meeting at 6:07 pm; seven members present.

McDonald joined the meeting at 6:08 pm; eight members present.

II. PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTS [0:09:00]

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) [0:09:03]: No representative present; a report with the following information was submitted:

• May 2023 Statistics: 4 structure fires, 6 nuisance fires, 8 activated alarms (no fire), 99 medical emergencies, 6 motor vehicle crash/collisions, 1 hazardous materials incident.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) [0:09:14]: Lieutenant Sagucio reported the following:

• May 2023 Statistics: 16 motor vehicle thefts, 7 burglaries, 55 thefts, 40 unauthorized entries into motor vehicles (UEMV), 16 assaults, 5 sexual assaults, 1 graffiti offense, 3 drug offenses, and 3,968 total calls for service.

Questions, comments and concerns followed [0:13:04], addressing fire-hydrant blockades, consistently noisy patrons departing every weekend morning from a club near Pauahi and Bethel Streets, crosswalk blockades by bar signage, defacement of federal property, and parking at nonfunctioning parking meters.

III. NEW BUSINESS / PRESENTATIONS [0:44:28]

Introduction to the Community -Stewbum & Stonewall name changed to Beach House Beer Co. [0:44:32]: No representative present.

Introduction to the Community - Drip Studio Coffee Shop on Fort Street [0:44:46]: No representative present.

Post-Event Report - Family Promise �Keiki Community Fair' [0:45:10]: Ryan Catalani (Family Promise) spoke to a report and highlighted general statistics related to Hawai�i families experiencing homelessness and information about the Keiki Community Fair of Saturday 29 April 2023 co-hosted by Family Promise and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed [0:57:44], including concerns about invited performers disclosed shortly before the date of the event.

Post-Event Report - Cinco De Mayo 2023 [1:14:05]: Kelsie-Ann Suan-Kon and James Tennant (Hank's Cafe) provided a verbal recollection about the Cinco De Mayo 2023 event and suggested that it was successful, received positive reviews, and that no complaints were filed by the Department of Transportation Services (DTS) or Honolulu Police Department (HPD). Tennant noted that event participants did express concern that the portable restrooms should have been relocated throughout the venue as in previous years.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed [1:15:02].

IV. PUBLIC CONCERNS [1:38:41]

Conflicts between Board Members [1:38:55]: Tennant commented that he would like to see members of this Neighborhood Board put aside their differences and get along for the benefit of the community that they represent.

Suggested Improvements to this Neighborhood Board [1:39:52]: Lye noted that he will hopes the next chair of NB 13 will address chronic deficits in meeting agenda documents and re�mploy best practices for improvement of meeting logistics.

Attendance at Other Meetings [1:41:29]: To ensure compliance with Hawaii Revised Statutes §92-2.5(e), and as there had been no opportunity to do so during the May 2023 meeting of NB 13, Lye disclosed that he had attended the following meetings: (1) HPU Crime Roundtable on 13 April 2023; (2) Information Session at Kukui Plaza on 26 April 2023; and (3) HPU Crime Roundtable finale on 27 April 2023.

Order & Decorum [1:42:01]: Shubert-Kwock noted opposition to interruptive comments by member McDonald earlier in the meeting, which she believed to be a form of bullying.

Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month Announcement [1:43:28]: McCarney announced that June is the national Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month, spoke to promising medical developments in treatments for Alzheimer's disease if detected early, and encouraged everyone to speak with their respective physicians regarding early testing and detection.

Chinatown Cleanup Announcement [1:45:25]: Caravalho, speaking as president of the Chinatown Lions Club (CLC), invited everyone to attend CLC clean ups of Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park and Smith-Beretania Mini Park on Saturday 10 June 2023 at 9:00 am, and announced that CLC will be presenting the City and County of Honolulu with checks totaling $4,500 to continue beautification efforts in the Downtown-Chinatown community.

Additional items and testimony are presented as labeled IV. within the NB 13 public-facing June 2023 Google Drive folder.

V. BOARD BUSINESS [1:46:35]

Motion - Allocation of $1000 for Downtown-Chinatown Community Outreach Services [1:46:38]: Several board members provided comments and suggestions for how to best utilize the community outreach funds; McCarney suggested that she could draft a list of several proposals for the board and NCO to review over the next several weeks, and the board could make a final decision at its next meeting in July 2023. Allocation of funding was postponed to the next meeting.

Motion - Approval of a Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 Facebook account [2:02:29]: Several board members provided comments, concerns, and suggestions regarding the approval of an official NB 13 Facebook account. Following discussion, action on this item was postponed to the next meeting to permit input from additional individuals who had created Facebook pages conveying information about events within the NB 13 jurisdiction.

Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes - Thursday 6 April 2023; Thursday 4 May 2023 [2:15:28]: Lye MOVED and Shubert-Kwock SECONDED to approve the Thursday 6 April 2023 draft regular meeting minutes as amended and distributed by Lye. Discussion followed; the motion WAS ADOPTED 7-0-0 (Aye: Caravalho, Fitzsimmons, Isokane, Lye, McCarney, McDonald, Shubert-Kwock; Nay: None; Abstain: None) [2:19:46].

Comments were made regarding the draft regular meeting minutes as distributed by Lye for the Thursday 4 May 2023 meeting of NB 13; no ameliorating amendments to such were proffered [2:30:49], and consideration of this item was postponed to the next meeting.

