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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-05-13 Open Space Commission Minutes Approved COUNTY OF KAUAI PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, & NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND COMMISSION Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/213 MINUTES A regular meeting of the County of Kaua'i Public Access, Open Space & Natural Resources Preservation Fund Commission of the County of Kauai was held on May 13, 2010, in the Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha Building Meeting Room 2A/2B. The following Commissioners were present: Jean Souza, Chairperson, Tessie Kinnaman, Vice Chairperson, Beryl Blaich, Linda Dela Cruz, Eugene Punzal, and Johanna Ventura. The following Commissioners were absent: Three (3) vacancies. The following staff members were present: Nani Sadora, and Duke Nakamatsu. CALL TO ORDER Chair Souza called the meeting to order at 1:21 p.m. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: It was moved by Tessie Kinnaman and seconded by Johanna Ventura to approve the agenda. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. APPROVAL OF MEETING MINUTES — regular meeting minutes of 3/25/10 and executive session minutes of 4/08/10. Regular meeting minutes of 3/25/10 —Approved. MOTION: It was moved by Tessie Kinnaman and seconded by Beryl Blaich to approve the 3/25/10 meeting minutes. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. 1 Regular minutes of 4/08/10 —Approved. Commissioner Blaich requested an edit to page 7, 4t" paragraph from the bottom, regarding the fence prohibiting passage to specify "from Moloa'a to Ka'aka'aniu". MOTION: It was moved by Beryl Blaich and seconded by Tessie Kinnaman to approve of the 4/08/10 meeting minutes as amended. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Sadora distributed copies of a news release from the Garden Island Newspaper regarding the County's intention to initiate the Hanalei Park Master Plan. She also announced that the Hawai'i Congress of Planning Officials conference that Kaua'i was scheduled to host this year is being postponed until 2011 due to budgetary challenges. Commissioner Ventura announced that she has accepted a request to serve as a private citizen on an ad hoc committee to assist the County's Parks & Recreation Department in preparing a county-wide parks plan. Chair Souza requested copies of the Big Island Charter amendments related to the Open Space fund for distribution at the next meeting. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Status of filling of vacant Commission positions. Ms. Sadora stated that the Council has been actively working to fill their appointed seats and they have one applicant in mind. She stated that the Administration is still looking for applicants and would welcome any recommendations by the Commission for consideration. Chair Souza asked staff to provide the list of applicants from their last Commission appointed process. Commissioner Blaich expressed appreciation for the Office of Boards and Commissions for sending them the language of the Charter Amendment. She didn't feel that there was a conflict with former Commissioner Diamond since she testified on County issues as a private citizen. 2 Chair Souza suggested that the Council consider re-appointing Caren Diamond. She expressed appreciation for Commissioner Blaich's willingness to serve on a 90 day holdover. Ms. Sadora stated that the Council was under the impression that they were filling Commissioner Blaich's seat. She notified them that they still need to fill former Commissioner Diamond's vacancy. Chair Souza stated that Commissioners' photos and the Mayor's proclamation are on display in the Boards and Commissions office. She noted that there are also many vacancies on other Commissions and Boards. Update and discussion of the Commission's work plan/timeline of events and activities through 2010, to include future Commission education topics and scope and timing of facilitated review of the Commission's vision, goals, direction, priorities, processes, and proposals. Chair Souza asked for a status update on the Commission's request to meet with the Mayor and Council Chair regarding their proposed amendments to Ordinance 812. Ms. Sadora stated that a memo was sent to the County Attorney's office regarding the appointment of the ninth Commissioner and they hope to have a report by the next meeting. She said she wanted the clarification and approval from the County Attorney before providing the draft amendment to Council. She said that Deputy Planning Director Aiu has been the contact with the Administration and they hope to be able to initiate the meetings in June. Chair Souza stated that her concern in waiting for the County Attorney's opinion was that the Commission was hoping to have discussion with the public during the input process to see what their reaction would be to some of the Ordinance changes. Regarding the scope and timing of the facilitated review, Chair Souza stated that she received a call from Ms. Nakamura who said that she was satisfied with her work with the Commission and didn't want them to feel obligated to pursue further work with her. Chair Souza noted that things have changed since their last facilitated review and that it is easier to communicate directly with the Mayor. Commissioner Blaich stated that Ms. Nakamura's research and relationship building was supposed to include meetings with the Council. Chair Souza stated that Ms. Nakamura felt it would be awkward if she was included in the Commission's meetings with the Council. She also noted that the Council is also more engaged than in the past and felt that facilitated services were no longer needed. 