HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/01/2016 Department of Parks & Recreation 4/1/2016
DEPARTMENTAL BUDGET REVIEWS 2016-17
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS & RECREATION
Department of Parks and Recreation
Honorable Mason K. Chock (excused at 2:30 p.m.)
Honorable Gary L. Hooser
Honorable Ross Kagawa (excused at 3:08 p.m.)
Honorable KipuKai Kuali`i (present at 9:02 a.m.)
Honorable Mel Rapozo (excused at 11:49 a.m.)
Honorable JoAnn A. Yukimura (present at 9.:10 a.m.)
Honorable Arryl Kaneshiro
The Committee reconvened on April 1, 2016 at 9:00 a.m., and proceeded as follows:
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Good morning. I would like to call back to order
the Budget & Finance Committee and the Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Departmental Budget
Reviews. On the schedule for today, we will be hearing from the Department of Parks and
Recreation. Council Chair Rapozo will be excused around noon to testify at the State
Legislature on the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) item. Councilmember Chock will
be leaving around 2:30 p.m. Councilmember Yukimura will be in around 9:15 a.m.
Councilmember Kuali`i is somewhere in this building. As we do each morning, we will take
public testimony first. Anyone in the audience wishing to testify on this? Seeing none,
Lenny, you will have the floor. I just wanted to ask the Councilmembers for us to keep our
questions organized and put them in the section as we go through it and any questions on
the switchover, I want to save until we get to that department because I do not want it to
hold us up all day, which I could foresee it possibly doing. For any questions on the
switchover, we are going to push it off when we get to that department. If there are general
questions on the presentation then we will take them now. If not, we will try to keep them
in the department that they are supposed to be in. The rules are suspended.
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
LEONARD A. RAPOZO, JR., Director of Parks and Recreation: For the
record, Director of Parks and Recreation, Lenny Rapozo. Thank you, Committee Chair. I
would like to introduce the people behind me who make the Department of Parks and
Recreation and the different divisions. Hiding in the back is William Trujillo. He is the
Chief of Planning and Development. Behind me is Lynn Kuboyama and John Martin who
are from the Fiscal Division. John is also our Parks Security and Permitting Coordinator.
Cindy Duterte is the Recreation Chief. Vince Parangao is the Parks Maintenance,
Beautification, and Stadiums Chief. Craig Carney is our Golf Director. Then of course, the
man who needs no introduction, Eddie Sarita, who is the Convention Hall Manager. Scott
has put on a "batting order," so should we just go down that"batting order?"
(Councilmember Kuali`i was noted as present.)
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: If you have a quick presentation, we will go
through the presentation.
Mr. Rapozo: My presentation is basically the report that we
submitted. I think it says it all as far as each division's accomplishments, their challenges,
and their initiatives. Overall, our budget will increase because of the additional division
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that we want to assume under our control. For the most part, our budget submission is the
numbers that we basically had from our submission last year, which was our budget
instructions, which we had done. As far as the accomplishments of each division, I can
break them all up, but they are specified in each division.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We can do it either way. We do not even need a
presentation if you do not want to do one. We can take it by division and if you want to say
something real quick about each division, say we start with Administration / Fiscal, if you
wanted to go through that section.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. That might be faster and the more
efficient way to do this.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: In our Administration / Fiscal, which
encompasses the park rangers and the administration of the Director and the Secretary and
Deputy Director, we work together of course and you know that our park rangers are
always out there, and aside from being enforcement, they are also our eyes and our ears of
all the different parks. If any situation comes up, whether it is on-hours or off-hours and
we feel there is a need to have someone there as soon as possible, there is a good chance
that we usually have a ranger nearby. For example, we got a call a couple of months ago
from someone in the public that someone was cutting trees down in Hanama`ulu Beach
Park. Immediately, we looked for the nearest ranger, found someone in the Wailua area,
and he responded there to see the person, cite the person with the help of the Kaua`i Police
Department (KPD), and corrective measures were employed, whether it was an arrest or
whatever. So that is the value of our park rangers. Aside from their normal routine of
checking parks and enforcing our Peddlers and Concessions Ordinance, they are an integral
part of trying to keep as much law-and-order in our parks as they can, considering the
small staff that they have. So with that, the report was given to you of our successes and
the challenges that they employ. I am open for questions for this particular division.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We are on Administration. Let us start with
Administration. Do we have any questions on the Administration line items from the
Members? Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: I just noticed the Special Projects was previously
$20,000 and now the Grant-in-Aid $20,000. If you could share, did the money just get
re-appropriated for that line item?
Mr. Rapozo: Special Projects?
Councilmember Chock: Yes, in this budget it says last year was $20,000
and Special Projects this year is zero. The line below says "Grant-in-Aid" and this year is
$20,000.
Mr. Rapozo: Per our Finance Director, he felt that there was a
more appropriate description of what we do. That fund allows us to bring in such events...
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one of our passions at the Department of Parks and Recreation is to bring in clinics for our
kids and that is the line item that we use to bring in clinics. It is relationships that I have
had over the years with different people that allows for them to come in and they do it for
free, but we use that money to pay for their expenses to come in...I am sorry, we use that
money so that the kids can attend the clinics for free and we use those funds to put on those
clinics. Every December, we have that baseball clinic in Hanapepe, where all the kids that
go off to college from Kauai come back, and Dallas Correa, who is a homegrown guy that
now is an assistant coach at Hawaii Pacific University (HPU), we started that clinic when
he was very young. We would kind of manage the clinic and he would run the clinic. Well,
today Dallas Correa runs that clinic, but part of that line item allows the incidentals to put
on the clinic. It also allows coaches, especially HPU and the University of Hawaii at Hilo
(UH-Hilo), to see these clinics and gives a chance for our kids to be exposed and have that
exposure, and hopefully these coaches will want to give scholarships to our kids. The other
one is the football senior bowl on Hawaii island, where we also give some of that money to
offset some of the expenses, so our football kids from Kaua`i can go and participate. Last
year, forty-nine (49) scholarships were offered and forty-one (41) of them were accepted to
different colleges. They had approximately twenty-five (25) to thirty (30) college coaches
that run the clinic from Tuesday through Saturday when the senior bowl takes place and
they evaluate kids, as well as running them through the different drills. It is not just about
football and athleticism. What really is attractive to us is about the senior bowl is that they
do not take just anybody who is a good athlete. You have to qualify and have some
measurable community service that you can show that you did. I believe it was ten (10)
hours. You also need a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.5 or better in order to get in there.
That is what that line item is for, to do those types of projects.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Thank you.
Council Chair Rapozo: I have a follow-up.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: Thank you. Lenny, so the grant-in-aid funds,
and I have seen this done throughout different departments now where they are converting
all of the special projects to grant-in-aid—are those moneys available to anyone?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: Are those projects, as you just described, is that
part of it?
Mr. Rapozo: So the senior bowl...this is our first year that we
got involved and it is a good one, so we will probably continue. The baseball one that I just
described has been ongoing for years. Recently, Stuart Wellington came to me and said,
"We have an opportunity to get this professional...four (4) people that can do horsemanship,
roping, and those kinds of stuff. We an opportunity and they want to come." We would pay
for a portion of their expenses and the community would get the car and the hotel. When
we get those kinds of things it is like, "Yes, it sounds good. Let us do that." They would
come in and do it for the kids. When we get inquiries, we use the money for those.
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Council Chair Rapozo: I guess my question is more inline with that...so
the $20,000, some of those moneys are earmarked for specific projects?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: A grant-in-aid is really what I believe is where
the community can apply for the grants and the $20,000 would be available for everyone. If
the Administration has specific projects that they would like to support, then that should be
under a special project because no one else is eligible to receive those funds.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Council Chair Rapozo: I am just thinking out loud because I just noticed
the change and when Councilmember Chock asked the question, it just triggered my
question. To me, a grant-in-aid are funds that people, the general public, and nonprofits
could apply for, and a special project would be one where it is directed by the County. In
other words, we are going to support this project. So it is not really a grant-in-aid; it is a
special project.
Mr. Rapozo: I will make that note and relay that to our
Finance Director because it was under their recommendation through our budget process
that the thing gets moved.
Council Chair Rapozo: He is coming up already.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Council Chair Rapozo: He is trying to save paper. If he can answer the
questions here then it will save the communication going across.
KEN M. SHIMONISHI, Director of Finance: Ken Shimonishi, Director of
Finance. Thank you, Council Chair. One of the reasons we wanted to set up the
grant-in-aid account is that we saw different departments budgeting these funds in
different account numbers like special projects or other services. Again, to get a handle on
how much money the County is granting out to various community organizations, we
thought it was important to have this account set up specially. If you look at the budget
this year, the County is, in fact, granting out to the community $1,665,000. So again, it is
our way of trying to get a handle on how much money overall is going out into the
community.
Council Chair Rapozo: Right, but of that $1.6 million, how much is
projects that the Administration has identified as they are going to support versus projects
that the community has applied for?
Mr. Shimonishi: I believe all of the funds do require an
application. I understand what you are saying, that certain funds are clearly earmarked
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towards certain purposes, maybe even organizations. Again, all would require an
application to come through.
Council Chair Rapozo: Yes, but one (1) application from the person or
the group?
Mr. Shimonishi: Correct.
Council Chair Rapozo: I guess that is where it is confusing to the public.
I do not know, maybe I am being overly critical, but when I look at a grant, it is where the
County has "x" amount of moneys available for the community. So the community applies
for these grants and the selection committee picks what is best, versus the Administration
saying, "Hey, we are going put $20,000 into this event," but the event is being run by one
organization or a group of them. But no one else has the opportunity for that project or that
fund. In that sense, for me anyway, I would like to see what funds that we are giving out
are administrative projects where the Administration has decided, "This Administration
feels that we want to support this event," versus what moneys are available, like the Host
Community Benefit. With that one, you can see where the people apply for these funds.
Those are grants-in-aid, I think, versus the Administration says, "No, we are going to put
out $20,000 for this weekend event and do this every year." To me, that is a special project.
You can still track the special projects separately.
ERNEST W. BARREIRA, Assistant Chief Procurement Officer/Budget Chief: Good
morning, Council Chair. Ernie Barreira, Budget and Purchasing Chief. Not
arguable...what you are articulating can...in terms of how we execute it, whether it is in
grant-in-aid or in special projects; if the Council, through the budget ordinance, articulates
and passes that appropriation, then it is treated as an approved exemption by law and it is
attended to appropriately, either through competition or thorough the waiver of competition
as allowed by the statute. I think what the Director pointed out was that we felt we could
account for it more accurately by reflecting it in grant-in-aid line item.
Council Chair Rapozo: I just want to make sure that we are not trying
to circumvent procurement because now we are going call them a "grant-in-aid" that is
exempt. But the Administration will dictate who is going to get the funds and I think that
is where I am a little concerned because it is not a true grant-in-aid where you apply, where
five (5) groups will apply for these funds. It is the Administration that has selected an
event or whatever the project may be and it could be anything. It does not have to be a
sporting event, concert event, or arts event. It could be anything. You could basically go
and use the grant-in-aid for any project. You could do it for a fencing project, for any kind
of project, but I just found out in this past year that if you write it as a grant, you do not
have to go through procurement.
Mr. Barreira: Yes and no. There is still a procurement activity.
Council Chair Rapozo: But they are exempt.
Mr. Barreira: It is to establish the proper documentation to
articulate that you have met the requirements of the law.
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Council Chair Rapozo: That is just my concern. I am probably the only
one concerned about it. I guess we can move on.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: If you look at the Mayor's Office, they indicate
who the money is going to already for a grant-in-aid and it will say "American Red Cross,"
"Life's Choices," or "Project Graduation." Maybe if the money is going somewhere already,
then put it in and maybe have another line item or something, in the grant-in-aid section in
the details so that you know how much is actually available to the public and how much is
already earmarked for a project. Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Just following up on this conversation.
Yesterday we reviewed the CIP, which included the Ho`olokahi funds. My understanding is
that it is all encumbered in that budget and none within here. Is that correct?
Mr. Shimonishi: That is correct.
Councilmember Chock: Okay. In terms of the division that Council
Chair is talking about, it was applied for on an annual basis and that would fall into that
category and is also included in that large list that you are tracking, I guess, now that you
are tracking the different types of grants or other grants in one section. Are those
Ho`olokahi funds also within that grouping?
Mr. Shimonishi: I would have to verify that.
Councilmember Chock: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: I am sorry—are you asking if that $20,000 would
include the Ho`olokahi program?
Councilmember Chock: I see that it is not.
Mr. Rapozo: It is not.
Councilmember Chock: Yes, it is not. I was just wondering if in terms of
disseminating administrative projects versus those that are applied for by the community,
if that was encumbered within the structure that Ken is...
Mr. Rapozo: Got it.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I have a follow-up. I had a similar question.
What is the difference between applying for the Ho`olokahi grant and this grant-in-aid?
Mr. Rapozo: Can we get to Ho`olokahi when we get to the
Convention Hall? I would tell you that this grant-in-aid here involves sports and
recreation. It involves, like I described, clinics of bringing the next level to our kids. That
is where the difference is. The other one is more "people want to fix something up within
the parks," as opposed to this one here. Almost all of our kids cannot afford to get to the
next level without having that exposure. To get that exposure, our kids cannot afford to
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travel off-island. It is to bring that exposure to this island, so this particular grant-in-aid
that we are talking about, or special project as been called in the past, is specifically to
bring that next level to Kauai, so our kids can get that exposure and that kind of
instruction and training.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: So a Ho`olokahi grant is more like if you want to
do an improvement to the park, say like a football team wants some kind of equipment that
they want for the park that everybody can enjoy, then they go for a grant like that.
Mr. Rapozo: Exactly.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Then these projects are more for like community
organizations.
Mr. Rapozo: No, these projects are for recreational training
kinds of stuff to bring to next level here.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: I would agree with Councilmember Chock that it
should be identified if, in fact, that is what this grant-in-aid will be. I agree 100% with
Lenny that these clinics are needed to elevate our talent, but having said that, there are
probably thousands of organizations that provide those kinds of clinics and opportunities.
