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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013_0521 MACFEA minutes Meeting Minutes — DRAFT Mayor's Advisory Committee For Equal Access ( MACFEA) Tuesday, May 21 , 2013 Mo` ikeha Building , Meeting Room 2A-2B 4444 Rice Street, Lihu `e, HI 96766 Members Present: Elena Costales , Consumer, HCIL — Kaua ' i Volunteer; Betty Bell — Kaua' i Federation for the Blind ; El Doi — Kaua' i Developmental Disability Council ; Rita Manriquez — State Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board (STBIAB ) ; Roberta Eiben — Consumer; Dr. Lucy Miller — DCAB ( Disability and Communication Access Board ) Board Member; Kathy English — Hawai ' i Disability Rights Center; Ellen Ching — Easter Seals Hawaii . Members Excused : Keri Russell — American Red Cross ; Sharry Glass — Advocate , Teacher/Trainer; Ana Valdez — Family Advocate Staff members also present: Linda Nuland-Ames — ADA/EEOC Coordinator; Barbara Davis — Commission Support Clerk; Cherisse Zaima — Commission Support Clerk; Teresa Tamura — Mayor's Administrative Aide ; Marc Guyot — Deputy County Attorney; Captioner: Tracy Reinke — Caption First. Call to Order Chair Elena Costales called the meeting to order at 12 : 33 p . m . with 8 members present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • Regular Open Session Minutes of January 15 , 2013 Action : Ms . Bell moved to approve the minutes as circulated . Ms . Doi seconded the motion . Motion carried 8 : 0 . BUSINESS • Crosswalk enhancements in the vicinity of Koloa School Ms . Nuland-Ames reported the following : Crosswalk lighting has been installed at two locations near Koloa School , the crosswalk near Waikomo road has an in-road lighting system , and the crosswalk near the bus stop was moved Mauka near the main school entrance due to a sloping road condition which created poor visibility for pedestrians . Both systems will be evaluated for effectiveness . The lighted crosswalks have been installed as well as most of the striping to create the pedestrian path and bike portion of the sidewalk at the school entrance . The striping will be extended and symbols added to the bike lane pedestrian path . There was a question about safety issues at the elevated portions of the existing sidewalk and about constructing a railing or lowering the entire length of the sidewalk along the school to road level . However, that was too expensive for current funding so there is now a street-level bike path and walkway. Public Works is preparing grant applications for the Safe Routes to School funding to accomplish re-doing the sidewalk . Until it can be lowered , interim signage will be added to indicate that the new striped pedestrian path along the roadway is now the accessible route of travel ; not the elevated sidewalk. Ms . Bell stated that Koloa School needs to be kept in mind with regard to pedestrian traffic because there is a lot of development going on that is dumping traffic onto Po` ipu Road and there is only one access at the moment. She noted that there was talk of putting in a round-a-bout and feels that while round-a-bouts do move traffic more efficiently than lights and stop signs , they are very dangerous for pedestrians . There are currently about 260 homeowners with an anticipated additional 1000 units . • Lydgate Beach Park pavilion stage access Ms . Nuland-Ames reported that at the pavilion there is a low stage that is approximately 10 inches high . An investigation 2 years ago found it to be without a ramp and a hydraulic lift was purchased . There has been continued study to put in a ramp ; however, the way the pavilion is situated on the landscape , either the level entrance side of the pavilion would be blocked off by a 10-foot ramp that would have to also have railings and a whole new access route would need to be put in , or if the ramp went on the other side which is below a sloping area down from the road , it would threaten the pavilion with erosion and drainage problems . The conclusion was reached to continue to have the lift available , which is housed in a maintenance shed steps away from the pavilion . Information about the lift is included when people rent the pavilion . Ms . Nuland -Ames shared that she has operated it herself and that it contains picture diagrams to instruct you how to use it, it is not heavy and because it is completely hydraulic, it doesn 't require a lot of strength to use it. The lift offers access which deems the County currently compliant. Should that change , Parks and Rec may consider removing the stage to provide access . Ms . Bell asked whether there is a maintenance plan for the lift to which Ms . Nuland-Ames responded that yes , the lift is under warranty and there are maintenance people employed by Parks and Rec . She noted that it has only been used twice . • Kamalani Park playground Ms . Nuland-Ames reported on surfacing requirements for the playground noting that currently, there are wood chips but it requires a firm , stable , slip-resistant surface . The access to the playground is now fully compliant, but within the playground , resurfacing still needs to be done which would start with accessible pathways around the equipment and then eventually have the whole area