3 Commissioner Blaich suggested that the Commission present the entire process in steps when they meet with Council, but also solicit input from them. Commissioner Ventura stated that mapping out the flow from ideas to implementation was beneficial for her. She felt it would also be helpful in working with the Planning Department and the Administration. Commissioner Blaich questioned the possibility of acquiring the existing lease at Nukumoi. Ms. Sadora stated that it is still ongoing and that she could follow up with the County Attorney's office. Chair Souza suggested that the Commission consider formally requesting projects for the Planning Department to work on such as Nukumoi, Salt Pond Park expansion and salt pans protection, and Hoban. Commissioner Ventura suggested contacting the current owners to determine if they may be amenable to entering into discussions with the County. She agreed that time is of the essence. Chair Souza suggested requesting that the Planning Department initiate the research, make contacts with the land owners, and provide status reports, with the idea that they would be taken to the Council for approval to fund. She stated that the Planning Department could be the champion for the packaging rather than a land trust. Commissioner Blaich stated that for Hoban, they would like to know if the Kukui'ula funding is still possible. She also questioned the status with Papa'a Bay East, and Kauapea Beach East. She stated that Kauapea has been on the recommendations list for the past 3 years and she would like to keep attention on it. She requested any updates from the County Attorney's office. Commissioner Blaich suggested establishing a common vocabulary or definition of key words such as legal definitions of easements. She said that the Subdivision Ordinance, the CZO, and the General Plan usually have glossaries but don't all contain the same definitions. She suggested including an open space glossary in the open space document. Commissioner Kinnaman stated that it was recommended in the first year. Commissioner Blaich stated that it would also be a good idea to have a grasp on some of the funding or grant opportunities that are commonly used. 4 MOTION: It was moved by Beryl Blaich and seconded by Tessie Kinnaman to ask the Planning Department to create a dossier on the possibilities for acquisition of the Hoban access. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. Chair Souza stated that she could provide a letter to the Planning Department if needed. She noted that Deputy County Attorney Nakazawa might be a good resource. Commissioner Blaich stated that former Open Space Specialist Lea Kaiaokamalie was also a part of the discussion on the Hoban property and had created a flow chart of what would be necessary. She stated that the main question would be whether or not the funds are available. MOTION: It was moved by Beryl Blaich and seconded by Tessie Kinnaman to request the Planning Department to investigate opportunities to implement the Commission's recommendations for the Nukumoi property. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. Chair Souza stated that the Commission would like to understand the terms of the current lease. She requested that staff work with the County Attorney's office on who should make the call and report back to the Commission. MOTION: It was moved by Linda Dela Cruz and seconded by Tessie Kinnaman to request the Planning Department to initiate discussions on the possibility of implementing the Commission's recommendations on Salt Pond Park expansion and protection of the salt pans. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. Chair Souza stated that she does not want to lose the opportunity to let the State know that the Commission is interested in it. She said sometimes it only takes one call to the Land Division to determine the status and to notify them of the Commission's interest. She stated that they are not asking the Planning Department to prepare a dossier, but to initiate discussion on it and bring the information back to the Commission to determine the next steps. Review and discussion on 3/11/10 North shore field trip. Commissioner Blaich distributed copies of her first draft of the Commission's field trip findings. She requested that Commissioners notify staff of any corrections, and she would provide an updated draft at the next meeting. 