By saying it is a grant-in-aid, but already identifying the provider of these services, I think
is...I do not think that is accurate. So if we are going to say that this is the training that
we want to bring to Kaua`i, then it should be specified. I really do not see the difference
between Ho`olokahi grant-in-aid for this particular budget is for the activities that Lenny
has described then it should be identified as such.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: Lenny, the Ho`olokahi fund is to bring expertise
to Kaua`i or to send our kids off to other trainings?
Mr. Rapozo: No, not at all.
Councilmember Yukimura: To bring clinics...
Mr. Rapozo: I will say it again. This used to be called "Special
Projects" and it is now "Grant-in-Aid" in the Administration's budget and it is to bring
talent and training to Kaua`i for our kids so that they can have the exposure to get to the
next level in sports and recreation; in whatever sport, whether it is rodeo, football, baseball,
or basketball. The Ho`olokahi grant, and we will discuss this more in-depth when we get to
the Convention Hall, is if there is a community project out there that the community wants
to take on to improve a park facility, then they would apply for this Ho`olokahi grant.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: I just want to chime in because when you said
you might be the only one concerned about it, I am also very concerned about it. I think
that as far as accounting-wise, we just need a full reporting of all the grants and that if it is
a grant-in-aid, that indeed it is made available for people to apply. When we compared...I
think, Chair, you compared it to the other grants that come out of the Office of Economic
Development or the Mayor's Office—those actually have a competitive process, application,
and all of that. So I agree with the Chair in that we should we treat all grants-in-aids the
same as grants that the community can apply for. If it is a special project or an
administrative project, I think, Chair, said that we do it that way. If the department is
deciding what the need is based on their involvement with community and in picking the
organization, then it is not really a grant-in-aid in the sense of a grant program that makes
stuff available to community organizations. So the main thing is that separating the
difference and having reports on both and knowing upfront what we are approving.
Mr. Barreira: Council Chair and Committee Chair, we will
raise the Council's concerns as part of our continuing discussions for the May submission
and bring that up with the Administration for discussion. We will raise your concerns.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Thank you. Councilmember Hooser.
Councilmember Hooser: I like the idea of the County providing some
support, but I think if we could bring back also the idea of do we have different programs in
different places supporting different kinds of youth programs? This is sports support,
right?
Mr. Rapozo: Right.
Councilmember Hooser: So my question is are there equal support for
theater, computer, skateboard, and other kinds of youth programs?
Mr. Rapozo: Anything to involve sports and recreation that
would bring, like I mentioned the next level to it; at one time, we were in discussion with...I
cannot remember the gentleman's name from Jupiter, Florida. He wanted to do a
Shakespearean play and that is a form a recreation for some of our kids, the children's
theater. Although it never materialized, when we talked about how we would be able to
help in this manner, I insisted, as I insist with all of these programs that they have to
provide at least a clinic for our kids, meaning teaching them whatever. I think you and I
will agree by your statement that every kid has a different interest, not necessarily
baseball, basketball, or football. This is a program that never was started until this
Administration came about, but it is based upon relationships that have been developed
throughout the years with different coaches and different organizations to put it on. If
there is, and that is why I mentioned, someone would come to us and say, "There is this
opportunity for someone to come and teach theater." I am very interested in seeing that
because I understand that kids have different interests.
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Councilmember Hooser: I know we are going talk about the Ho`olokahi
program on another item, but it seems that it could be an umbrella for these programs
where there are a pool of funds that are matched with County efforts, whether it is sports
programs, theater programs, or rotary clubs. There is this interaction between community
groups supporting and leveraging. I guess the main question for the Administration
long-term is do we have some of these programs scattered here and there, grants-in-aids, in
particular? Are we going to have one consolidated like some in parks, here and there? Are
we going to have one list of that? Perhaps you can get back to us on that. Thank you.
Council Chair Rapozo: Just one last one. In the current budget in the
Special Projects line we have allocated $20,000 and year-to-date expenditures of $19,292.
So we basically spent all of that money already. Are the projects that you described, Lenny,
that you would like to redo this year, does that take up that $19,292?
Mr. Rapozo: No. I think baseball is just under $1,500. The
football, because of the amount of kids from Kauai that goes, I think we spend $5,000 for
that. For everything else like the rodeo that we just had with the four (4) people that came
here, three (3) ladies and a man, that was a one-time deal. Two (2) years ago, we had
another opportunity with another roper. I think his name was Lenny Green. He came over
and that was a one-time deal again, right? It is not necessarily as you had mentioned that
we are choosing and doing it every year.
Council Chair Rapozo: So there are excess funds in there that we could
use for the community to request if somebody wanted to do a clinic?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. Depending on the specialty, we look at it
closely. As we mentioned, recreation is a broad...if there is a hula teacher that can help our
kids, that would be awesome. We talked about the theater, but that never materialized,
unfortunately, because I was really excited. That was something very different. We do
want to try and get that population of our kids something.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions on the Administration
portion? Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: As far as positions on page number 217, the 1907
Secretary position, SR-16, is that a bargaining unit position or an appointed position?
Mr. Rapozo: Page?
Councilmember Kuali`i: 164.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: 217 on the bottom.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Councilmember Kuali`i: 1907 Secretary, SR-16, $45,000.
Mr. Rapozo: That one is a bargaining unit position.
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Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. The one above it, I guess that is the thing
with the "E." E-79 Private Secretary, SR-20.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, that is an appointed position.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. So that is showing $67,464, but what does
that represent? On July 1, 2015, the salary will set at a certain level. Was there an
increase on January 1, 2016 that just took place a couple of months ago?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, does your report show that?
Councilmember Kuali`i: No. What was that amount?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not have that amount before me. I
understand the positions were coming over from Human Resources (HR).
Councilmember Kuali`i: So whatever that increase was on
January 1, 2016, then this proposal is proposing another increase for July 1, 2016, but I
think and I am not sure and maybe HR will be the ones that provide this information, that
the $67,464 is higher than the amount for the July 1, 2016, because on"Attachment A" that
the Administration provided us, it shows a figure of $65,736. I think unless there is
another raise planned in halfway through the way, the figure should be $65,736 and not
$67,464.
Mr. Rapozo: I will defer that question to HR.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Administration? We
are going to move on to the fiscal line items. Any questions for the fiscal line items? If
there are no questions for Fiscal, we are going to move on to Planning and Development.
Mr. Rapozo: In our budget presentation on page 37, we
showed the...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Sorry, hold on. Councilmember Kuali`i, do you
have a question on the fiscal portion?
Councilmember Kuali`i: In general, the salaries line item is increasing by
9% and I think that we have been hearing about it being flat around a 4% or 5% raise
increase to accommodate raises. So why is it 9% instead of the 4% or 5%? Is there a new
position? Is there any unusual...
Mr. Rapozo: There is nothing new, no additions. My
understanding is that these increases are reflective of a collective bargaining agreement,
not necessarily new positions or anything.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So the 9% increase is all collective bargaining?
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Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Fiscal?
Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: So your Parks security officers are under fiscal?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Why is that?
Mr. Rapozo: They also collect money.
Councilmember Yukimura: But their main function is out in the parks,
right?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. At the time of the organization, that is
where they were placed.
Councilmember Yukimura: Is that a logical place?
Mr. Rapozo: Aside from them being in a separate division, I
think it is an appropriate place.
Councilmember Yukimura: It just seems kind of strange in fiscal.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, I kind of thought that in the beginning, but
I think it is appropriate. The permitting and the collecting of money—Parks security
officers also collect money in the field.
Councilmember Yukimura: I think we added certain positions in the budget
before two (2) years ago.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, two (2) years ago, we added two (2)
positions.
Councilmember Yukimura: How is that working?
Mr. Rapozo: I think we are doing a good job in terms of
monitoring the commercial peddlers on the north shore as part of the Concessions and
Peddlers Ordinance that was employed.
Councilmember Yukimura: Are these also the officers that do the camping
enforcement?
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Mr. Rapozo: They do camping enforcement and they are able
to also address nonmoving violations of vehicles within parks and any kind of inappropriate
behavior. They are there to investigate, as well as...
Councilmember Yukimura: So they must also have to deal with the
homeless/houseless situation.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. What is the Rectrac Annual Yearly
Maintenance?
Mr. Rapozo: The Rectrac is the computer program that we use
for permitting.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Thank you. In your budget presentation, Lenny,
I noticed...I am just looking at the fees collected and there is a big variance between the
different park rangers and what they are collecting. I was just wondering if you can shed a
little bit of light on that. I am just interested, especially when you look at $1,000 compared
to $15,000?
Mr. Rapozo: Are you talking about the table on page 7?
Councilmember Chock: Yes.
Mr. Rapozo: A little over a year ago, our Permit Clerk at the
Pi`ikoi Building retired and in going through the vacancy review process, the Vacancy
Review Committee saw it prudent to dollar-fund that position, and whatever activity that
position was doing in terms of their counter service for permitting got regulated back to the
neighborhood centers. So the neighborhood centers have assumed a lot of that
responsibility, but also the rangers have assumed more camping permits within our parks.
Our rangers do a good job of educating before citing and a lot of times the visitors are not
aware of where to go to get these permits, although it is spelled out in Pi`ikoi, as well as our
office. They camp and the rangers are collecting money in the parks for these different
camping permits.
Councilmember Chock: I see. What area is that? I am just curious as to
the generation of that amount?
Mr. Rapozo: I believe our Ranger Ortiz is assigned to the
north shore.
Councilmember Chock: So that is all the north shore...
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Mr. Rapozo: So from 'Anini to Ha`ena Beach Park.
Councilmember Chock: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: I cannot remember the last time we had the
discussion. I am not sure if it was at the budget or at some other meeting, but we talked
about the permitting at the neighborhood centers. Have we improved that? Is the permit
still available? Where?
Mr. Rapozo: At the neighborhood centers.
Council Chair Rapozo: All of them?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: I remember when we had the last discussion, and
I think Councilmember Hooser brought it up, where people went to Kapa'a and were told
that they had to go somewhere else.
Mr. Rapozo: That is part of it because on certain days, the
neighborhood center managers are also doing summer fun programs, spring programs, and
senior programs. If you all came to the senior dance...I am sure you folks were invited,
because we need dance partners for the seniors, but the center managers are there and
maybe we would have one person be back on the west side and one on the east side to
handle that. But notifications are placed out and sometimes I guess people just have not
been able to see it.
Council Chair Rapozo: So there are still pockets of time where it is not
available at the neighborhood center?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: That would explain the increase in camping
permits being sold at the campsites.
Mr. Rapozo: Exactly. The Vacancy Review Committee is a
good committee, but when decisions like this are made to help the budget, that is some of
the results of it. So we do not have a clerk eight (8) hours a day dedicated at one place, but
if you are going out and we have saved money here and those are some of the effects of our
decisions.
Council Chair Rapozo: I guess I personally would rather see the Permit
Clerk in one place.
Mr. Rapozo: We will deal with that internally because it has
been over a year. We have the data and this is part of the data. We have a lot of data.
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Internally, we would meet and review that and show the impacts and see if that is the
direction we want to go.
Council Chair Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: It seems to me that our park rangers have to do
more of this paperwork instead of their job of interacting with people and it just does not
seem like a good allocation of responsibilities and it does not seem like good customer
servicing either if people have to figure out how to get to the Lihu`e Neighborhood Center,
rather than come to the center of government.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am glad that you are looking at that again and
I hope that we will see some...
Mr. Rapozo: We make tough decisions sometimes and that is
a result, then we have to reevaluate if that is the direction that we still want to continue
down the road.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right. I was going to pull out the mission
statement of the County. I think it says something about good customer servicing.
Mr. Rapozo: I think our department has something about
that, too.
Councilmember Yukimura: That is right. Congratulations. Your mission
statement is even better this year. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Hooser.
Councilmember Hooser: I am actually glad that Council Chair reminded
me of my experience and I am glad to see that you are rethinking. I actually wanted to
book some neighborhood centers, so I went down to the office over here and there is nobody
at the window. Then I looked at the sign and it listed some, but not all, of the neighborhood
centers' contact information. So I drove to the Lihu`e Neighborhood Center and nobody was
there. I do not mean to get anybody in trouble, I know there are a lot of good people, but it
was a confusing, time-wasting ordeal for somebody who was just trying to book some
centers.
Mr. Rapozo: I think I just misspoke earlier. In order to get an
idea of the effects of it, so prior to this decision that was made, you could get permits at
Hanapepe Neighborhood Center, Kalaheo Neighborhood Center, Kapa'a Neighborhood
Center, and Kilauea Neighborhood Center, but not Lihu`e Neighborhood Center. The
reason for that is because those are the nearest areas for camp grounds. So when the
decision was made, those are the only four (4) centers with the addition to Lihu`e that was
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included in doing that. In order to get some impact, the other centers like Kekaha were not
doing permitting at the time. To get a good indication of the impact, I think you keep
everything the same and see what added burden is there. So this is a result of having that.
Again, I think the Vacancy Review Committee is a good committee. They review every
position, including this. We presented our case and they made the decision that they
thought it could be handled at the neighborhood centers, but your experiences and some
others in the increase in their numbers in different places is a result of that decision. So I
think we need to review it, which we will be doing.
Councilmember Hooser: It seems like a master calendar, because every
center apparently has its own calendar and some are better kept than others, so when you
are trying to find out where there is a vacancy, it just takes a lot of time and multiple
people...you are waiting for people to get back with you, rather than having some kind of a
master calendar.
Mr. Rapozo: We need to look into that because that is what
Rectrac does. They put it in Rectrac so that everybody who...it is at John's office...
Councilmember Hooser: I am talking about using the facilities, not the
camping necessarily.
Mr. Rapozo: No, everything is in that Rectrac system. I need
to look into that, but they should have access to everybody's facility through Rectrac.
Councilmember Hooser: I ended up booking individually with four (4) or
five (5) different centers.
Mr. Rapozo: I apologize for that. That should have not
happened. You should have been able to go to one place and book all of your needs there.
Councilmember Hooser: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any follow-up questions? Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: So it occurred to me as we just had this
discussion that it is also a burden on the neighborhood center managers because they have
a lot to do, especially the busy ones. I think it is good that people can get permits there, but
if you remove the central place then the burden increases on the managers.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you for that. That will be part of my
review when I go in front of them.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
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Councilmember Kagawa: Just to get an idea, how much does it cost to rent
the Lihu`e Neighborhood Center for a day?
