Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9

  September 2018 Minutes

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2018
WAIKIKI COMMUNITY CENTER

CALL TO ORDER - Chair Robert Finley called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.; quorum was established with 14 members present. Note: This 17-member Board requires nine (9) members to establish quorum and to take official board action.

Board Members Present - Jeff Apaka, Jerome Bautista, Robert Boyack, Helen Carrol, Louis Erteschik, Gordon Fahey, Robert Finley, Walt Flood, Mark Garrity, Grant Giventer, Kathryn Henski, Jeffrey Merz, Patricia Shields, Mark Smith, and Kenneth Wilder (7:10 p.m.)

Board Members Absent - Laura McIntyre, and John Nigro

Guests - Sergeant Stacey Christensen and Lieutenant Jon Nakashima (Honolulu Police Department); Dominic Dias (Board of Water Supply); Kenny Amazaki (Office of Councilmember Trevor Ozawa); Galen Fox, Sharon Moriwaki, Louis Stevens, Ashley Norman, Leticia Herrera, Stephanie Cortes, Richele Sanchez, Bob Armstrong, Rommel Marcelino, Luke Elick, Brian Bagnall, Michelle Manna, Denise Jorgensen, Natalie Iwasa, David Moskowitz, Michael Leong, Tina Streitz, Chelsie Arashiro (Community Members); and Harry Cho (Neighborhood Commission Office).

CITY MONTHLY REPORTS

Honolulu Police Department (HPD) - Sergeant Christensen reported the following:
• August 2018 Crime Statistics - There were 8 robberies, 16 burglaries, 236 thefts, 25 unauthorized entries into motor vehicles (UEMV), 39 assaults, 3 sex crime, 7 bicycle and 11 skateboard warning, citations, or arrests, 2 speeding citations, 664 parking citations, 8 loud muffler citations, 132 park closure warnings, 112 park closure citations, and 26 park closure arrests, and 4,307 total calls for service. Additional statistics are available online at www.honolulupd.org.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed:
1. Parking: Shields stated her concerns with illegal parking on Liliuokalani Avenue near the Cleghorn Street intersection.
2. Homeless: Henski stated her concerns with the homeless woman repeatedly staying near Kuhio Avenue/Paoakalani Avenue intersection.

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD) - No report was given.

Board of Water Supply (BWS) - Dominic Dias reported the following:
• Main Break Report: There were no water main breaks in August 2018.
• New Rate Schedule Approved: As of the most recent meeting in August, BWS' Board of Directors approved water rate increases for the next five (5) years as well as several significant changes to their rate structure. The gradual increases to the water rates will start July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2023. Several public meetings and presentations were held across the island, and information was shared with all customers and neighborhood boards. For more information, the public may visit http://www.boardofwatersuprly.com or call 748-5041.
• Water Emergency Preparedness: Natural disasters, power outages, or other unexpected events can affect the BWS' ability to provide water service to the community. With recent storm activity in the Pacific, as well as September marking the observance of National Preparedness Month, this serves as an important reminder to have an emergency preparedness kit available for your household. One (1) crucial component of your preparedness kit is a safe drinking water supply. Residents should store at least one (1) gallon of water per person per day for at least 14 days. Also, in the event of an emergency, it is very important to stay tuned to media reports to receive water information bulletins and take any appropriate actions announced by the BWS or other emergency response agencies. More information about water emergency preparedness, including a how-to video demonstrating how best to store drinking water in your home, is available online at http://www.boardofwatersupply.com. To receive emergency alerts via email or text message, the public may subscribe to the BWS at http://hnl.info.

Wilder arrived at 7:10 p.m. 14 members present.

APPROVAL OF THE TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2018 AND AUGUST 14, 2018 REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
As there were no objections, the Tuesday, July 10, 2018 regular meeting minutes was approved by Unanimous Consent, 14-0-0; (Aye: Apaka, Bautista, Boyack, Carrol, Erteschik, Fahey, Finley, Flood, Garrity, Henski, Merz, Shields, Smith, and Wilder; Nay: None; Abstain: None).