resurfaced . The cost to resurface turned out to be much higher than original quotes because of the high cost of shipping materials to Hawaii . They are now looking at a form of rubber turf that is poured in , similar to cement, and are working with Friends of Kamalani to obtain their perspective on what sections to do first. It will be included in next year's budget request. MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 2 • All-Terrain Chairs Ms . Nuland-Ames reported that brand new chairs were purchased , assembled and placed at Kauai beach parks in 2012 ; they are at Lydgate , Po` ipu and Salt Pond , Ms . Ching asked how people would know how to access the chairs to which Ms . Nuland-Ames replied that it is promoted on the County website as well as the visitor websites which informs people to inquire at the Lifeguard stations . Locally, it has been featured in the papers over the past years and Ms . Nuland-Ames gets contacted two or three times a week by people coming to visit. On the ADA section of the County website are traveler's tips , in two accessible formats , that also provide that information . All - Terrain chairs are also available to rent. Some privately-maintained websites such as accessiblekauai . com give personal recommendations and provide an array of information . Ms . Ching asked if it was possible to provide information on the availability of chairs and how to get one when people receive pavilion permits for Koloa so that residents can be better informed . Ms . Nuland-Ames mentioned that she will bring it up with Parks and Rec as well as looking into having a list of available equipment. • Update on installation of Wi-Fi in County facilities and Internet Bandwidth Upgrades to accommodate expanded use Ms . Tamura reported that she is the administrator for Wi- Fi access for Boards and Commissions . She noted that Meeting Room 1 , which is upstairs , Mayor's Office ; Meeting Room 2 ; Piikoi A & B ; Liquor Conference Room ; the Historic County building ; Kapule Lobby ; alternate EOC at Fire Headquarters and IT offices are now all Wi - Fi accessible . If any Boards and Commissions meeting participants need Wi - Fi access , Ms . Tamura is the person to assist with that. Dr. Lucy mentioned that despite the glitches that were encountered today while connecting to the captioner, she sees a lot of promising things happening as more meetings become accessible . Ms . Bell asked whether a code was required to access the Wi-Fi and how do they acquire the code . Ms . Tamura explained that depending on the meeting/event they are attending , the administrator for that department will assist participants with Wi - Fi access . • Discussion and deliberation with the ADA Coordinator of MACFEA Goals for 2013 (On-going ) Ms . Nuland-Ames stated that for the purposes of the meetings , she can suggest areas where she sees concerns but the Committee members determine what their goals are . She noted that her personal concern is that we are not ready for the next disaster, stating that we have an aging population and a rising number of young people with various disabilities and we need to check their knowledge and preparedness as well as the needs of the community. She mentioned a program called Feeling Safe , Being Safe MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 3 and stated she would defer to Ms . Ching for more information . Ms . Nuland —Ames further explained that the program is to help people get over the reluctance to plan and get their safety/evacuation kits together, to look at our shelters and holding areas to ensure they are compliant. Ms . Manriquez reported that the Red Cross did a Shelter Managers course to educate new volunteers on how a shelter should be run . She further noted that Kauai does not have enough shelter space to accommodate the population and asked that if anyone knows of any school or some kind of facility that would work to please inform Mark Marshall at Civil Defense . Ms . Nuland-Ames suggested that the committee members come together to look at the areas of concern and come up with some ideas , and then bring in Civil Defense and Red Cross so that it is handled as a full package . Ms . Manriquez stated that Red Cross used to have one person in particular who was looking for shelters , but that person is no longer there , therefore , they will need to build up their own team to find out where possible shelter buildings are . She further stated that she recently attended a meeting put on by Jennifer Walter, the main person of disaster services for Hawaii . One of the topics brought up at the meeting was on different types of shelters , but Ms . Manriquez feels that in a reality situation , there can 't be certain shelters that different people go to and the person at each shelter should know how to set up a specific area for people with special needs . Ms . Nuland-Ames stated that this is a discussion for the Committee to be having , but she reiterated her concern about the lack of preparedness in the community. She also stated that there seems to be a culture of looking back at Iniki with the perception that everything was "aloha" and all was fine ; however, it was not a good situation for most people . She further noted that it was during a time when