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Waikiki Neighborhood Board Meeting June 2021 Minutes
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NEXT MEETING - Click here to read next meeting agenda scheduled for 7/13/2021.

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

Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9

June 2021 Minutes

WAIKIKI NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 9

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

WAIKIKI COMMUNITY CENTER

WEBEX

CALL TO ORDER: Chair Robert Finley called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. A quorum was established with 11 members present. Note: This 17-member Board requires nine (9) members to establish quorum and to take official board action.

Board Members Present: Jacob Wiencek, Jerome Bautista, Lisa Cabanero, Helen Carroll, Louis Erteschik, Robert Finley, Mark Garrity, Kathryn Henski, Jeffrey Merz, John Nigro, Melissa Filek.

Board Members Absent: Raiyan Rafid, Robert Boyack, Mark Smith, Kenneth Wilder, Michael Brown.

Guests: Lieutenant Troy Komoda (Honolulu Police Department); Dominic Dias (Board of Water Supply); Nola Miyasaki (Mayor Rick Blangiardi's office); Keola Fisher (Council Chair Tommy Waters' office); Rick Egged (Waikiki Improvement Association); Senator Sharon Moriwaki; Representative Adriam Tam; Scott Glenn (Governor David Ige's office); Tommy Penrose, Dave Moskowitz, Wendell Murakawa, James Browne, Bruce Lenkeit, Jean Cox, Daniel Jacob, Midori Trent, Charles Izumoto, Allison Schaefers, John Montalbano, Johnnie Mae Perry (Residents); Casey Ishitani (Neighborhood Assistant). Name was not included if not legible on the attendance sheet.

VACANCY

Sub-District 2: There were no nominations or volunteers.

CITY MONTHLY REPORTS

Honolulu Fire Department (HFD): There were no representatives.

Honolulu Police Department (HPD): HPD Lieutenant Troy Komoda reported statistics for May 2021. More information can be found at https://www.honolulupd.org/.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. Neighborhood Watch: Henski reported that HPD supported Neighborhood Watch has had positive results.

2. Patrols: Wiencek raised concerns regarding the use of ATVs at beaches or parks. Garrity requested more HPD foot patrols.

Board of Water Supply (BWS): Dominic Dias of BWS reported that there were no main breaks and that there were no current construction projects. An annual water quality report will be available at https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/water-quality/water-quality-report on Thursday, July 1, 2021. BWS is encouraging residents to conserve water. More information can be found at https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/conservation.

RESIDENTS' / COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO): Nigro reported undocumented HECO lines under the sidewalk and that HECO may need to provide more information.

HPD Funding: A resident suggested using apartment association fees to assist in funding HPD retention.

Repeat Offenders: A resident requested updates from the Prosecuting Attorney's office regarding repeat offenders remaining in Waikiki.

PUBLIC EVENTS

Chair Finley reported that the Honolulu Marathon has tentatively been scheduled for December 2021.

APPLICATIONS FOR LIQUOR LICENSES

Pesca Waikiki Beach Inc., 1777 Ala Moana Boulevard, Sky Room 30A/30B, Thursday, May 20, 2021 and Friday, July 15, 2021.

ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHERS

Mayor Rick Blangiardi's Representative: Director of Customer Services (CSD) Nola Miyasaki reported the following.

• News Stands: Residents requested updates regarding news stand removal. CSD Director Miyasaki has made the decision to have the two rack enclosures fronting the Queen Kapiolani Hotel and the rack enclosure fronting the ABC Store removed temporarily due to unsavory conditions and nuisance persons/problems. These rack enclosures were on the sidewalks along Kapahulu Avenue and were removed as of Friday, May 28, 2021. Lotteries are being held to permit publishers to utilize these rack enclosure spaces starting on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

• Loud Mufflers: Board raised concerns regarding loud mufflers on Ala Wai Boulevard. HPD conducted multiple checks were made along the Ala Wai Boulevard for loud mufflers, and officers assigned to the Waikiki district issued several citations for Loud Muffler/Excessive Noise violations. They will continue to monitor the area and take appropriate enforcement action when violations of the law are observed.

• Street Performers: Residents raised concerns regarding street performers on Ala Wai Boulevard using amplified speakers. Street performers in Waikiki have been found by the courts to be protected by the First Amendment which includes the Freedom of Speech. Police officers are not able to initiate action against performers for noise violations without a formal complaint by a member of the public. The HPD has received many complaints, but no one has been willing to file a formal complaint and commit to the prosecutorial process.

• Public Disturbances: Residents raised concerns regarding loud screaming and fighting near Triangle Park. Checks were made for screaming and fighting near the Triangle Park, but the officers met with negative results. They will continue to monitor the area and take appropriate enforcement action when violations of the law are observed.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. News Racks: A resident requested that publishers provide more research to necessitate news racks in the future.

2. Tour Buses: Merz raised concerns regarding tour buses using TheBus stops.

3. Noise Issues: Erteschik raised concerns regarding amplified speaker noise from street musicians and outdoor venues.

4. Cartwright Road: Henski raised safety concerns regarding food trucks operating on Cartwright Road. A resident raised concerns over potential criminal activity.