As there were no objections, the Tuesday, August 14, 2018 regular meeting minutes was approved by Majority Vote, 14-0-1; (Aye: Apaka, Bautista, Boyack, Carrol, Erteschik, Finley, Flood, Henski, Garrity, Giventer, Merz, Shields, Smith, and Wilder; Nay: None; Abstain: Fahey).

TREASURER'S REPORT - Shields reported a remaining balance of $472.29.

PUBLIC EVENTS

Upcoming Events - All events were submitted and awaiting City approval/denial. No events scheduled for Kalakaua Avenue in August 2018. Several events scheduled for Kapiolani Park Area:
• Saturday, September 22, 2018, 6:00 p.m. to10:00 p.m., Aloha festivals Hoolaulea
• Saturday, September 29, 2018, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Aloha Festivals Floral Parade
• Sunday, September 30, 2018, 6:15 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Honolulu Century Bike Ride
??? Saturday, October 13, 2018, 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Waikiki Bazaar Festival
• Saturday, October 20, 2018, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Honolulu Pride Parade
• Sunday, October, 21, 2018, 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., HMSA 30K Fun Run

Application for Liquor License:
• Thursday, October 4, 2018, Waikiki Restaurant, Ritz Carlton Tower 2, 383 Kalaimoku Street, Cat 2
• Thursday, October 4, 2018, Paia Fish Market Waikiki, 2299 Kuhio Avenue, Cat 1

NEW BOARD BUSINESS

Ala Wai Bridge Update - Nicola Szibbo reported that Department of Transportation Services Complete Streets is in the planning process of potentially building a bridge to cross the Ala Wai Canal. There will be two (2) community meetings held at the Ala Wai Elementary School cafeteria on Saturday, September 22, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and on Monday, September 24, 2018 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to inform the community of the study and to seek initial feedback on the alternatives. The meetings will include a presentation followed by an opportunity to attendees to share their initial thoughts on the alternatives, including a no-build scenario, improvements to existing structures, and a new bridge alignment. For more information or for special accommodations to attend the meetings, the public may contact Nicole Szibbo, Transportation Planner, at 808-768-8359 or email Nicola.szibbo@honolulu.gov one (1) week in advance.

Questions, comments, and concerns followed:
1. Vehicles: Merz asked if vehicles will be allowed on the bridge. Szibbo stated that the current plans are for only pedestrians, bicyclists, and other sustainable modes of transportation. There is currently no funding for a vehicle bridge.
2. Location: Chair Finley asked if there is a potential location set. Szibbo stated that a location has not yet been set.
3. Emergency Vehicles: Flood asked about emergency vehicles and access during emergencies.
4. Bicyclists: Fahey stated his concerns about increased bike traffic if this bridge were to be built. Szibbo stated that Ala Wai Boulevard is a current Complete Street Project and will be improving the roads to accommodate bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers.




COMMUNITY CONCERNS
• Queen Kapiolani Hotel: A community members stated their concerns about a vent which has been causing loud noises to echo into surrounding residential homes and apartments. Decibel meters have been used from a surrounding residential home and saw high levels.
• Ritz Carlton Hotel: A community member stated their concerns about the bright lights from the Ritz Carlton Hotel. The lights shine into the surrounding residential homes and apartments which causes a nuisance during the night. Merz stated that ordinances regarding lighting should be looked into to decrease similar instances from occurring.
• Bus Fares: A community member stated their concerns about the increasing bus fares and passes.
• Walk to School Day: A community member stated that Wednesday, October 3, 2018 will be National Walk to School Day.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
• The next regular Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9 meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 7:00 p.m.
• View this meeting on Olelo Channel 49 at 9:00 p.m. on the 4th Tuesday each month, and at 6:00 a.m. on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. View online at: http://olelo.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=30

ADJOURNMENT - The meeting adjourned at 7:47 p.m. due to a Candidates Forum.

Submitted by: Harry Cho, Neighborhood Assistant
Reviewed by: James Skizewski, Public Relations
Final Review: Chair Robert Finley

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