FEMA was doing well , had the support of Congress , and the National Guard was here at home and not overseas . All those things have changed now so however rough it was back then , it will be harder now if we have another hurricane , even worse if we have a tsunami . People with disabilities and medical dependencies will be at greater risk. She feels that this would be a great project to take on to inform the County of what some of the problems are and provide recommendations on how they can help residents be better prepared . At the request of Ms . Ching , Ms . Nuland-Ames provided some background on the planning and goal-setting process of the Committee , stating that traditionally, these citizen advisory committees establish what their goals are for the year which may consist of holding awareness trainings , seminars or take a look at some kind of Legislation . Ms . Ching stated for clarification that it is her understanding that it is a one- year goal plan and asked when the year starts to which Ms . Nuland-Ames replied that they could start the cycle whenever they want. Ms . Doi announced that on June 14 , there will be a train-the-trainer disaster preparedness meeting at the State Building , Conference Rooms A, B , and C on the second floor at 8 : 30 a . m . presented by the University of Hawaii extension . She reported that she and Ms . Ching attended a meeting with Phyllis Meagan , who is MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 4 looking for groups to have train-the-trainer meetings to talk about disaster preparedness , starting off with the developmental disabilities population in particular. Ms . Ching further added that it is based on the curriculum that Ms . Nuland-Ames mentioned earlier — Feeling Safe , Being Safe — and the two concepts of focus will be to provide the training to the special needs population , starting with people with developmental disabilities and expanding to other populations such as the elderly and people with mental illness , and to solicit individual self-advocates to become trainers themselves . Ms . Ching asked how the Committee is moving forward on determining goals to which Ms . Nuland-Ames stated that the members are aware of different aspects for different groups for disaster preparedness and feels that the wealth of knowledge among the Committee members can connect these organizations and ideas in order to create a cohesive plan . Ms . Ching requested that there be a more formal process and suggested that the Committee move forward to determine what goals they want to focus on ; she would like to see drafted suggestions that they can vote on at the next meeting . Ms . Doi asked if they could start with disaster preparedness to which Ms . Ching replied that she thinks the Committee is open to any ideas , but she would like to be more focused and formalized so they are clear on what they will be doing over the next year and how they will go about it. Ms . Manriquez added that hurricane season starts next month , from June to November, noting that there are a lot of new people to the island who need to be educated . She stated that Red Cross will be putting informational ads in the paper on how to be prepared but she feels that the County should also be encouraging that effort . Ms . Ching asked Ms . Doi and Ms . Manriquez to clarify what, in relation to disaster preparedness , would they like to see as a goal . Accessible shelters? Promoting training curriculum for preparedness? Ms . Doi stated that because the disaster preparedness training is coming really soon , she thinks they should start there then move on to shelters . Ms . Ching restated for clarification that Ms . Doi suggests the promotion of the Feeling Safe , Being Safe curriculum county-wide . Ms . Manriquez agreed , but also mentioned that she has a list of shelters that states where they are all located and feels that list needs to be in the paper so that people are aware that not all schools are shelters . She further stated that Ms . Russell is new to her position and while Ms . Manriquez does make these types of suggestions , she can only do so much because it is not her job as a volunteer. However, they as a County, acting on their own could make this list accessible to the public. She suggested that something be put out by the County to give it more " Kaua` i-ness" , which she feels would give it a more personal feel . Ms . Nuland-Ames stated that on the County website , there is a list of shelters with the addresses and whether or not you can bring pets and she has seen it advertised in the newspaper, but she thinks people just don 't see it. She mentioned that she tried to get elderly affairs involved and suggested that they work together to hold neighborhood meetings at a shelter site and provide a tour of the shelter facility and provide an explanation of what it will be like during an actual disaster. She also felt this would be a great way to recruit volunteers by talking to the people who live in that particular neighborhood as they will be the ones closest to their respective shelters . In past MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 5 volunteer groups she managed , there were some volunteers that quit because during disasters , they would get