Council Chair Tommy Waters: Keola Fisher of Council Chair Waters' office reported that the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Waikiki Beach Improvement is due on Friday, July 23, 2021.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. Scooters: Chair Finley requested Council Chair Waters' position on electric scooters.

2. Transient Tax: Wiencek requested updates regarding State of Hawaii's response to transient tax concerns.

Senator Sharon Moriwaki: Senator Moriwaki reported the following.

• News Racks: Senator Moriwaki raised that laws pertaining to City and County of Honolulu news racks must be updated after they go out to bid.

• Seawall: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will hold a Sea Grant College meeting on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 regarding the seawall in Waikiki.

• Government Operations Committee: Senator Moriwaki is the Chair of the Government Operations Committee, which handles the procurement of contracts.

• 2021 Legislative Session: Senate Bill (SB) 790 has broadened to include business districts. Bills that did not pass included those pertaining to leaf-blower noise and natural resource management.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. Security: Wiencek raised concerns regarding civil liberties and cybersecurity. Senator Moriwaki responded that the Office of Enterprise Technology Services handles cybersecurity.

2. Vetoes: Erteschik inquired which Bills were signed and Senator Moriwaki responded that they may visit https://governor.hawaii.gov/2021-bills/.

Representative Adrian Tam: Representative Tam reported the following.

• Property Clean-Up: The property at 2002 Kalakaua Avenue was cleaned up.

• Homelessness: A facility is being built to reduce homelessness and mitigate the effects of mental illness.

• Citizen's Patrol: Representative Tam encourages residents to join the citizen's patrol in Waikiki.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. Mobile Medical Units: Henski inquired if there will be a mobile vaccine unit in Waikiki. Representative Tam responded that they will offer vaccines and HIV tests. Chair Finley added that the International Market Place will also offer free vaccines.

2. Schools: Wiencek raised concerns regarding the quality of public schools. Representative Tam responded that the Department of Education (DOE) has been searching for superintendents to increase literacy as well as allocating funds for air conditioning.

Governor David Ige's Representative: State of Hawaii Chief Energy Officer Scott Glenn reported the following.

• Vaccinated: As vaccinations increase, restrictions have begun to loosen. Residents may apply for rewards at https://higotvaccinated.com/.

• Emergency Broadband: Residents may apply at https://www.getemergencybroadband.org/.

Questions, comments and concerns followed.

1. Unemployment: Chair Finley requested updates regarding an audit of the unemployment insurance program.

2. Noise Issues: Chair Finley inquired if the Department of Health (DOH) could investigate noise complaints in Waikiki.

3. Beaches: A resident raised concerns regarding hotels placing chairs and umbrellas on the sand.

4. Covid-19: A resident requested that the State of Hawaii release information regarding residents who have contracted Covid-19.

Waikiki Improvement Association (WIA): WIA President Rick Egged reported that he will follow up on issues regarding news racks and noises.

Federal Representative Ed Case: There was no representative.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Regular Meeting Minutes, Tuesday, May 11, 2021: Chair Finley inquired if there were any amendments to the minutes. Filek raised that on Page 2, Henski requested car rental insurance for vaccination, stating that rental cars have been out of stock.

Hearing no objections, the Minutes were ADOPTED AS AMENDED BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT, 11-0-0 (Aye: Wiencek, Bautista, Cabanero, Carroll, Erteschik, Finley, Garrity, Henski, Merz, Nigro, Filek; Nay: None; Abstain: None).

NEW BOARD BUSINESS

Storm Water Utility Discussion: Chair Finley reported that Pearl City Neighborhood Board No. 21 has opposed the storm water utility proposal from Department of Facility Maintenance (DFM). Merz and Nigro abstained from comment and vote due to conflicts of interest. Henski opposed the proposal. Wiencek raised that a long-term version of the project may be feasible but did not feel that it was ready at the moment. Garrity raised concerns that fees may transpire into taxes, but that the proposal would leverage fees against property owners who do not factor in permeable surfaces. Chair Finley raised that abstaining Board members may make a potential Motion moot. Chair Finley suggested that DFM be consulted or conduct a follow-up presentation. Erteschik raised that Waikiki No. 9 draft their own Resolution for Council.

REPORTS

Treasurer's Report: The remaining budget for the Waikiki Neighborhood Board was $82.63.

Sub District 1 Report: Merz reported that citizen's patrols have helped mitigate crime in Waikiki. An EIS will address concerns brought forth by the Board.

Sub District 2 Report: No report was given.

Sub District 3 Report: Henski raised concerns that infirm residents require car rentals or ride shares for vaccinations. A bus stop has been cleared of encampment. Henski thanked Garrity for his service on Waikiki Board No. 9.

Chair Report: Chair Finley recognized D-Day veterans for their service. A 280 foot tall building has topped off at the old Food Pantry address with about 10 months until completion. Neighborhood Commission Office (NCO) will hold an installation ceremony for incoming Board members.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The next Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9 meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 6:00 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 8:08 p.m.

Submitted by: Casey Ishitani, Public Relations

Reviewed by: Lindon Valenciano, Neighborhood Assistant

Final Review: Chair Robert Finley

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Waikiki Get Down - Honolulu, Hawaii News Item

Waikiki Neighborhood Board Meeting June 2021 Minutes

Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9

Waikiki Get Down - Honolulu, Hawaii
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