Mr. Rapozo: It is by ordinance. I do not have the ordinance
with me. I apologize.
Councilmember Kagawa: What about the camping permit?
Mr. Rapozo: For residents, it is nothing.
Councilmember Kagawa: So residents are free to get camping permits at
Anini?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. Visitors have to pay $5 a day.
Councilmember Kagawa: Have we thought about possibly increasing the
visitors' camping fee?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: I really feel like we are getting too much
"bargain tourists" or "homeless tourists" and our cheap camping permits are encouraging
them to come here and I think we need to collect more for those camping permits.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you, Councilmember Kagawa. I agree
with you. We have done the exercise. We are just about ready to pull everything together.
The Convention Hall, camping, pavilions, neighborhood centers, golf and some changes in
the golf...to come here after this budget process then we can have that discussion. I agree.
Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: How much was the Permit Clerk salary? Do you
remember?
Mr. Rapozo: I believe it was the same as...let me see.
Council Chair Rapozo: It was probably less than $40,000.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. To answer, it is probably at the end of the
scale, but...it would be like an SR-13.
Council Chair Rapozo: Yes, so not a significant amount of money in
relation to your budget.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
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Council Chair Rapozo: But the removal of that position caused quite an
impact in not just the park rangers, but I think like Councilmember Yukimura said...
Mr. Rapozo: With fringes, maybe you are looking at about
$50,000.
Council Chair Rapozo: What is the salary?
Mr. Rapozo: It is $36,000.
Council Chair Rapozo: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: $76,000, I am sorry.
Council Chair Rapozo: How much?
Mr. Rapozo: Ernie said with fringes and salary, about
$76,000.
Council Chair Rapozo: $76,000?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, for the SR-13.
Council Chair Rapozo: What is the salary?
Mr. Rapozo: About $36,000.
Council Chair Rapozo: And the fringe is $76,000? That cannot be.
Mr. Rapozo: He read off to me what that last clerk retired as.
Council Chair Rapozo: Yes, obviously...
Mr. Rapozo: So currently, the SR-13 is about $36,000.
Council Chair Rapozo: Yes, $36,000, so it is probably $56,000 to
$60,000.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: With the fringe.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Council Chair Rapozo: Okay. That one, I do not know. I would think
that the impact is...the cost not to have the position is probably a lot more than with it or
without it. The other thing, what Councilmember Hooser talked about the neighborhood
centers, just to let you know, I am going through that right now where one center cannot do
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all, so I have to call each one. I really thought that was how it was. Anyway, just so you
can go check.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am glad to hear that you are doing a permit fee
review. I am to assume that all fees are being reviewed.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Do you have that factored into your
programs on a regular basis? A permit review? So every three (3) years or something like
that?
Mr. Rapozo: We do not have it currently, but that is part of
our intention because different areas...the Convention Hall, the last one was in 1996. We
talked about camping and everything and that was never reviewed after it was first...I
think in 1983. I think it was funny because the document that I found from the Council has
Eddie Sarita's name on as a Councilmember, but he did not vote on it. He was excused for
the day, to be clear. So we need to bring all of that together and do it on a regular basis.
Councilmember Yukimura: I think we really learned from our motor vehicle
registration and our planning fees. We had not looked at them for twenty (20) years or
something and when we do, we have it make a really big jump.
Mr. Rapozo: Right.
Councilmember Yukimura: So it is really better for our customers that we do
it incrementally, so it does not hurt so they can plan and all of this. I am glad that you are
doing it regularly. I know the bus has been doing it regularly, so every two (2) years or so,
we have been raising the monthly bus pass fee and people have been able to handle it,
because it has not been that much and we give them enough notice. So in ten (10) years we
are not trying to raise it 100% or something. Very good. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Thank you. I failed to ask this question
previously with the Department of Public Works. We have worked and focused, as the
Administration has focused hard in the last couple of years on really tightening the budget.
I think in a lot of ways it has had an impact on service. For me, I feel like we are at a point
where at least I need to start to get a better sense of what are those service gaps. This is no
reflection of the work that you folks do, but really just about the reality and what we have
to do, like we talked about the vacancy review and all of these other cuts that we had to
make. So this is going to be an ongoing question and I wanted to pose it upfront as we
moved down the list here is for me to get a better sense of how far behind we are on some of
our services and what are the real needs? You talked about the challenges, especially with
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the parks. But I want to know how far we are behind in cutting our trees? How far behind
are we in our signs? There are all of these little things that I think we need to start to
really at least around this table get a better sense of so that we can help be proactive in
problem solving.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Fiscal? We will move
on to Planning and Development. It is on page 37 of the presentation.
Mr. Rapozo: That is one thing about planning and
development. You can really see the progress that this division has made. I will leave his
successes, his ongoing projects, or our ongoing projects, and our professional services that
are happening as we speak and the planning and design that are happening as we speak.
We finally have replaced...there was a vacancy where our project manager had left the
County because of money to go to the private sector. We have recently hired for that
position, so in this division it is fully staffed again and going full blast in trying to
accomplish as many projects as possible during the fiscal year. So with that, I will open it
up for questions.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any questions from the Members? I have a
question on this "Four Winds" and I know it comes up also in the improvement and
maintenance fund, but what is that?
Mr. Rapozo: This is the long-awaited asset management
program that we have been developing. Four Winds is a type of program that we are
implementing. We are doing training now and it is called the (inaudible) from the Four
Winds company. Once we get all of the data into the program, we can provide maintenance
schedules, whether it is for roofs, toilets, or certain things that are often broken, maybe we
need to either just change it out because we spend too much time fixing it...like is there
common things that are breaking all the time with certain of types of toilets of that nature.
So that is what that is, the program itself.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Thank you. Any further questions?
Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: What is the Autocad Map 3D Annual
Maintenance in Autocad?
Mr. Rapozo: That is the program that some of our folks use to
draft.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. So the Four Winds is your repair
management or asset management?
Mr. Rapozo: Assessment management that we are
incorporating into...we are using that...that is going to be our program to track our
maintenance needs for our different assets.
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Councilmember Yukimura: And the parks...your planning division is going
to be the one that oversees maintenance of the facilities?
Mr. Rapozo: Not oversee the maintenance, but right now they
are in charge of putting up the program. But the planner herself would be the one to give
us that...next year or in two (2) years these roofs will need to be changed and we need to
start planning for those things.
Councilmember Yukimura: If you are in the new format where Parks takes
care of our buildings, it is not going to be your maintenance person? Your maintenance
supervisor?
Mr. Rapozo: The Facilities Supervisor is going to be in charge
of the physical repairs of the different facilities.
Councilmember Yukimura: I do not understand.
Mr. Rapozo: If you need a plumber to fix the plumbing, then
that division would dispatch the plumber and organize that. These maintenance projects
would be the large projects that need to get done, which would probably involve
procurement. So if the planner would be the one to alert us that within the next two (2)
years, these maintenance projects need to come up and we would look into budgeting or
looking at doing those types of repairs or maintenance.
Councilmember Yukimura: So you are dividing the assets tracking and
management between planning and your facilities manager?
Mr. Rapozo: I would not consider that "dividing" because
everybody would have a part in either putting the data into the program, but our Parks
Planner would be the one to plan out what would need to be the repairs. Currently, just
like we have maintenance for playgrounds, basketball courts, and tennis courts, now we are
going to have those types of maintenance projects. The planning and developing
department is the one that puts those things together for us.
Councilmember Yukimura: So this is only going to be for Parks projects? Is
it going to be for all County buildings now that you are taking that on? Or you are
proposing to take it on.
Mr. Rapozo: Right. At the time that we started this project,
we were not looking at the whole County. We were just focusing on parks. This project
started last year around March or December.
Councilmember Yukimura: So what is your plan then if you were to take on
the...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: You need to let him finish answering.
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Mr. Rapozo: Okay, before we made this move to take on the
other facility projects, this particular program is focused mostly on Parks or just strictly
Parks. In our proposal that is coming over, we do have a Buildings Manager's position that
is currently doing the CIP maintenance for other facilities in the County. That person will
come over and he will still be in charge of maintaining those types of projects.
Councilmember Yukimura: So you are going to have one (1) person
maintaining non-Parks projects and one (1) person maintaining Parks projects?
Mr. Rapozo: Currently, that is the way it is set up because we
have not merged yet.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, what is your plan for when you merge it?
Mr. Rapozo: When we merge it, it will be separated, yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: It will be two (2) people again?
Mr. Rapozo: The planning and development division will be
developing and promoting Parks. The large maintenance projects would come over to the
Buildings Manager as his responsibility.
Councilmember Yukimura: All of the buildings will be tracked by one (1)
person in terms of long-term projects or is Parks going to be separate from non-Parks
buildings?
Mr. Rapozo: The Buildings Manager person will handle all
major CIP maintenance repair projects, whether it is Parks or non-Parks projects.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, a roof is a major CIP project, right?
Mr. Rapozo: That is why I said he would handle that.
Planning and development would focus on developing and planning new parks.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, I always thought that planning would be
doing that, but I do not know many organizations where planning people are also doing the
repair and maintenance tracking. So that is why I am asking these questions.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: When we get into further discussion about how it
is going to work, we are going to keep that to the section on the building maintenance
portion.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: As far as this asset management system, I guess
the question that came up...I was thinking while Councilmember Yukimura was saying all
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of our building asset management stuff can all be incorporated into this Four Winds
program?
Mr. Rapozo: My understanding right now...when we looked at
it, we did not necessarily want to duplicate something that was already there. It did not
meet our needs for Parks when we did this. They have their own asset management
currently. So that is why it is pretty much separated now.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: I think when there is no doubt...because I am the
Committee Chair for Parks that I sent you a ton of personal requests and we are getting a
lot of these from the softball and the baseball, and I just want to make sure...are we
making sure that the planning section is looking at the problems of what we are facing as
we go forward and design new parks? For example, the Kekaha Gardens Park, we did that,
but yet it has restrictions. Because if you have adult softball players, the Pony League, or
even the Bronco League, houses become an obstacle because we are hitting balls and
possibly damaging property. So I am trying to make sure that as we go forward we try to
make sure that when we put a lot of money into something like Kekaha Gardens, we are
getting the best"bang for the buck" because we knew the houses were there and we decided
to do it. Not to say that was not a good plan. It is just an example. I just want to make
sure as we go forward...now we are having problems in Isenberg where I think planning
should be involved saying, "Okay, well, we see a problem with houses in the right field.
Now this is our plan. We are going to either go with a high post with netting to prevent
balls from damaging property or what is the alternate plan that we are going tell these
guys that used to use it? Here is where we are going to go five (5) years down the line or
what have you." I think I would like to see some coordination there because the times are
changing. We have youth playing baseball all year round now, not like before where it was
seasonal. We have adult softball players playing all year round and then we have outside
leagues that are playing all year round. The demand is rising. How do we address it? How
do we avoid the problem areas so that we do not unnecessarily, I think, damage property
when there are alternate areas that we can go to? Are we making sure that we plan with
the demand and future needs that we are seeing?
Mr. Rapozo: You are right, Councilmember Kagawa. We do
plan. Every facility is on a case-by-case basis. At Kekaha Gardens, we met with the
community and asked what they wanted to see. You are right, so only youth sports is
allowed in there, aside from what the communities want, but that is what that facility can
handle. Nearby, they have Kekaha Fire Park, where the adults can play. So Kekaha
Gardens is there. I played softball at Isenberg when we first got out of college, but I think
the technology of bats that they have now is crazy. When we played earlier in our...a
fourteen (14) inch would never send the ball over that fence that they have out there. First,
it was twelve (12) inch and they were nailing it on the roof. Now fourteen (14) inch is
clearing and hitting things. So what we did there was implement a restriction on bats and
balls. Fourteen (14) inch...you cannot use that ball there; you have to play at Peter Rayno
Park. If you are going to play at Isenberg, these are the certain types of bats that shall be
allowed only to use in there. We have to work with the leagues that if they want to play,
that is what it has to be. If you want to play nighttime at Isenberg, then this is the type of
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equipment that you have to use. A good example is the Waimea Town Celebration. The
organization that runs the softball tournament now provides bats and balls. Because of
technology, guys were just pounding that ball all over the place. So the game no longer
becomes a strategy kind of game, but it becomes "who can hit the ball the farthest" and
nobody can catch it in the dark and everybody starts to run. On a case-by-case basis, our
department and John, to his credit, have to work with these leagues to somehow come up
with these kinds of resolutions. He will run it through me and we will make the final
decision together, but those are some of the steps that we had to take to address some of the
concerns you just said.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for planning and
development? If not, we will move on.
Mr. Rapozo: Committee Chair, I just hope that everybody
takes a good look at the list because there are some major improvements. If you look at the
aerial picture, that is Hanapepe Stadium, where we are spending about $800,000 that we
granted to put in new bleachers; those bleachers were there from 1964. So to your folks'
credit in working together and appropriating money, this division has worked really hard in
moving projects, including the repair of Kilauea Gym and moving forward with repairs of
Kaumakani. Not only because Kaumakani, during the last rainstorm, that affected the
gym, but also coming up with designs to divert water from the upper level...hopefully we
will not have that thing repeated again. A lot of those things are listed in their
accomplishments, so I would like to praise them or praise that division for completing what
they have completed and I look forward to more now that they are fully staffed again.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Yesterday or the day before, we had a great
presentation on all of the CIP projects and a lot of those encompassed all of these projects
that the County was able to accomplish throughout the years. We were very impressed at
how much they paid down on the CIP and all of the projects that were done in parks and
repairs. Do you have a question for planning and development?
Councilmember Yukimura: No, I just want to tell Lenny since he was not
here yesterday that we really appreciated the news about the Kilauea Gym. I think it was
yesterday. William Trujillo brought up the gym and I asked whether in the big rains this
weekend we had gotten any signs of any problems and he said no. I said that it is really
something to celebrate and we really want to acknowledge your department for taking care
of that.