sent all over the island , which often meant abandoning their own families . If volunteers are recruited from areas around their shelters , she feels there would be a better retention rate . Ms . Manriquez agreed , further stating that everyone feels comfortable with people they know and thinks it would help lessen anxiety if they see that the shelter manager is their neighbor or someone from their community . Ms . Ching restated for clarification that Ms . Manriquez suggests providing shelter information , addressing concerns about shelter preparedness for the special needs population , shelter manager training to ensure awareness and sensitivity, and that Linda suggests determining and engaging partners for collaboration . Ms . Ching feels that all of that can fall under natural disaster preparedness , which can be formed up as one goal . She asked whether the Committee would like to adopt any additional goals . Ms . Manriquez commented that the reason the other members may not be making any suggestions is because it has been told to them numerous times in the past that they are only an advisory board and whatever they come up with isn 't something that will be done by the Committee , but provided as a suggestion to the Mayor. When it comes down to how decisions are made , the Committee will have a discussion and vote on whether or not they suggest certain things to the Mayor. At the request of Ms . Ching , Attorney Guyot provided clarification on MACFEA' s role . Attorney Guyot explained that on some particular items in the past, the Committee has been cautioned that it is somewhat an advisory capacity and they have also been advised that some of the issues they wanted to tackle are not only beyond the control of the committee but also beyond the control of the County itself. As far as having a goal for a project, such as equal access to emergency preparedness functions that are controlled by the County, there would be a nice way for the Committee to provide some guidance to the Mayor that could be passed on to other departments , much like the way the Committee has worked with the Transportation department and IT . Those are well within the realm of the group . Since Civil Defense takes a major role in the County's disaster preparedness , Attorney Guyot stated emergency preparedness would be a very good thing . He feels that the upcoming University of Hawaii extension training is a good opportunity to meet people that are connected to the County to see they get a better idea of where needs are not being met. Ms . Ching stated that it would be an easy fix to ask the University of Hawaii extension to include in their training the location of all shelters in addition to whatever public information is already provided . She asked if the Committee would be allowed to interact with UH to ask that they modify their training to include information specific to Kauai County. Attorney Guyot stated that the Committee could authorize the Chair to work with Boards and Commissions to send a letter to the Mayor to state what they would like done and the Mayor could then send a letter on . On the other hand , Attorney Guyot stated that the Committee already has three people that have close connections to the State who can communicate their suggestions directly to those agencies , which he feels will carry more weight and be more effective . He further clarified that while MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 6 MACFEA meets to advise the Mayor, they also meet to exchange ideas with one another. Ms . Doi noted that the University extension is open to suggestions and is asking for input for agencies to come and get the training . Ms . Ching asked for Attorney Guyot' s opinion on whether what he has heard on the proposed goals presented so far are within the purview of the Committee . Attorney Guyot stated that they could invite Mark Marshall to the next meeting to start the interactive process by using the Committee to exchange ideas with their guests , but also going back to members' individual groups and share ideas that are specific to individual organizations . Ms . Bell stated that in addition to advertising a list of shelters , they should also list the locations of first aid stations , noting that during disasters many people get hurt, but a lot of times not hurt enough to go to the emergency room . Attorney Guyot suggested that it can be discussed with the American Red Cross Director the next time she is at a meeting so they can look at what is already set up and avoid duplication of services . Dr. Lucy stated that when this Committee began almost 20 years ago , the focus was on making Kauai accessible ; they've come a long way and what they need to focus on now is how to keep Kauai accessible with all the new developments . She noted all of the wonderful things that have happened over the years for emergency warnings for people who cannot hear the radio but they now have a system in place . Dr. Lucy feels that as an advisory group , they need to be aware that training needs to be on-going for everyone because of the constant turnover and new information . That is something they, as a group , can focus on in advising the Mayor of the on-going needs as they develop . Ms . Ching asked