Board Concerns - proposed policy revisions provided to the Neighborhood Commission for their adoption, together with the Pearl City Neighborhood Board's adopted Resolution addressing this issue; portions of such proposed policies and the Sunshine Law (HRS 92-9 and HRS 92-3.7) together with the Neighborhood Plan's requirement for written minutes [2:31:21]: Chair Caravalho recommended that this item be deferred, as the Neighborhood Commission chose not to adopt the proposed policy, and asked Neighborhood Assistant Buck to provide additional comments. Neighborhood Assistant Buck clarified that the Neighborhood Commission (NC) did not adopt the proposed policy because nearly every aspect of the policy is already written in the Neighborhood Plan, or is current practice of the Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO), that members of several Neighborhood Boards had raised concerns about the proposed policy, and that the NC had voiced support of the use of timestamps from video recordings in meeting minutes. Lye shared images of the proposed policy, requested that a memorandum from NC to have been distributed to NB chairs about such be posted within the July 2023 Google Drive folder for NB 13, and reiterated the concerns raised by members of other Neighborhood Boards at the Neighborhood Commission meeting.

Resolution - Requesting the Honolulu City Council to conduct a public hearing and vote on Resolution 23-82 relating to Council pay raises [2:36:37]: Lye MOVED and Isokane SECONDED to adopt Resolution 2023-004 as written. Discussion followed; Lye reiterated that the resolution, if adopted, would encourage the City Council to schedule public hearings to discuss the impact of the planned City Council raises on councilmember lifetime pension obligations, which could increase by a mean of $500,000 per member. The motion WAS NOT adopted 3-4-0 (Aye: Lye, McCarney, McDonald; Nay: Caravalho; Fitzsimmons, Isokane, Shubert-Kwock, Abstain: None) [2:42:51].

VI. ELECTED OFFICIALS [2:44:29]

Governor Josh Green's Representative [2:44:31]: Shawn Hamamoto provided a report; to sign up to receive Governor Green's newsletters, contact (808) 586-0034 or gov.communications@hawaii.gov.

Questions, comments, and concerns regarding placement of noise-detection traffic cameras on state roadways such as Vineyard Boulevard and patches of gravel on the Capitol grounds followed [2:44:50].

Mayor Rick Blangiardi's Representative [2:48:06]: Honolulu Emergency Services Department Deputy Director Ian Santee spoke to a report and provided follow-up responses to certain questions raised at the previous meeting. To explore career opportunities at the City and County of Honolulu, please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/honolulu.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed [2:52:44]. including requests for placement of noise-detection traffic cameras at intersections of Nu'uanu Avenue with Vineyard Boulevard, Kukui Street, and South Beretania Street, as well repair of obstructed, broken, or missing crosswalk signalization lights and hardware at certain Downtown-Chinatown intersections.

Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam (District 6) [2:54:17]: Richmond Luzar spoke to a report and highlighted recent gifts to the City.

Senator Karl Rhoads (District 13) [2:56:12]: Kai Hamamoto spoke to a report and highlighted that seven additional chickens had been removed from Smith-Beretania Mini Park, referenced the red light safety program, and encouraged the wearing of masks indoors in light of provided COVID-19 statistics.

Questions, comments and concerns followed [2:58:02].

Representative Scott Saiki (District 26) [2:58:47]: No representative present; no report provided.

Representative Daniel Holt (District 28) [2:58:54]: No representative present; no report provided.

VII. MONTHLY REPORTS

Board of Water Supply (BWS): Postponed to the next meeting; a report was submitted.

Safe Haven: Postponed to the next meeting; a report was submitted.

Chinatown Business Community Association (CBCA): Postponed to the next meeting; a report was submitted.

Chinatown Improvement District (CID): Postponed to the next meeting.

Neighborhood Citizen Patrol: Postponed to the next meeting; a report was submitted. Members of the public are invited to walk with the patrol on the second Tuesday of every month, departing at 7:00 pm from outside the Diamond Head Tower lobby of Kukui Plaza [GPS: 1262 Fort Street]. Please bring a friend and a camera, join the patrol, and help identify areas of concern within the community.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART): Postponed to the next meeting. The next monthly CCUR Phase III Business and Community Meeting is on Wednesday 12 July 2023 at 6:00 pm by Zoom; register at https://bit.ly/HARTPhase3. Traffic updates can be found on https://honolulutransit.org/hart-traffic/. Sign up for the CCUR III eBlast on http://eepurl.com/h1g2W5 or email ccur3@honuaconsulting.com for more information.

VIII. ANNOUNCEMENTS [2:59:12]

Next Regular Meeting [2:59:13]: The next meeting of the Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 is scheduled for Thursday 6 July 2023 at 6:00 pm at the Princess Ruth Ke�elik lani Middle School Cafeteria and by Webex.

Rebroadcast [2:59:23]: Rebroadcasts of Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 meetings are scheduled on � lelo channel 49 every third Thursday at 9:00 pm, as well as 9:00 am on the third Saturday of each month. An archive of past meetings may be found on https://olelo.org/olelonet/ by searching on .

Archive: Find an archive of handouts and referenced materials appurtenant to Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13 on https://tinyurl.com/ycksd4e7.

IX. ADJOURNMENT [2:59:48]: The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.

Submitted by Dylan Buck, Neighborhood Assistant

Reviewed by Naomi Hanohano, Community Relations Specialist

Finalized by Kevin Lye, Secretary, Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board 13

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First Friday Hawaii News Item

Downtown-Chinatown Neighborhood Board Meeting JUNE 2023 Minutes

DOWNTOWN - CHINATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 13

First Friday Hawaii
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