Mr. Rapozo: I think, too, appropriate planning, doing the
right things to identify the problems as opposed to what everybody says and sometimes it
becomes part of the criticism. I think the end result...I think not just the last rainstorm,
but there was one when we had the high surf, the forty (40) to fifty (50) footers, and got a
lot of rain. It was a Wednesday where we went to check on the north shore parks with the
effects of the big storm and we stopped there and the gym was absolutely dry, which was
really good.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, so it is your team, but it is also the
department head that deserves credit. Thank you very much.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Hooser.
Councilmember Hooser: So planning and development, right? We talked
about that? We talked about this yesterday, too, with the Hanalei fields, across from the
courthouse. I drove by yesterday and there was probably thirty (30) to forty (40) young
people, ages eight (8) to twelve (12) years old, practicing soccer and it is my understanding
that there are no bathrooms for them to use at all. So I do not know where they are going
or what they are doing. What is the plan for that?
Mr. Rapozo: In 1983 when the County of Kauai signed a lease
to use that park for recreational purposes only, and it is spelled out in our lease, and
through however administrations since then, we are violating the lease by putting a
restroom there. To the credit of Waioli, they never really said anything about it. We also
failed to do other improvements to the park, like putting up a fence around it. So this all
came up when we reviewed our 25-year lease, maybe 4-5 years ago, and it was...I realized,
"Wow, we have not done that." We got to the point where it needed to be in compliance
with our lease so the Porta Potty was removed, but my proposal is that when the
neighborhood courthouse center is open, we would adjust the time of having a manager
there so that it would overlap with practice time of the kids that practice in the park. That
would be Monday through Friday. Currently, we are not aware of having any weekend
soccer games. I think adults can find bathrooms and leave the park and do it, but our
concern is the kids. So our proposal would be instead of 4:30 p.m. where other community
centers are closed, we would start that employee later and that person would finish at
5:30 p.m. That can still be changed, but I am not in favor of having an external entrance
for bathrooms because unmonitored, I think would pose more problems with people coming
in and out and destroying it without any kind of supervision. I think this would be the best
solution to address that. Yes, they would have to cross that highway, which is a State
highway. We can talk to Larry Dill, who is now there, about maybe trying to help us do a
crosswalk there that would hopefully alert drivers of people crossing.
Councilmember Hooser: I have a couple of follow-ups. I will ask a bunch
of questions and let you answer.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Councilmember Hooser: When will that five (5) days a week program
start with the courthouse? That is one question. The other question is, is there anything to
keep us...if that is going to be the length of time to putting a portable there right away?
Thirdly, have we asked Waioli to allow us to do that, to amend the lease or whatever, or is
there another property owner across the dirt road?
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. So right now, the renovation project for
the courthouse neighborhood center is one that the Department of Public Works—when I
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became the Director, that was a project that the Department of Public Works was doing and
rather than taking on...sometimes in government, it just sets you back even further in
getting it done. My understanding is that that project is out to bid, so hopefully within one
year that project will be completed. So we are looking around that kind of timeframe to
man it. I think we had that discussion during the last budget session that we believe that
the Hanalei community needs an active center with an active center manager. So
whenever that building is complete, we can do the hiring process. We have had the
discussions with Waioli corporation and they are trying to fulfill the will and the trust of
the Wilcox family. The trust of Wilcox is very clear that it is only for recreational purposes.
Over the years, we have taken advantage without consultation and because they have had
some great community events that have been established over there, Waioli did not want to
be the ones to say...we wanted to stop it flat. So in the amended lease, they have allowed
us to recreational events there; non-recreational events are limited. The Porta Potty does
not fit in to what they are trying to keep into what Mabel Wilcox had wanted. So the Porta
Potty had to be removed.
Councilmember Hooser: So it will be at least a year before there are any
bathrooms with the current plan. I do not believe that is acceptable to the community.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Councilmember Hooser: Can we put a Porta Potty outside of the
courthouse?
Mr. Rapozo: We can look into doing that.
Councilmember Hooser: Realistically, those kids are going somewhere.
Either they are going outside of their car, in the woods, or maybe across the dirt road or
something.
Mr. Rapozo: We could do something out there.
Councilmember Hooser: I think we have to do something.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. We will look at our Porta Potty contract
and see if we can do something.
Councilmember Hooser: Okay. Thank you.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: So you are going to be adjusting the time of a
position that we have not even created for the purpose of monitoring a bathroom?
Mr. Rapozo: Councilmember Yukimura, do you think that
would be most cost efficient for doing something...that person can do other neighborhood
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center business like any other neighborhood center. We have other neighborhood centers
that from 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. they are there, but they do not monitor bathrooms. They
do community business. I think it might be a positive for Hanalei, aside from the
bathroom...
Councilmember Yukimura: It...
Mr. Rapozo: Can I finish?
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
Mr. Rapozo: Aside from the bathroom, this allows the
community to come in and do other County business that is normally done at community
centers.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, that may be, but we have not heard the
plan and I have asked from the start, when you began designing the program whether you
were working with the community about how exactly that center was to be used and what
kind of hours and what kind of programing? I do not know...while the building...I mean
actually I think that should be done before the building is renovated because you might
have some things structurally that you want to do, depending on the programs. But that
not having happened and just the bathroom issue, so we have a lot of unmonitored
bathrooms at our parks and 24/7 they are not monitored. Yes, if there is a problem then
there is a problem, but I think for most of the time, there will not be a problem and the
need is not just...even for adults to have to go to the shopping center...it does not make
sense. Wherever we have activities, we need some kind of bathroom and it seemed to me
that outside access only that can lock off the rest of the building that is not being used, but
have the bathroom open for needs of the community might be a good idea. I am just sad
that Parks is so closed to that idea because bathrooms are really needed. When you need it,
you need it.
Mr. Rapozo: I am glad you brought that point up, but I
disagree with you that we are closed to that idea. We vetted that idea out and I did meet
with the community. We talked about the interior. We even talked to the community when
we found out it was in a flood zone and went back to the community to design where we had
to make it waterproof. It is a Department of Public Works project, but Parks is taking the
lead to go out into the community. So I disagree with everything that you have said, with
the exception that the part that where we have not determined the hours...that has not
been determined yet, but what is the plan? That is the proposal that we are thinking to
address some of those community concerns. I disagree with having access to outside
because it is a community center, but I do want to, as much as possible, address it for the
kids. Adults can be adults and they can find bathrooms elsewhere. I want to give the kids
the priority first. I think this is the best way in keeping the bathrooms somewhat usable
and available for them, as well as keep it available and useable for those that use the
community center.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. You are the Parks Director. You make
the decisions. Did you talk to the community about a bathroom that would be accessible
just from the outside and closed to...
Mr. Rapozo: We talked about the bathroom.
Councilmember Yukimura: And they said they did not need it or they agreed
with you that they did not want it?
Mr. Rapozo: I took their input and I guess I make that
decision.
Councilmember Yukimura: What did they say?
Mr. Rapozo: They said that would be nice, but they
understand our concerns. The current design of the building has not made that access
available.
Councilmember Yukimura: You were talking about renovations, so that is
the time to redesign if necessary. Thank you very much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Planning and
Development? Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Chair, I do not have any more questions for
Planning and Development, but I want to ask that we go back to Fiscal because I missed a
couple of questions. The reason I missed it is because on the Vacancy Report, it is listed as
"Parks & Recreation Permits" and not "Parks & Recreation Fiscal." I just have a couple of
questions.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Councilmember Kuali`i: There was a lot of discussion already about the
Parks Permit Clerk that was vacant, so we do not need to go there, but there is a Parks
Security Officer I, which I figured out that those are the rangers...vacant, position no. 1878.
It was just vacant. I think this is another typo because it says vacant
since...January 1, 2016...so just vacant since January. What is the status of recruitment?
Is it posted? Are you hiring?
Mr. Rapozo: We are in the interview process. We had
interviews on Tuesday and we have our final interviews next week.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So you will definitely be hiring before July 1st.
On your narrative on page 7 and 8 where you talk about camping fees, in the title it says,
"Camping Fees Collected By Park Rangers" and on the bottom it says, "63% increase in
permit money." So are camping fees and permit money the same thing?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
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Councilmember Kuali`i: Those are just different words for the same
thing?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: When it says "Fiscal Year 13-14, $20,945, Fiscal
Year 14-15, $34,215," that is the total camping fees or permit money collected for camping
for the entire year?
Mr. Rapozo: For that fiscal year.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Is there any breakdown between what is
collected in advance at the counter and what is collected on the grounds in the camping
sites by the rangers? Do you have that breakdown?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not have it with me, but I guess we could
look at the totals for those years and subtract that, because that is what is collected in the
field and that would give you an idea.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So then on the budget on page 219 with the
Parks Security Officer I positions...there is one Parks Security Officer II. In this list on
page 7, it has ten (10) rangers...it has "Ranger" and the last name and has ten (10)
positions. I count seven (7) Parks Security Officer I and one (1) Parks Security Officer II, so
that is eight (8). What other two positions are called rangers also?
Mr. Rapozo: The first one is the Parks Security Officer II.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Yes, so that is one and then there are seven (7)
Parks Security Officer I, so for a total of eight (8). In your list of the analysis of fees
collected, it shows ten (10) names. So there are two (2) more positions. Is it somewhere
else?
Mr. Rapozo: What happened was one guy moved on.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Oh, one left...
Mr. Rapozo: This was total collected and one gentleman
moved to another job, but he still collected while he was with us.
Councilmember Kuali`i: What is the primary...
Mr. Rapozo: If you see those asterisks, those are the guys that
worked with us during 13-14 and they moved on. The other asterisks are they were not
with us and they collected.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So there are three (3) and two (2), but one of
them must have been some kind of overlap.
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Mr. Rapozo: We cannot hide any other rangers, so whatever is
in the budget, the positions, that is all we have.
Councilmember Kuali`i: What are the primary fines or fees? They issue
citations as well, right?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: What are the number one (1) and two (2)
citations that they are issuing?
Mr. Rapozo: As I mentioned...
Councilmember Kuali`i: You showed this breakdown of the camping fees,
but there is a separate thing called "camping fines."
Mr. Rapozo: No, everything else that we give tickets is a court
and administration action, so the court collects that...
Councilmember Kuali`i: So you just issue the ticket. Do we collect the
fines later or does it go to the State? Where are the fines?
Mr. Rapozo: It is like a traffic ticket. We are doing the work
and the court system gets the fines.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: These are the fees that we get.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So being that there is a relationship with the
State there in that we issue the tickets, but they collect the fines; I would really like to
know what all of the different signs are. I am just curious because they are the Department
of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) rangers as well and some of our parks are directly
adjacent to State properties like beaches and stuff, so I am curious to know if there is any
possibility of our rangers working in partnership with DLNR rangers where they help us
and we help them?
Mr. Rapozo: We do all of the time, including KPD.
Councilmember Kuali`i: In essence, they are getting the fines, so maybe
they can help us, too.
Mr. Rapozo: We do all of the time, especially in Hanalei with
the Concessions and Peddlers Ordinance, or even during camping like down in Salt Pond...
the illegal camping going on in Salt Pond. When they do that action, our guys are there
because we do not want them coming into our parks. There are working relationships.
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Councilmember Kuali`i: We have those eight (8), but have to cover the
entire island. Do you know how many rangers DLNR has to cover the whole island?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not know how many officers they have.
Councilmember Kuali`i: But we do already work in partnerships?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Thank you so much.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Recreation is on page 26 of the presentation.
Lenny, do you have anything to say about this portion?
Mr. Rapozo: Recreation is a dynamic division within our
department, so they do a little video that says it all. Scott has the video, so can we all take
a look at the video, then we can talk about recreation. Thank you.
(The Department of Parks & Recreation played their video.)
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Thank you for the video. It is always fun
to take a little break and watch the video. Do you have anything to add?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. This division is a really dynamic division.
One of the incredible things about living on Kauai is the community support for our kids,
as well as our kapuna because if you talk to other recreational programs in the nation like
Minnesota and Los Angeles, they do not have these senior programs that we have and the
intergenerational thing that I think is important. In our community, you saw the Smith
family. We need to give kudos to them because they took all of our kids up the Fern Grotto
for free. Cindy reached out to them after she saw an ad in the paper regarding some of the
stuff and they were like...Kamika and "Uncle Freckles" gave them a ride to the Fern Grotto
for free. You saw that our firemen are a big part of the program because when we have
those senior days, as well as the senior dances...you folks have been there at the senior
dances...if you are a male, you have to watch out because they are going to grab you and
put you on the dancefloor with them. Where we have our senior fun days or our track meet,
the Fire Department is on standby in case we need their assistance and help to monitor. It
is not only educational for the kids that go there, but also for the kids that work. It is
probably their first or second time in their lives that they work, so they have to learn what
work ethic is like showing up to work on time and being responsible. This division is a very
dynamic division. Cindy and her staff did an excellent job with recreation. As you can see
in the video, I think the video itself explains it.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any questions? Councilmember Yukimura.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Lenny, this is always the highlight of budget
hearings for me, so thank you very much. When I see it, I think, "Lenny has the best job in
the world."
Mr. Rapozo: The Mayor supports all of the...
Councilmember Yukimura: Mahalo to Cindy Duterte and her amazing staff.
Thank you very much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any questions? I have a question. The wages
and hourly pay for the Summer Recreation Aids, we had eighty (80) in the prior year and
now we have sixty-five (65). Are we not able to run it at a certain place?
Mr. Rapozo: No, we are trying to be more efficient. Through
discussions with our the HR Department and our legal team, we find out that we can be a
little more creative in reducing some of the staff and still have the same coverage and same
ratio of adults per kids.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. So you are able to reduce the number of
people, but still do the same programs?
Mr. Rapozo: And keep the same amount of ratio of fifteen (15)
kids per one (1) staff. That is our ultimate ratio that we try to attain.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Sounds good. Anybody else? Questions?
Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: Are we turning away kids who want to...
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, unfortunately. We are a victim of our own
success because we just do not have space.
Councilmember Yukimura: It is the space that is the limiting factor?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, and getting workers. We want to try and
meet that fifteen (15) to one (1) ratio. In Lihu`e, we are using Wilcox and there are one
hundred (100) and at the Lihu`e Neighborhood Center it is ninety (90). We also need the
staff to take care of them and provide the necessary supervision, as well as the program.
Councilmember Yukimura: Absolutely.