that the adoption of goals be put on the agenda for the next meeting , which Chair Costales approved . REPORTS • DCAB Dr. Lucy reported that the parking bill , in which they wanted to add a small fee to the vehicle registration fee in order to improve the Statewide special parking permit did not pass the Legislation , but the Comprehensive Services Center for deaf and deaf/blind persons did pass and is on the Governor's desk waiting to be signed . • ADA Ms . Nuland-Ames reported that she does provide training for the new police recruits and at the end of May will be doing an on-going series of short trainings on what the issues of the day are , starting with the Administrative Assistants up to department heads , eventually expanding to everyone in the County. She will be giving a brief overview of MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 7 the ADA law and compliance for accessibility, clarification of the auxiliary aid notice , demonstrate how easy it is to accommodate and what aids are available , and how to handle service animals . DCAB wants to do training later in the summer on how to evaluate a shelter for ADA compliance . They will bring the equipment and a checklist, train people on what to do , what to look for and how to measure , and then go to Wilcox hospital to practice . The equipment will be kept at Civil Defense which can be used to verify compliance with County-owned shelters and can provide opportunities for training ; this can fall in line with the disaster preparedness concern . A FEMA sponsored class is coming up on Friday, July 26 called Planning for the Unique Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Needs of People with Medical Dependencies During a Disaster. It will cover how to define , how to help a person plan , how to make decisions if you ' re a volunteer at the shelter so as things are happening there is someone trained to evaluate the needs of the person and whether they are being met. She is partnering with Tommy Noyes to have the training held at the Civic Center, Piikoi Building . Ms . Bell mentioned that there are capsules with dehumidifiers that keep medications dry and that may be something that needs to be in their planning kit. Ms . Ching requested an email of the times and dates of Ms . Nuland -Ames' train ings and asked whether she is collaborating with Red Cross on the evaluating of the shelters to which Ms . Nuland -Ames replied no , and that she is working with DCAB , who is specifically looking at State buildings like the schools . Through that program , Ms . Nuland-Ames will be working with Ms . Russell and is hoping to use that program to bring their knowledge to the County facilities . • Updates/Announcements Ms . Bell announced that they are selling chili to raise funds to help some of their group go to the State meetings , noting that self-confidence of a person who can 't see is acquired when they meet others that have done well and succeeded in life . In July, Stan Young from Honolulu will be coming to Kauai and will have available a lot of special aids so they can understand what they can do for an individual . Ms . Bell stated that if anything comes up about getting another access and egress off of Po` ipu road , she is hoping they can support that as a group as she feels it is so important. Ms . Manriquez reported that the TBI board met on the 17th where they received a report on the concussion study being done by UH . On Kauai , there were 46 concussions and all were via high school sports . The main one was football , followed by girls cheerleading and then wrestling . She also reported that the Pacific Basin Research and Training Center have taken on the issue of trying to get a neuro-trauma registry. Ms . Doi reported that there is a training coming up in June consisting of a series of six sessions for parents of children with developmental disabilities . The sessions will be MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 8 about transitions ; Leolinda Parlan will be doing the orientation and dinner will be served . It will be held at the Department of Health at 5 : 30 p . m . and they will be going over how to fill out all the information that is needed for students as they transition through intermediate , high school and into adulthood . Ms . Doi also reported that her Legislative forum will be on Thursday, September 12 . Leolinda Parlan will be speaking on transitions which will include bullying . Laurel Loo will be part of the session as well as the County Prosecuting Attorney. Ms . English reported that last year the federal government stopped funding the protection and advocacy for beneficiaries of social security programs through their office as well as WIPA in every State . However, they have begun funding that again . WIPA will start again August 1 , Ms . Costales reported that HCIL Kauai has a new Independent Living Specialist, Angie Molina , who will be working with deaf and hard of hearing individuals . Ms . Costales also congratulated Dr. Lucy for being selected as Outstanding Female Older American . The next meeting will be on July 16 , 2013 at 12 : 30 p . m . , Mo' ikeha Building , Meeting Room 2A/2B Adjournment: Chair Costales adjourned the meeting at 2 : 04 p . m . MACFEA — May 21 , 2013 9