5 Discussion and follow-up on the Commission's presentation of the County of Kaua'i, Public Access, Open Space, & Natural Resources Preservation Fund Commission 2009 report to the Kaua'i County Council and the Mayor. Chair Souza stated that the Council questioned the next steps. She informed the Council that the Commission will request that the Planning Department prepare a dossier of a project that they would like to request the Council to fund. She stated that they discussed that the process could be County initiated rather than Land Trust initiated. Commissioner Blaich stated that the Council could also initiate the process. Ms. Sadora stated that the Council commented on liking the inclusion of the rationale for each recommendation. Chair Souza stated they only identified place names in the past, but they have included more reasoning and explanation in the last report. She said that Councilwoman Kawahara questioned the listing of Ka'aka'aniu. She reported that the Commission included Ka'aka'aniu in the secondary recommendations since there were others working on it, but they wanted to signal support to the greater community that they were interested in it, and supported work to expand it. She mentioned that they would be appointing a task group to develop a long range plan for the Commission on open space and public access and that some of the long range implications would be addressed. Ms. Sadora felt that they received positive feedback from the Council. She said they also informed Council that the unresolved issues was going to be addressed in the 2010 report. NEW BUSINESS Creation and appointment of task group to formulate an open space plan for the Commission. Chair Souza appointed Beryl Blaich, Tessie Kinnaman, Eugene Punzal, and Linda Dela Cruz to the task group to formulate a long range plan for the Commission. She asked the group to include the staff in their work. She stated that if other Commissioners have suggestions or ideas to be considered in their deliberations, they should send it to staff and the task group can determine what the purpose is, what the products are going to be, and the timeline for deliverables. Commissioner Blaich stated that her impression was that the open space plan would be an open document. She said she was hoping to set forward the kinds of things the community should talk about pertaining to the purposes of the fund such identifying the existing trails and how they connect, and the availability of recreational space. She said if the Commission could make a list of things that 6 would be elements of an open space plan they could possibly link with the development plan. Chair Souza stated that the open space plan could go beyond their annual recommendations to the Council. She felt that it may be likely that other elements in government could look to it as a source for direction, but she cautioned that it shouldn't be prescriptive. She stated that the Commission spent time coming up with regional priorities and understandings that should be reflected in a document that would outlast individual Commissioner terms. Commissioner Ventura stated that she would find it beneficial to have an appendix of all the County documents such as the General Plan and CZO to serve as an archive of all the relevant documents and how they contribute to open space issues. Ms. Sadora stated that long range planner Marie Williams would be able to provide an update on the Koloa Development Plan to the Commission at a future meeting. Update and discussion of the 2010 public input process pursuant to Ordinance No. 812 for developing an annual list of priority projects to be reported (2010 Report) to the Kaua'i County Council and the Mayor. Chair Souza stated that the most involved input process the Commission has done in the past included six public work session meetings at night and asked people to indicate problem areas on topographical maps. Other processes included meetings and discussions on areas that the public felt should be acquired. She said that last year the public was asked to attend regular meetings and participate in an online survey. She suggested that in addition to asking the public for their input on sites to be acquired, the Commission may want to ask the public for their thoughts on changes to Ordinance 812. Commissioner Ventura stated that she liked the trend toward a shorter survey. She felt that there were opportunities to further shorten the survey and make it more concise. She noted that the public was asked which purposes of the fund justified their recommendations. She said in thinking about how the Commission used the information, it is good to list the purposes, but they could cut out specific sections and still obtain quality information. She also expressed disappointment in the low number of responses. She felt that online surveys are easy to do, but felt the Commission could be more assertive in tapping into the neighborhood associations. She felt that if one or two Commissioners could make presentations at community meetings that are already occurring, it would have a huge impact on participation. Commissioner Punzal questioned what kinds of community meetings are occurring at the moment. 