Mr. Rapozo: Then take them on an excursion every
Wednesday. It is a victim of popular...it is a popular program. I think they do a good job.
Yes, a victim of our success, unfortunately.
Councilmember Yukimura: Are there kids who cannot come because of costs?
Mr. Rapozo: I am not aware of that.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Could you inquire and see? I am not sure how
you would tell if you are already turning away a lot of kids, but that is always my concern
that there are kids for whom the obstacle is cost. How much are our programs? We do not
have afterschool programs, right? These are intersession and summer programs.
Mr. Rapozo: Correct.
Councilmember Yukimura: Maybe you can send us information.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. In terms of cost and what we are
charging?
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, and whether we know if kids are not
applying because of costs. Maybe we do not know or cannot know that. Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: Lenny, the Summer Recreation Aids went from
eighty (80) to sixty-five (65), so we lost fifteen (15) workers.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. We did not lose them; we just figured that
we can do the job with less.
Council Chair Rapozo: But if you are keeping the fifteen (15) to one (1)
ratio, that means we are going to take less kids.
Mr. Rapozo: No, we are keeping the same kids. It was an
overlapping of hours because we was looking at Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), but
apparently with this type of seasonal workers, we were able to work...they are able to—she
just told me that we are going to up the ratio to twenty (20) to one (1), but also with FLSA
and these types of workers, we are able to work within the law that would allow us to try to
reduce some of the workers.
Council Chair Rapozo: So we are not losing any capacity with the
reduction of aids?
Mr. Rapozo: No.
Council Chair Rapozo: But we are going increase the ratio twenty (20) to
one (1)?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. Also, the overlap.
Council Chair Rapozo: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
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Councilmember Chock: Can you share the sewer line budget item that
went from three (3) to forty-four (44), back to ten (10) this year?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, at one time that was kept because of the
possibility that we needed to pump our sewers or our systems at the different
neighborhoods centers and this was like two (2) years ago. We have not had any problems,
so we are going to try...we thought that maybe that is an area we could save rather than
just have money sitting there when the money could be used somewhere else. That is why
we did the reduction.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: The recreation workers, whether it is "I" or "II,"
in the position listing on page 26, they all have areas like Kekaha, Kalaheo, Waimea, and
Hanapepe. The one that is vacant, 1653, does not have an area. I know it has been vacant
for a year and a half and it is dollar-funded and it is proposed to be dollar-funded again.
Does having the names in those areas represent that every area is covered, even with this
vacancy?
Mr. Rapozo: So you are looking at 1896?
Councilmember Kuali`i: 1896, yes.
Mr. Rapozo: Hopefully you get the sense that in every
vacancy that comes aboard, even before we go to the Vacancy Review Committee, it is not
instantaneous that we go to the committee to try to fill it. We look at the operations and
look at the people that we are intended to serve and look at how we can either be more
creative to help either save more money and become more efficient and feasible. In this
situation, we looked at one of the primary functions at the neighborhood centers is working
with seniors. In Kaumakani, the senior population has changed. Plantation has been long
gone. So the number of seniors there are pretty much non-existent. However, the
neighborhood center at Kaumakani is still used for meetings, volleyball, and softball, so we
looked at that. We also looked at all of the other sites on the west side like Koloa and
Waimea. In looking at Koloa, which is an older generation of seniors there—today's seniors
are more active. If you look at the video, some of the senior men are playing pickleball and
we have badminton on Wednesdays. They are active. They are not like the seniors that
make oshibana, sushi, and crocheting. So we looked to see how we could maximize that
person and by combining. At the time, what we did was combine the Kaumakani center
manager with the Koloa center. When the Lihu`e manager left, we moved the Koloa
manager to take over Lihu`e, and we felt that the Kaumakani manager could handle both
sites. That way, we saved the County a position. I do not like eliminating positions. I
prefer to keep it at a dollar-funded position in case there is something within the program
that comes up where we may need to re-describe or have a position that has already been
established. So that position will continue to be dollar-funded.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So with these recreation workers, whether it is a
"I" or "II," but they are actually the neighborhood center manager.
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Mr. Rapozo: Yes. The difference between a "I" and "II" is that
the "I" has not established themselves as able to teach. In order to become a "II," you have
to show some ability to teach a class or to teach something within the community. We do
work with our "I's." In Kalaheo, he is relatively new and Kilauea is definitely is new. To
get to the "II-level'...we want everybody to be a "II" so that we can have some programs
where they can do teaching, whatever the teaching may be.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So the 1894, that is a "II" in Kapa`a. Is that
actually Kapa'a and Anahola?
Mr. Rapozo: Part of her Anahola is part of Kapa`a, yes.
Councilmember Kuali`I: The only other thing is that on the Vacancy
Review Report, it shows that under "salary range" from $29,000 all the way up to $48,000
for a I. That seems like a really broad range like over $10,000, but that is what it is?
Mr. Rapozo: I will leave that to HR because my
understanding is that the SR entry-level is at a certain...I am not sure if that is referencing
if you are coming as a "C" step and there is a "N" step in the Hawai`i Government
Employees Association (HGEA) Collective Bargaining Agreement. So I am not sure if that
is why the range is so great. There is an entry-level when you come in as a I.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. I will follow-up with HR. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any other questions? Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I think it was yesterday that we got the report on
your lighting program in the parks, your CIP program. It is very commendable that they
all or most of them have the timer now and can be remotely controlled, and I guess they are
LED or at least less energy-consuming.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, more energy-efficient.
Councilmember Yukimura: So kudos to you for doing all of that. I am
looking at your electricity budget, which is in your programs and you say that it charges for
all neighborhood centers and pools. Right now, it shows a decrease and I presume that is
because of the lower kilowatt costs right now.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, we think.
Councilmember Yukimura: And lower fuel prices. So I just wondered if in
the design of new facilities, you folks...because we all know the cost of oil is going to go up
at some point and we are going to look at higher electricity bills. Are you folks in your
design trying to make sure they are energy-conserving/energy-efficiency?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, we do.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
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Mr. Rapozo: For this division, the biggest electrical cost is the
pool pumps, so we are trying to see what we can do with that.
Councilmember Yukimura: Good. There is something about capacitors that I
do not understand, like at our sewage treatment plants, lower costs. So if you have some
expert help on that.
Mr. Rapozo: Maybe we can look at what sewers are doing and
talk to them.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, that might be good.
Mr. Rapozo: Again, this Administration, I think, unlike other
County stories I used to hear about the County, we are so able to work across the
departments. So when we had problems with our pumps in Waimea, we would always have
to contract out, but we reached out to...what better experts in pumps than we have at
sewers? So we reached out with Lyle's help to the sewers and they came over and helped
with our fixing of our pumps at our pools. So we have done those kinds of things to try to
save the County costs and be more efficient.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, I agree with you that this Administration
has been the best so far in having the interdepartmental and intradepartmental help and
collaboration. So then below, you have Special Projects and Grants-in-Aid, so that is
separate from the Special Projects and Grants-in-Aid that were talking about earlier?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. As Council Chair was alluding to earlier,
this is specific grants-in-aid on an annual basis to Child and Family Services.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: They do a pre-kindergarten summer session in
Lihu`e, Kapa`a, and Kekaha in those areas. So that is what that money is granted to them
for primarily.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you. I think this addresses a really key
piece of policy about kindergarten readiness so that is what the program is trying to help
the kids who do not have that background.
Mr. Rapozo: I wanted to add as part of the pools and what we
are thinking we are going to move forward to it, at least in addressing costs, is to put the
pumps on a timer system.
Councilmember Yukimura: Interesting.
Mr. Rapozo: So it is not pumping 24/7. Maybe we can shorten
that, whatever the amount, we can figure out. At least we are going to save that much
money with energy costs.
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Councilmember Yukimura: That sounds like a good approach. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I guess that grant-in-aid was a good example
because this grant-in-aid line item put what was getting granted and aided to. It has the
description of it.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, I see. I failed to flip the page.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any other questions? Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Under Other Services, $30,000, I see that it is
broken down between bus service for the summer, spring, and winter programs, and then
senior busing. Who is the bus service for the summer, spring, and winter programs for? Is
that also for seniors?
Mr. Rapozo: No, that is for kids. That is our excursions.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay, so that is to hire the large buses like the
school buses.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, we have to go out for bid for those.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Then the other one, the senior buses, are those
our own buses?
Mr. Rapozo: That is our own buses, our internal that we
provide with transportation. We pay their transportation.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So we do for the seniors, probably several events
a year.
Mr. Rapozo: It is really what the seniors' needs are. There
are events that...
Councilmember Kuali`i: They all come to the Convention Hall?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, if they need it. Some of them come on their
own. If a group of seniors want to...if the Waimea seniors want to go and do an excursion
to Kapa'a or whatever the case may be, then we would hire our County buses...make
arrangement with our County bus and we will pay for the costs of the County bus to take
the seniors from Waimea to this place.
Councilmember Kuali`i: For each of the neighborhood centers?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So by paying for the cost, are we just paying for
the extra hours of the Kaua`i bus drivers?
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Mr. Rapozo: Whatever the agreement is with the Kauai Bus.
Councilmember Kuali`i: And the $5,000 is enough to cover the programs?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: It has been enough?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. I think it was like five (5) trips per senior
center. So every senior center has like five (5) trips that they can use the County
buses...we can do senior busing for them to go somewhere.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. Thank you so much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: For Consultant Services, we saw an increase and
the line items "Officiating (Officials, Desk Officer / Timer / Scorer) Youth and Senior
Instructors"—do you see a greater need for those types of services?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, those kind of fluctuate depending upon what
is happening. This year, we have the senior softball state tournament so we are going to
need more help to pull that off. That would come under that line item where that increase
reflects the senior softball. Senior softball this year, my understanding from sixty-four (64)
plus teams, they are going to have eighty-seven (87) teams this year. They are going from
"A" to "F," as opposed to "A" through"D." So it is a Kauai-hosted event.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: The copier line item increased. What was the
reason for that?
Mr. Rapozo: Part of it is just the services we are providing for
the spring, summer, and winter programs and senior programs. Just materials that they
use for the different programs.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any other questions?
Mr. Rapozo: Last year, we tried to make some cuts and found
that it was pretty rough on us, so we had to increase it back this year.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: One suggested cut maybe is that you can put
your budget report on two-sided paper.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Recreation? If not, I
am going to say that we take our ten (10) minute caption break right now, and then we will
come back to Parks Maintenance.
There being no objections, the meeting recessed at 10:46 a.m.
The meeting reconvened at 10:58 a.m., and proceeded as follows:
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We are back from our recess. We are going to
begin where we left off. We are on Parks Maintenance right now. Lenny, do you know
what page that is in your presentation?
Mr. Rapozo: It starts on page 19.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: So Park Maintenance, Beautification, and
Stadiums—it is a challenging department. It consists of currently seventy-one (71)
employees. Vincent Parangao does an excellent job of coordinating and maintaining or
getting his staff to maintain the parks in spite of the various challenges that he has. He
has been doing a great job with the training and trying to get everybody trained to different
equipment that parks has so that if there is a need and the incumbent is not there, that we
do have someone to operate so that will never hinder our operations. Those are some of the
highlights that he has. Of course, you are familiar with the bucket truck tree-trimming
crew that we finally got in place in December. They did some work, thanks to
Councilmember Yukimura, who brought it to our attention that there was a tree branch
that had fallen during the last wind event. So they came and trimmed the trees around
this building. That particular crew, they are charged right now to address trees at the
campground first in order of priority, because that is where a lot of our people are...like the
pavilion areas. Then they look at neighborhood centers, stadiums, and the rest of our parks
facilities thereafter. That is a crew made up of three (3) people that works as a crew that
goes from parks to parks. Of course if any emergencies come up, then they have to deviate
from what their mission, their assignment is right now. But also, we did take the time, and
working again with HR, to craft the positions of this crew. So not only tree-trimming. So if
Parks needs some maintenance help, let us say out in Kalaheo Neighborhood Center, we
have the bucket truck to do that, as opposed to in the past where people have not been as
creative enough so that they would be able to work outside of their identifiable label. We
can use the bucket truck to put maintenance people on there. We can put electricians up on
poles to check lights...as far as cleaning gutters down at the golf course. So the
tree-trimming crew focuses on tree work currently, but we do have that latitude to do other
things. I will leave the rest for you to review and if you have any questions regarding the
Maintenance Division.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you, Lenny. I know at one time we talked
about possibly hiring an arborist so that we learn how to cut and maintain trees properly.
The other day, we saw a crew cutting trees out here, because on Wednesday I made a
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complaint, but it was for safety reasons. It looked like from what I know of tree-trimming,
it looks like they were doing a really good job and cutting it where the branches start to
branch off. I was wondering if we looked at that arborist because I know there are a lot of
tree-trimming needs all over at the golf course, at our parks, and other facilities. Do we
have that arborist or are we looking at using private arborists?
Mr. Rapozo: We are fortunate in Parks that our previous
Division Chief George Algren was a certified arborist. Now interestingly enough, when we
hired our irrigation repair specialist, he has an arborist certificate as well. So as a mutual
agreement, he is willing to come out and he has trained this crew to cut. If there are other
trees that look like they need special attention or if there is a question, he is willing to come
and look at that. In return, we help him maintain his certification, so if there are trainings
that he needs to go to, we will pay for the training and then he goes to the training to
upkeep his certificates. So we are fortunate that we have people within the department
that are willing to work outside of their...intended what they were hired for and use their
other expertise, but in the same way as a department, we try to help them to maintain that
accreditation.
Councilmember Kagawa: I guess we had an incident in Hanalei where I
think the community said that this tree was dead for a long time, and then I am thinking
we did not have that arborist to address it right away, and two (2) years before we had the
accident happen, we could have had that tree removed. But if this arborist is a part-time
arborist and he is full-time doing something else, so is there a need for an arborist to
actually in the long run save us money?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not think so. I think we are good. I do not
know about the person in Hanalei that said this tree was dead for a long time before it fell,
because unless that person is an arborist, really I do not know how you could tell that tree
was dead because the tree was...when we cut the tree down...I mean the tree fell, so when
we cut the tree at the trunk, the base of it was solid, but the very middle is where that
rotten part was. But on top of that, the tree looked very healthy. So how you could tell that
tree was dead...and I talked to our arborist guy who was there who also identified five (5)
other trees that needed to come down and we removed them in the Black Pot park itself.
He said the only way that anybody...it might have been a combination of the wave action
coming in and hitting the roots or whatever, but he said the only way you would have to
have done that would not just be a simple tapping of the trunk to say it was rotten. You
would have to (inaudible) it in. There is a process that they go through. For that person to
say that, I do not know if it is true, but nonetheless, I think maintaining fiscal
responsibility and having Larry as an arborist and he is working with our tree-trimming
crew, I think we are okay for now.
Councilmember Kagawa: The second question that I have is...I hate to get
into individual salaries, but how many people does Vincent have under him, along with his
supervisor?
Mr. Rapozo: Currently, seventy-one (71).
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Councilmember Kagawa: I am just looking at the salary for him and the
two (2) supervisors and I am thinking that they oversee seventy (70) people and their pay is
less than private secretaries and less than beginning firemen and beginning policemen.
Are we getting fair pay for jobs? If this is a union thing, then it is a union thing, but I am
just baffled by the fact that we have what I see as unfair salaries for job duties and
responsibilities. I do not know if you could answer that.
Mr. Rapozo: It is two-fold. One needs to qualify for the
position and sometimes we need to make adjustments, depends on the qualifications of the
person. Nonetheless, we know he can do the job. He has been doing the job and after a
certain amount of time, one of the beauties of working within government is that you can
relook at the position and reallocate it currently. I hate to say that...and if you have been
in government...I have been in government for twenty-seven (27) years and it is going to be
twenty-eight (28) years in two (2) weeks, but sometimes in government you have to drown a
little bit before your nose comes above water so you can breathe. Vincent has a challenging
job, but I think the complexity is relatively the same to any of our division heads. They look
at complexity when they determine what the salaries are. In this case, yes, we will be
relooking at his position in the future.
Councilmember Kagawa: Because there is the option to possibly look at
"EM" because I saw EM-5 in Buildings that had no people under him.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: If you are an Executive Manager and you have
zero (0) employees under that how did that happen and how is he with seventy-one (71)
under him not an EM?
Mr. Rapozo: Again, I cannot speak for the Buildings Division
and the Department of Public Works but for Parks, it is a complexity of the job and
complexity ranges from anywhere. In his case, it is a lot of blue-collar, maintaining parks.
In Cindy's case is she has one hundred thirty (130) seasonal workers during Summer Fun
and they get done with their contract and she has to rehire again, so she has to go through
the hiring process every year. Again, the complexities are similar. If we could give all of
our employees more money, I would. Since we are on the subject of money, the United
Public Workers (UPW) employees, so you are talking about your park caretakers and what
have you, and they just got their two percent (2%) raise. Do you know what two percent
(2%) is for their raise? It is like thirty cents ($0.30) to forty cents ($0.40) cents. They will
get another two percent (2%) in about six (6) months and another thirty cents ($0.30) to
forty cents ($0.40). If we can give them...those are the guys on the ground level, I would be
happy to.
Councilmember Kagawa: I was just primarily concerned. The glaring one
is the Parks and Maintenance Operations Chief.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. We will be looking at the Parks and
Maintenance Operations Chief position in the near future.
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Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Lenny, I am looking at page 236, the electricity
and water, and it looks like it has gone up significantly this budget, as opposed to other
departments, because of fuel prices that have gone down. I just wanted to ask about that
and also ask about the Other Supplies that has gone up and if you can explain that.
Mr. Rapozo: With respect to electricity, when we come in with
our budget, and kudos to Ken Shimonishi when he was initially hired, not as a Director, but
when he was hired as the Budget Analyst or whatever he was, is that we became more
budgeting towards actuals. That is what we come in with is actuals. Last year, the Council
cut my electricity and I have been scrambling this year to pay the electricity bills, even
though we came here with close to actuals. The increase in electricity is more reflective of
what we really need. In terms of other supplies, last year we were charged to make certain
targets so that is where we thought we had supplies on board or carrying over from the
previous year that could reduce it, but now we have gone a year with that savings that we
now need to replace.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: For me, as I am looking at electricity, I had the
same questions on it, too. If you look at the year-to-date expenditure and encumbrances, it
is at $75,000 and we are like three (3) months left in the year, but yet our number budgeted
is double the number. That is where the question comes in of why there is such a big jump
in electricity? If it was budgeted at ninety-two (92) last year or if it went up to maybe one
hundred (100) this year, then it would kind of be in-line with the months, but it would
basically have it doubled.
Mr. Rapozo: Well, I think when the report was run of what
the year-to-date was, I think it was when we are doing our budget review, so it is not really
current to March. I forget what the date was. I was trying to look at the upper right
corner. We were behind. We expended more than what we were allotted at the time.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. That is a number that we can always
watch as the year goes through or next year. Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: How are you balancing your bill?
Mr. Rapozo: We are moving moneys with supplies or
whatever. We have to move moneys.
Councilmember Chock: Move moneys within this budget?
Mr. Rapozo: Within this division.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura had a follow-up on the
arborists.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes. Thank you for remembering. I do not mind
if we finish up this issue of electricity and water first.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Do we have any follow-up questions on electricity
and water?
Councilmember Yukimura: I was interested in how we are training this new
bucket crew because we have had it since December you said, right?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: So I appreciated Council Vice Chair's question
and also your answer to have some expertise already. I guess the issue is training. Who
does the diagnosis or the checking on whether the trees are old and where the problem
areas are? Does the supervisor of the truck crew...do we train our Parks people to identify
where those trees are while our crews are going through your priorities?
Mr. Rapozo: Before George Algren left and when we talked
about doing this tree-trimming crew, and mind you, and believe it or not, Kauai is the first
to have a tree-trimming crew in the State. When we developed the crew, there were really
no guidelines, in terms of pay and all of this stuff. So HR did a lot of research in trying to
see how to create the crew, which we did. But George Algren, being the arborist, we went
to each park and looked at trees. We identified that in the order which I explained what
the priorities are, that is where our focus should be. The overall plan is that we think...
when we looked at the job scope, we are about two and a half (2.5) years behind in
emergency work in those different areas. The maintenance plan is that once we catch-up
with that, every seven (7) years, every tree within County of Parks and Recreation would be
touched, so it would be managed or at least cut.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am glad that you have a plan. So what
happens where there is a storm or if there is a particular termite problem or something so
that it is not part of your regular process, but you still have to identify those?
Mr. Rapozo: So in terms of a storm, all of our crews know how
to use a chainsaw and can cut. But in terms of doing the maintenance work, the
tree-trimming crew has been trained by our arborist onboard.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am talking about identification of dead
branches and you said that George could go around and check, but is there anybody else
doing that?
Mr. Rapozo: We have already identified, as I mentioned with
George, where those priority areas should be. Basically all of the trees in our parks need to
be addressed.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Because the liability is great, thankfully in Black
Pot it was a car and not a person.
Mr. Rapozo: Not one (1) car, I think three (3) cars.
Councilmember Yukimura: Oh, three (3) cars. Okay. That is a huge
liability. The other liability, as we know from some tragic recent deaths on this island, is
the tree-trimming crew itself, keeping them safe. So do these arborists, I mean like your
irrigation specialist who is also an arborist, but do they train tree-trimming crews or is that
another expertise that we need to get in terms of training the crews in terms of safety and
operation?
Mr. Rapozo: I apologize if I was not clear and I probably was
not. In terms of the operation of the bucket truck and the proper use of equipment, that
was done by our County trainer, Steven Carvalho. He is the guy who trains proper use and
when the vendor came over with the truck, he had the in-depth training with the vendor, so
he is the guy. In terms of identifying how to cut the tree, that is where our arborist came in
and trained. We used the Vidinha Stadium trees in the parking lot as the training ground
and there were some other areas that came up that needed emergency work done, so the
arborist worked with those guys to either demonstrate or show them where they need to do
the proper cutting.
Councilmember Yukimura: Good. So our crews are being trained for safety in
operation.
Mr. Rapozo: We also train with other members in the
Department of Parks and Recreation, so that in case someone gets sick or hurt, it does not
hamper, because the three (3) crew members, you have one (1) who operates the bucket,
one (1) person in the bucket, and one (1) person that feeds the shredder. The person that
feeds the shredder needs to have some kind of safety behind of him, which is the bucket
operator as well. So they work together as a team. I think we have a really good team.
The people applied and it was not just handed out. It was competitive in terms of who we
chose. They are a good team. We have a good team.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am glad to hear that you using Steven. That is
great. We created that position when I was mayor and stole him from the plantation.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: My question is on page 238, the regular
overtime. So the Administration sends over to us the budget appropriation transfers and
then our staff compiles it into a spreadsheet for us. So I have seen on this overtime that on
February 22nd, there was a transfer for overtime from salaries to overtime $10,000 and it
says "need additional funds for park maintenance overtime" and it also said "under
budgeted." So I see this year that you are increasing the budget by $28,410 or nearly
seventy percent (70%). So I see from last year, you were $10,000 under budgeted so far. I
do not know what more you are anticipating for March through June, but are you
anticipating nearly $30,000 more in next year's budget in overtime?
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Mr. Rapozo: No matter what we do, we are going to have
overtime. So it is a balancing act in trying to manage it. Since I have been there, we have
made some policy calls to reduce overtime, but yet, we still manage it. We are having this
discussion. We always have this discussion about where does this overtime go to? Aside
from people that are sick or not show up for work or disasters or whether incidents that we
have to call out. So it is delivering the mobile stage during a certain time of a certain day
and picking up the mobile stage. We do charge people the overtime, but all we see is the
overtime and we do not see that money coming back into Parks because it goes back to the
General Fund. But yet, it is still overtime. The stage is popular, but there are always other
newer events. For instance, Lihu`e Baseball League (LBL) is going to have their bash in
May and they want to use the stage also, so that is an additional day. Again, we just try to
anticipate the stage, helping the Department of Public Works...in this past year, we have
helped the Department of Public Works with the delivery of trashcans, although the
Department of Public Works will reimburse Parks, but we have to pay the worker first
anyway. It shows up as overtime in Parks. All I can tell you is that we are just looking at
our trends this year. Again, last year we needed to meet some targets and we tried to cut
down on overtime as best as we can and tried to do the best we can that question we can
with that.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: There was talk earlier about electricity and
water. How do you monitor to make sure that the water is a public use, i.e., it is done in
conjunction with use of facilities and not for private purposes?
Mr. Rapozo: Kaua`i is a fish bowl, so we have our other
citizens out there that alert us when such abuses are used. That is the only way we can
tell. The other way is that Vincent, aside from all of his other duties, looks at every utility
bill that comes in. So when there is a spike in water, they go in and they try to look to see
where that has happened. The challenge is at the beach parks where there is sand. I forget
which one we were just talking about, but there was a spike in water, went over there, and
they could not find it...
Councilmember Yukimura: Was there a leak?
Mr. Rapozo: He asked the guys to try to find it and they were
having trouble, so he went out and found the leak. Other than the community telling us
that somebody is using the water, which people do not like other people to do, the only way
we can monitor spikes in water bills is Vincent checks the water bills of every facility under
him on a monthly basis.
Councilmember Yukimura: That is good. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
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Councilmember Kagawa: I saw for a number of years that this lawnmower
looking piece of equipment with a big brush looking thing parked in a stadium where they
throw the shotput and stuff, but I was wondering if that was part of Vincent folks'
equipment.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. That was purchased just before I became
the director and that was a good purchase. That was supposed to be used for the bike path.
Councilmember Kagawa: For the bike path? The brush is to clean the
cement?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, to brush off whatever is on the cement. It
can be used for the parking lot, too. At one time, the stadium had it there because they
were using it to brush the parking lot. It has not been used in a while. I do not like seeing
that equipment there with the grass growing tall around it.
Councilmember Kagawa: Are we going to use it?
Mr. Rapozo: We need to use it.
Councilmember Kagawa: But there are some problems with getting it
used?
Mr. Rapozo: Well, we do not have a dedicated operator for it,
so let us say that we wanted to clean the bike path from Lydgate to wherever...so the folks
that maintain Lydgate, one of those guys have been trained on the brush so he could jump
on it and sweep the path. Other places along the path, the same could happen. The person
that takes care of Kealia Point to Kuna Bay, he could use it to do the path. We just have
not been very good about using that piece of equipment and it has been sitting there. We
should be using it.
Councilmember Kagawa: Is that multipurpose where it can do mowing,
too?
Mr. Rapozo: No, not mowing. It is just specifically to brush or
sweep.
Councilmember Kagawa: Oh, it is just a brush?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, it is a sweeper.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Council Chair Rapozo.
Council Chair Rapozo: Was it ever used?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, it was used.
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Council Chair Rapozo: I see it down there and that thing does not run,
right?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not know if it does not run, but it was used.
It was used in the parking lot at one time because I asked the staff down there to sweep the
parking lot at one time and they did use it there.
Council Chair Rapozo: So why are we not using it, I guess, is the
question.
Mr. Rapozo: We need to follow-up with staff as to why they
are not using it.
Council Chair Rapozo: How long have we not used that thing? That
thing must have been sitting there for years.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, for a while. The grass is pretty tall.
Council Chair Rapozo: So we do not know why we have not used it?
Mr. Rapozo: I do not know why. I do not have an answer.
We try to provide the equipment to make their jobs easier.
Council Chair Rapozo: Is it their choice not to use it?
Mr. Rapozo: No, I guess not.
Council Chair Rapozo: I am confused.
Mr. Rapozo: We have to talk to staff.
Council Chair Rapozo: You can just come up and use the mic.
Mr. Rapozo: He told me that the brushes have been damaged,
I guess, through use, I hope. We have not ordered brushes, I guess. I agree that even
before the brushes are damaged...
Council Chair Rapozo: I do not know how long ago we announced...that
thing has been there...we have announced football for years now and I have never really
thought about it, but it has to be at least three (3) to four (4) years that it has been sitting
there.
Mr. Rapozo: Hopefully not. I do not think it was that long ago
when I asked the staff to sweep the stadium parking lot with that. That is why it was
there. Initially, it was down by Lydgate, so hopefully it has not been that long, but Vincent
tells me that the brushes need to be repaired.