7 Commissioner Kinnaman stated that most neighborhood associations have a minimum of one meeting per month. She felt that they could do a presentation at the neighborhood association meetings. Commissioner Blaich noted that the number of surveys were becoming less over the years. She felt that if the community could see that they were achieving something, they wouldn't feel they were repeating themselves. She suggested the possibility of a half hour Hoike show informing the public what happened last year, what the Commission is proud of so far, the potential changes that would allow the Commission to do more, direct them to participate in the online surveys, distribute paper surveys through the neighborhood groups, and have DVDs of the show to present at the neighborhood groups. She said another idea would be to place the survey in the Garden Island Newspaper and allow people to cut them out and drop them off. She said they tried to implement that last year, and the papers provided a great article, but didn't print the survey. Commissioner Ventura stated that if they came up with a Powerpoint, they could run it on Hoike and each Commissioner could agree to present it at one neighborhood association and be available for questions. She said one concern last year was the cost of purchasing the advertising for the survey. Ms. Sadora stated that she will research the costs and the available funds in the budget and provide the information to the Commission next week. Chair Souza recommended also advertising with the Kaua'i People. Commissioner Ventura noted if the Commission were to hold meetings, they would have to call it a workshop and would require County staff. She said that by going to existing community meetings, they would only require one staff support and there would already be a crowd. Commissioner Blaich noted that they wouldn't necessarily have to involve staff. Ms. Sadora questioned the community associations' receptiveness to presentations. Commissioner Ventura stated that the Hanalei community would be totally receptive. Commissioner Blaich stated that Kilauea would definitely be receptive. Commissioner Dela Cruz stated that Waimea does not have a community association but there is an association in Kekaha. Commissioner Ventura also suggested the Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner Blaich suggested Lion's Club, though she cautioned over committing the Commissioners. 8 Ms. Sadora recommended tapping in to one organization per area, based on which might provide the most benefit. She said that community organizations would be good, but for areas without community organizations, they could seek out other organizations that would be open to a presentation. She stated that she would research costs and budget and report back to the Commission. She asked the Commissioners to provide any information on possible organizations for each area. Chair Souza suggested heavily advertising two of the regular Commission meetings and setting aside workshop time at the meetings so that people who are not involved in an organization would feel welcomed to attend. Commissioner Kinnaman stated that she liked last year's paper survey, but she would like to see the purposes listed exactly as in the Ordinance. She stated that the current abbreviated purposes don't reference property entitlements. Commissioner Ventura requested that staff verify whether IT would be available to assist with the online survey again this year. Commissioner Blaich stated that the current survey does not address the public's opinion on the proposed changes to the Ordinance. Commissioner Ventura questioned the Commission's stance on additional outreach if there are groups where individual Commissioners felt they may want to present. Chair Souza suggested that anywhere the Commissioners felt would encourage participation would be good. She suggested waiting until the next meeting to see all of the options to make a decision. Ms. Sadora stated that she'd like to review the past presentations, narrow them down, include accomplishments outlining Black Pot, and then lay out the goals of the Commission. Chair Souza requested cost estimates for the next meeting as well as an idea from IT when they would be able to implement the online survey. She requested copies of the past presentations. Commissioner Blaich noted that if response volume is high, the Commission may want to start thinking about assisting staff with tabulation. Commissioner Ventura stated that she compiled last year's survey results. She said the results from the online survey were already compiled on a spreadsheet and all she needed to do was manually enter the paper surveys. She said if more paper surveys are pushed, it may add to the tabulation, but noted that the surveys are pretty brief. She recalled that most of the time was spent standardizing responses and correcting errors. She suggested that the purposes 9 be listed as bulleted items, but not ask the public to interpret how their recommendations would fit into the purposes. Chair Souza asked the Commissioners to review the survey and submit any comments to staff by next week. NEXT MEETING DATE AND AGENDA TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION Chair Souza stated that status of vacant Commissioner positions, update on the Commission's work plan/timeline of events, review of the north shore field trip, and review of County Attorney opinions should be continued under unfinished business. She stated that the 2010 public input process should also be continued under unfinished business. New business would include an update on the Koloa Development by the Planning Department and a clarification of Ethics Commission ruling. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: It was moved Johanna Ventura and seconded by Linda Dela Cruz to adjourn the meeting. All were in favor by unanimous voice vote — motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m. #fie,5pectfully 5ubm fitted by:. Duke Nakamatsu, Support Clerk 10