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Council Chair Rapozo: Yes, because it was not used. I just want to
make sure...I do not get it...you provide the equipment and they are not using it. Is it their
choice or your choice? Who makes the call? Will you use this equipment for the path?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, right.
Council Chair Rapozo: That was a question.
Mr. Rapozo: Oh, they should do it. It should be part of their
maintenance to sweep the path.
Council Chair Rapozo: Can they say no?
Mr. Rapozo: They could say no...there is an incentive to
become an operator so they get compensated at a higher rate for that.
Council Chair Rapozo: Aside from that, but if the directive is to use the
brush or sweeper to brush the bike path, can they say no?
Mr. Rapozo: No, they cannot say no.
Council Chair Rapozo: Okay. I am more confused now than I was
before, but I guess we can follow-up on that.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: So why was that piece of equipment out in the
open for so long?
Mr. Rapozo: We do not have a covering for all of our pieces of
equipment.
Councilmember Yukimura: You do not?
Mr. Rapozo: No.
Councilmember Yukimura: That really affects the life of the equipment,
right?
Mr. Rapozo: Sure.
Councilmember Yukimura: Do we have plans for a place to keep our
equipment?
Mr. Rapozo: So for our mowers in the different districts, they
have a place. That one in particular, which the intent, as I had mentioned, was for the
different parts of the path. It has never been placed under a...
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Councilmember Yukimura: Well, how do you move that thing to different
parts of the path? Do you have a trailer?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, the same trailer that transports our Bobcats
that sit outside. We do not have an undercover for our Bobcats, backhoes, and our trucks.
Councilmember Yukimura: Is that good practice?
Mr. Rapozo: Probably not, but we can look into maybe
developing a CIP project and maybe come back with something.
Councilmember Yukimura: How do other Parks Departments handle their
equipment?
Mr. Rapozo: Some of them will sit outside.
Councilmember Yukimura: Gosh, it seems like bad asset management.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am in an area that I do not know anything
about, but do you not cover...at least as a temporary thing able to cover these pieces of
equipment like how people cover their cars?
Mr. Rapozo: I leave my truck outside every day. I do not
cover my truck. You could, yes, definitely you could.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. You guys come in every so many years
and ask us for new equipment, right? Well, I would appreciate it if you guys would spend
some time thinking about that.
Mr. Rapozo: Sure.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Again, I am sure it comes down to a cost-benefit
analysis. Do we want to build a structure to put these things under? Do they live out their
useful life of six (6) or ten (10) years or whatever under the weather condition? That
sidewalk cleaner or whatever you call it, does it perpetuate the life of the sidewalk?
Mr. Rapozo: No, we do maintenance to keep the sidewalk
clean and also parking lots.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: What does it do? Just brush the rubbish off?
Mr. Rapozo: It brushes it like a sweeper and it sweeps it to
one area and you have the manually pick up everything.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: Even on the path, they are going to brush it off
the path.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: On the vacant positions, 1213 Groundskeeper -
Veterans Cemetery has been vacant since January 4th. What is the status of recruitment or
hire?
Mr. Rapozo: Part of the Parks process is when a vacancy
becomes available through either attrition or promotion, we go before Vacancy Review
Committee and we present our case and they render their decision. Once the decision is
rendered, within Parks we give them a period of time to transfer. So we put out a notice to
all employees island wide that we have this vacant position, and if anybody wants to
transfer to that position. After that, then we make selection off of a list. That one in
particular, Councilmember Kuali`i, is for selection. The new list of labor list should be
coming out within the next couple of weeks, so we will be probably choosing off of that list.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So with the Vacancy Review Committee internal
transfer and selection list, that entire process takes about how long? Typically? If this was
vacant on January 4th and it is now the end of March, by when do you think you will
actually make a selection and have that person ready to start?
Mr. Rapozo: As I mentioned, this comes out in about two (2)
weeks, so as soon as the list comes out, we can make the selection. Let us also be clear that
when we were reducing our budgets, we no longer have a dedicated line item for "vacation
payout." So vacation payouts, if this incumbent left or retired...before we can hire, we have
to payout the accumulated vacation and that money comes off the salaries that we would
have paid them, if he was still employed. So for me to give you an exact time period...it
may vary from position to position, depending upon what those payouts are going to be.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Would you say that Human Resources helps you
with that because they know the balance of what the prior person that held the position
and retired or left or whatever?
Mr. Rapozo: Human Resources helps us a lot.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So then you can...they can at least...the time
that it takes for the Vacancy Review Committee, the time that it takes for internal transfer,
the time that it takes for selection from the list, and then they tell you to put the brakes on
because you cannot actually have them start until the vacation payout is paid out, right?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So I guess what I am getting at is if a vacancy
occurred in December or January, more than likely within three (3) to four (4) months,
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unless we have this special situation with a vacation payout delays it longer...if it was a
long, long time employee...I did see on the budget appropriation transfers, too, that there
were some moneys being transferred to such a thing called a "vacation payout." I think if
you can anticipate retirements, you probably should be budgeting in that line item and you
should be projecting going forward with Human Resources' help on when the person will
actually start. The bottom-line is if they are not going to start July 1st, August 1st, or
September 1st...based on when they start, you do not budget for the whole year if they are
not going to be hired for that time. That is all I am asking and I know it will take Human
Resources' involvement. Thank you.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Lenny, in the presentation on page 21, it talks
about challenges and communication being one of the challenges, and the need is to look
towards radios or County-issued cell phones. I wanted to know which one is it from your
perspective that would be most efficient and how much would something like that cost in
order to implement it?
Mr. Rapozo: We have not really looked into the cost part of it.
What happened during one weather event...we had to mobilize...and I believe it was a
tsunami. It was during the Japan tsunami. We were not able to communicate because
everybody was on cell phones and you just could not get in, so we were not able to
communicate with our guys in the field to move assets out or from there, where to move to.
So it looks like radios would probably work best for us, but then it becomes a question of
how do we get our own dedicated channel? Do we get a channel that is open to everyone?
We have talked about it, but we have not really looked at costs because it seems like all of
these past years we have been cutting and cutting and we needed to save money. Hopefully
in future, we will change and maybe we can get it, but that is where the challenge is. If you
ask me if I would rather have radios or telephones during that time, I would prefer radios.
Councilmember Chock: Sounds like it. Have you had conversations with
Civil Defense?
Mr. Rapozo: No, this is more just internal.
Councilmember Chock: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I would recommend that you talk to Civil
Defense because this new 800 megahertz upgrade is supposed to have multiple channels for
emergency response. Especially if it is emergency related, you might be able to get some
federal funds to get that system set up.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions from the members? I have
a question. I just wanted to confirm for "Other Services," we had tree removal, pruning,
and maintain public safety. We deleted that item for $20,000 and that is because we now
have our tree guys?
Mr. Rapozo: Which one was that?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: In "Other Services."
Mr. Rapozo: On what page? It is not the coconut tree one
because we cannot...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: On page 239. No, last year there was another
line item for pruning.
Mr. Rapozo: Oh.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I just wanted to confirm that we got rid of that
because we now have our tree crew.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, correct.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I also notice on "Other Supplies" there is a large
increase to "Other Supplies."
Mr. Rapozo: As I mentioned, last year when we had to cut...
again, our charge was to cut, we had supplies from the previous year and what we had
on-hand and what we are able to buy last year, this year helped to get us through, but next
year we have to replenish that. So that is why we put more back into our budget.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: So we cutback for that one (1) year because we
had some carryover and with what the carryover had, we could buy less so now we have to
put that back.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Just a follow-up on the tree-trimming and
pruning. As we have these Hardy Street and Rice Street beautifications, they are planting
these trees and planters and what have you, so are they taking Parks' advice to make sure
that the kind of trees that they are planting are in agreement with the needs that would be
requesting from Parks to maintain them once the contract dates are up? Who has it right
now?
Mr. Rapozo: Beautification.
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Councilmember Kagawa: So Kaua`i Landscaping has a one (1) year or
two (2) year contract, but once the trees get large, I want to make sure that they are at
least asking you guys since you said you meet and stuff to make sure that we be careful
what kind of trees we plant, not just pick it off and, "Oh well, they have this one in Oregon
and Washington, so we are going to use that tree." Are we making sure that we are asking
the folks who are going to be asked to take care of it, if these are the right type of trees to be
planting in this area where our trucks might get a hard time to get to it? I do not know
what the obstacles are, but it seems that they are doing it and saying, "Well, Parks will
take care of it later, but are they asking you guys for your specific recommendations on
what kind of trees you guys recommend? I am sure that you recommend the ones that grow
the slowest and do not have so much rubbish.
Mr. Rapozo: They have not asked us.
Councilmember Kagawa: They asked you?
Mr. Rapozo: No, they have not asked us.
Councilmember Kagawa: They have not asked you?
Mr. Rapozo: If you are referencing Hardy Street, they have
not asked us.
Councilmember Kagawa: But you folks have to maintain it?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay. Well, in the future, can we ask for that
type of dialogue because we have Rice Street coming up with the Transportation
Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant and let us make sure to try
to be considerate of the future needs because I do not want to see Beautification overloaded
with work and what you will have are other areas that may get less attention.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any follow-up to that? Again, I think we
mentioned it last year, too, as we were going through the Hardy Street improvements that
we need to be aware of our perpetual costs, which a project like that that has trees would be
a perpetual cost of maintenance. I will ask one (1) more and go back to you. Auto vehicle
replacement and lease schedules and equipment—do you folks have a lease schedule or
replacement schedule for your vehicles and your equipment?
Mr. Rapozo: That is something that the motor pool
automotive handles. They tell us what should be replaced, but we have been asking if
certain vehicles... like the vehicle that was involved with the accident in Hanapepe, we
have to replace that one. That is the one we asked for. There was another quad out in
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Hanalei that for whatever reason they were not able to fix it. We asked for that so that is
mostly the motor pool folks that handle that.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Along those lines, and going back, I hate
to beat a dead horse, but that brush machine...I mean if it comes out that there is not that
much benefit to brushing a sidewalk or brushing the parking lot, when it rains everything
ends going towards gutters anyway, and if you have a big rain event, somebody can
go...maybe all of the dirt and dust ends up in one place with collected leaves. If the benefit
of having the brush machine is not there, then I would suggest that we trash it or scrap it if
it is not usable and not think about getting another brush machine that cannot be used.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: In addition to the Vacancies Report, we have
another report called a "New Hires Report." On the "New Hires Report," I see 1660, Park
Caretaker, hired January 16, 2016 of this year. There is another position, 1836, also Park
Caretaker, hired January 4, 2016. It is the opposite...yes...1836. So on page 237 where we
list all of the positions and all the park caretakers, I do not see the position 1836. Do you
know where I can find that? I know with another position, a "Groundskeeper," the Vacancy
Report referred to it as being under Maintenance, but it was under Beautification and I
found it there. But this 1836, Parks and Rec...
Mr. Rapozo: I think that might be under Stadiums.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay, so you have another place.
Mr. Rapozo: Let me check.
Councilmember Kuali`i: You are right. There it is.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Parks and
Maintenance? Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: Maybe this was asked already, but your
electricity usage is sixty-one point seven percent (61.7%) increase. Was that your question,
Committee Chair?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Yes, we asked it and Lenny mentioned that
although it looks low now, they have some costs that they have incurred and they have been
budgeting on the lower end in prior years and they just want to try and true up their
number a little bit.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Even while oil prices are almost half?
Mr. Rapozo: No, I think what I said about the electricity was
that we budget to actuals, but last year when we came in with our budget, the Council cut
it even further. It was an initiative to...I forget how much percentage...
Councilmember Yukimura: The five percent (5%) or something?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, whatever it was. I know what side of the
table it came from. It was not this side. So we have been struggling to meet the electricity
costs with the needs of people wanting to use our parks because we budget to actuals. We
do not try to put as much flexibility inside.
Councilmember Yukimura: It should be lower than actuals though because
the price of oil has dropped.
•
Mr. Rapozo: Maybe the cuts are too great.
Councilmember Yukimura: We can take a look because the other
departments...maybe you cut electricity...okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Again, I think that is a number that we can
watch. It is a hit and miss number. What we see now is only a portion of the year, so it is
hard to say where that end number is going to be.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, because you also have another line item in
electricity, which shows...I guess that is part of the transfer? On page 233, $1.2 million
from a zero (0). Is that due to the...
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, that is the needs for...
Councilmember Yukimura: That is an all-County fund?
Mr. Rapozo: No, that is the needs if the Building Maintenance
folks come over.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right, so it is a dollar-for-dollar transfer?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We will get to that. That is going to come up
later in the Facilities Maintenance section.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
(Council Chair Rapozo was noted as excused at 11:49 a.m.)
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: For the most part, they did do a dollar-for-dollar
transfer, but I do not want to get too much into it now. We will address it when we get
there.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Fine. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Parks Maintenance? If
not, Lenny, we will move on to...you already went through Beautification. Do we have any
questions?
Mr. Rapozo: Stadiums?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We are going to do Beautification right now.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any questions on the Beautification line items?
Beautification is on page 243. I did not have any questions on it. Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: There is a two hundred percent (200%) plus
increase in premium pay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: On page 243, the premium pay went from a
budgeted number of$2,950 to $11,000, but if you look at the year-to-date encumbrances, we
are at $7,000 already for it.
Councilmember Yukimura: So it was one of those forced cuts?
Mr. Rapozo: Forced cuts. Yes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: The increase came from the temporary
assignment.
Mr. Rapozo: Can I just say that sometimes the temporary
assignment is not a bad thing because we dollar-funded the truck driver position on the
eastside and that guy uses the water truck to clean this parking lot here in front of your
building, as well as irrigate the lawn over here in front. So that is just one example. If we
just use that example, if we are increasing $11,000 (inaudible) as opposed to paying for a
position of a truck operator with his fringes, I think this is more appropriate at this time.
Councilmember Yukimura: What about just having an irrigation system put
into the County front lawn?
Mr. Rapozo: That could work, too. That is why you asked
about water being up. That is part of it. We have an irrigation specialist now that he is
fixing all of the irrigation that was broken at one time. So now we are going to use more
water because we have more systems being fixed and repaired and working, which is a good
thing. Then we are going to probably install more. So yes, you are right.
Councilmember Yukimura: You should look, especially in Waimea, at gray
water systems.
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Mr. Rapozo: That is another discussion of what I want to do
in Waimea.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Kind of in a nutshell, what is the difference
between Beautification and Parks Maintenance? Do they all fall under Vincent?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: So the Beautification would attack...in a
nutshell, what is the difference between Parks Maintenance and Beautification?
Mr. Rapozo: Parks employees just do parks. Beautification
employees do County facilities, so around here, the "round building," the Civic Center,
around neighborhood centers, and the clubhouses. That is where Beautification would
attack. When they have time, they help out with the cemeteries and go and maintain those
things. So anything that is non-park related that involves County facilities is what they
maintain like the roads, in this case; Beautification taking care of these streets right
outside of here.
Councilmember Kagawa: As we have more of these landscaping projects
along roads and stuff built, your Beautification needs would increase.
Mr. Rapozo: Would have to be increased.
Councilmember Kagawa: So possibly as the contracts end for Kaua`i
Nursery to take care of it, in a year or two (2), then the responsibility will turn over to
Beautification?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: So there may be needs a year or two (2) from now
to add one (1) or two (2) more bodies to do those.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: I think that was the concern with all my
questions before, like are they asking you folks, just to make sure that you know what is
coming in one (1) or two (2) years so we can plan for it. We do not want just to plan for this
year, but plan ahead. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Just a quick follow-up, along those same lines,
maintenance and beautification, the new hire, 1836 Parks and Recreation Maintenance
Park Caretaker I, that you said was at the stadium, is that like it is pulled out as one (1)
facility that has its own or does Beautification go to the stadium also?
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Mr. Rapozo: Well, their responsibilities—Stadiums are
stadiums and Beautification is beautification.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Inside the stadiums.
Mr. Rapozo: Inside the stadiums.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So the landscaping around is Beautification?
Mr. Rapozo: Well, if it is attached to the park...I am not really
sure where you are mentioning. If you are talking about the...
Councilmember Kuali`i: Just along the lines of his questioning. If there is
yet one (1) more...
Mr. Rapozo: So if you are talking about Vidinha Stadium,
there are the bushes along the bypass road, Kapule, the Stadium crew is going to take care
of that. They are not going to Beautification. Beautification also takes care of the
landscaping, like the corner by Sueoka Store where the bridge is. That is part of the
County roadway and Beautification maintains those hibiscus trees and all of that stuff.
That is the difference.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So then the vacancy in Beautification here, 1828
Groundskeeper-East, was vacant since March 1st. Is that is along the same lines of the
Park Caretaker in that you are doing the vacancy review, internal transfer, and they also
have a selection list for that position?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, so when you do the transfer, you can
transfer from anywhere between Beautification, Stadiums, and Park Maintenance within
that division.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay. So along the same lines, I will get
follow-up from Human Resources on whether that position will be hired and start on
July 1st.
Mr. Rapozo: Which number was that?
Councilmember Kuali`i: Number 1828. It just went vacant on March 1st.
So it is probably at the Vacancy Review Committee now or maybe it is already at internal
transfer.
Mr. Rapozo: 1828? I have a listing of my own vacancies
within my department. Are you sure it is 1828?
Councilmember Kuali`i: 1828 groundskeeper as of March 1st.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Could it have been 1838 and they put the wrong
number on it?
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Councilmember Kuali`i: 1836 was the new hire in Parks—Stadiums.
Mr. Rapozo: Oh, I am sorry. I see which one you are talking
about. For that one, the incumbent was recently promoted. So we are going through the
process now. Thank you.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Clearly, if it was an incumbent that was
promoted then we do not have vacation payout issues so that should help move it along.
Mr. Rapozo: Right, but we are still going to go to the Vacancy
Review, and then...
Councilmember Kuali`i: Internal transfer and selection.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, because it is an entry-level yet, the list
comes out again in the middle of April.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: I am just kind of confused that we have the
two (2) separate divisions, like in Beautification there are tree-trimming needs, so we are
going to have to use Park Maintenance. I am wondering if it is for accounting reasons that
we need to keep it separate.
Mr. Rapozo: That is what I understand.
Councilmember Kagawa: So it keeps it cleaner for accounting to separate
the duties, but then once in a while we need to mix the equipment or even labor to assist.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, so like the tree-trimming crew is actually
not under Beautification. In our chart, and we can get that to you, they fall under the Chief
of Parks and Maintenance so that they can help all. It is not just under one (1) section of
beautification. We are one (1) department, they have to trim everything.
Councilmember Kagawa: I was just wondering if it would be better to
merge the two (2).
Mr. Rapozo: I think for accounting...I am speaking for the
Finance people that in order to track what Stadium needs are, what Beautification needs
are, and Park Maintenance needs, that is why it was broken up like that.
Councilmember Kagawa: That makes sense. I was just checking. Thank
you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: There is a beautification fund that factors into
this, right?
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Mr. Rapozo: My understanding is that fund belongs to the
Department of Public Works.
Councilmember Yukimura: So there is no correlation between your
Beautification crews and your Beautification Division?
Mr. Rapozo: No, not directly.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for Beautification? If not,
we will move on to Stadiums. Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: I have a question. I am stuck on this electricity
and water discussion, but it looks like last year the budget was much higher, so I guess my
question was did it not receive the five percent (5%) cut from wherever that came from last
year, in comparison to the previous years that were in the ninety (90) and eighty (80) range
and we are up to one hundred five (105) now? I was just wondering what happened with
electricity and water last year. Was it much higher?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Page 246 on the bottom.
Councilmember Chock Yes.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay, I am sorry. The electricity?
Councilmember Chock: And water.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. We showed a net reduction. You asked why
it is coming down in the electricity and the water went up. The water we are accounting
for...to put on the senior softball tournament this year, the last time we did not account for
the water, we paid a little over $12,000 to put on that event. With more teams coming this
year and considering that water prices went up, the change in that...the tournament is
going to be held in Hanapepe, so we have to account for that increase there. I am talking
about the water.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Both water and electric went down.
Mr. Rapozo: No, the water went up, right?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Down.
Councilmember Chock: I am looking at it as overtime from 2013 on and
the increase that happened last year, as much as it was supposed to have been cut, still was
relatively high, almost $40,000 for water of an increase in last year's budget.
Mr. Rapozo: Again, this is actuals, so I guess we did not need
as much for the electricity and for the stadiums.
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Councilmember Chock: I see. Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: The other day I noticed huge containers that are
in the stadium parking lot. They are parked there.
Mr. Rapozo: Which one? Vidinha?
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, and I do not believe they are County-related
use, are they?
Mr. Rapozo: No. So when we see things like that, we need to
track the vendor down and ask them to remove it. Our people tend to just put them there.
That is all I can tell you.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, is that a source of money? It is
wear-and-tear, that heavy weight on the parking lot. That alone is a cost for private
purpose at this point.
Mr. Rapozo: Which is illegal with the Peddlers and
Concessions Ordinance that we have, right?
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes. Who is watching for this and who is
monitoring and taking care of it?
Mr. Rapozo: Just stadium staff and rangers when they go by
and check the parks.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. How do you plan to take care of it?
Mr. Rapozo: When it comes about, we contact the vendor or
try to find out who is putting it there and inform them that that is not appropriate.
Councilmember Yukimura: We have staff there all the time, right? Well, I
must say that it was a Saturday.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: So I guess if we see it, we should let you know
immediately?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Do you know how often this happens? Is
nobody monitoring it?
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Mr. Rapozo: No.
Councilmember Yukimura: Will you try to figure out a way to handle it and
let us know?
Mr. Rapozo: Sure.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any more questions for Stadiums?
Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you, Lenny. Are the lights working for
the baseball stadium?
Mr. Rapozo: Almost. We still need to energize working with
the Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC). We signed the application, and yes,
hopefully it is going to be soon.
Councilmember Kagawa: The other question I had was now that we have a
lighted baseball stadium, is there a need for a separate restroom in the baseball stadium, so
should we have multiple events at some point in time? I envision at some point having a
conflict where maybe the stadium side would want to collect ticket prices, and then we
might have a baseball event and we can accommodate two (2) with having the privacy
of...well, the people cannot go in for free from the baseball side because they have to use the
restroom.
Mr. Rapozo: We have never thought about that. That is a
good point.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay. So maybe a long-range plan.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: I just thought about having that separate.
Sometimes when we have baseball events, we do not have to open up the whole stadium
and clean that whole stadium area.
Mr. Rapozo: The other thing I think is they envision...because
they are going to sell food, that they would have to use the football stadium as the
concession stand. I think maybe that is why the dual purpose at the time, but I can see
your point now that if we had a nighttime baseball game, which is getting popular, too,
there may be a conflict. Thank you.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. We are going to move on to the
Convention Hall on page 13 in the presentation. Lenny, did you want to say anything
about the Convention Hall?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. I really wanted to point out that Eddie
continues to work tirelessly in renovating and improving the Convention Hall. Some of his
accomplishments from last year can be seen as his successes and achievements. As it is an
aged facility, there are other needs that would be coming up before you and one of the good
things that he has done is we have maximized the space of the Convention Hall. They used
to call it the "Arts and Crafts Room" where we used to store the chairs and the tables.
Eddie has transformed that into a conference room with a conference table and you have
overhead capabilities. It also has separate air conditioning so you can have another place of
source of revenue for meetings, as well as you could hold about thirty (30) people there with
the different, not just in the conference room, but enough chairs around, separate from the
exhibit halls and not have to go into the exhibit halls or entry way. That is a big
accomplishment. Some of his challenges, as he shows on page 15, is the air conditioning
unit that long-term would need to be replaced and that is going to cost us about $100,000
and that would be for the replacement of the exhibit hall. Currently, we have one that was
installed just to get us until we were able to procure this and change the whole air
conditioning unit, as was recommended by the Department of Public Works. The other big
one...you see the walls...ceramic tiles that he would like to do in the kitchen. The other one
is the roof. He had someone come and look at the roof to give us an idea of what it would
cost, so what those pictures show are the holes that have developed in the roof. Again, it is
a flat roof. Maybe the technology at the time was one that they decided to use for the roof,
but really, hindsight of course is always 20/20, Monday morning quarterback...it is not a
very good...what they put on was not very good, so we need to change that and they show
the tree growing on the top of the roof because of what has transpired there, so we are
looking at $85,000 to make that happen. Then the facility is in dire need of a paint job, so
Eddie has gone out to a painting company to see what kind of numbers we are looking at,
and that is $350,000. I think the repairs are good and it is needed. The Convention Hall is
very popular and it is a very busy place, as you folks all know. With that, I will open up for
questions.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Is that a tree or a fern?
Mr. Rapozo: It looks like a tree.
Councilmember Kagawa: How tall is it?
Mr. Rapozo: Eddie, do you want to come up? They want to
know what kind of tree you are growing on your roof. They want to know if that is a guava
tree, mango tree, or lychee tree.
Councilmember Kagawa: It looks like a fern. I do not know.
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EDDIE SARITA, Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall Manager: My name is
Eddie Santa, Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall Manager. We believe that is a young
banyan tree. We cut it down about two (2) years ago. It was about five (5) feet tall. We cut
it down so that is why it is a bunch like that, but it is growing right next to the drain pipe.
Councilmember Kagawa: Is that close to the ticket office?
Mr. Santa: No, this is in the back of the theater.
Councilmember Kagawa: Oh, the theater side.
Mr. Santa: The flat roof in the back of the theater. So as a
result, when there is a heavy rain that portion of the theater leaks because this tree is
growing right next to the drain pipe and its roots are going onto the flat roof. It is under
there. It has to be killed. That is the condition of the roof. It was designed to be a flat roof.
With that covering that was put in the 1990s, it is now waving and the water does not drain
properly. It ponds up there and that is why I stated that it is a leak-prone roof. It is going
to get worse unless something is done to mitigate it before it does become into that
situation.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Fortunately, we have that roof replacement in
our CIP this year to remedy that situation.
Councilmember Kagawa: Another question is for the air conditioning unit,
is that also going out in the CIP?
Mr. Santa: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: So is a lot of the infrastructure there good, but it
we need a new central unit? Does the infrastructure need to be changed as well for the air
conditioning unit?
Mr. Santa: For the air conditioning unit, the whole thing has
to be changed because it is just deteriorating. In September of last year, the compressor
went down. So we are able to get it repaired, luckily, in two (2) weeks. But the
maintenance contractor has already stated that unless we replace the entire unit, the
existing unit only has two (2) years of life remaining. It is going to breakdown and when
that happens we will not be able to use the exhibit halls.
Councilmember Kagawa: Have you picked a projected date so we could
shut it down for a little bit while we do these improvements?
Mr. Santa: As I state, "pending funding," if it is approved in
July, we probably could make the change in January and February of 2017.
Councilmember Kagawa: Terrific. Thank you, Eddie. Thank you for your
job as well.
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Mr. Sarita: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock. I am looking at the
Adopt-A-Park Program, Ho`olokahi, and we had some discussion on it previously. I was
interested in knowing the process. One of the questions that came up yesterday was about
the amount budgeted for the program, and then also what process do these requests go
through?
Mr. Rapozo: Ho`olokahi is a mechanism where the community
who wants to do projects can come and apply for these grants. There is no dedicated
funding anymore for a Ho`olokahi project. Some of the projects that have come about in
past are the Peter Rayno pavilion at Peter Rayno Park, the Koloa Youth Baseball
Association that wanted a homerun fence, and the Hanapepe Youth Baseball Association
that wanted to put up batting cages. When those kinds of projects come in, and we look at
moneys and we usually look at the district trust fund to help either fund that project or we
look at other moneys within our budget to make that project happen. In the case of the
Peter Rayno Park, that amount of money, which was paid out $85,000 total...we did not
have that kind of money in the budget. So when we came to the Council and told you folks
what we wanted, you folks appropriated the money. So the homerun fence kind of stuff and
the small amounts of $2,000, $4,000, to $5,000— within our budget, we kind of looked for
places where we can kind of do that. Eddie has a form in which they fill out, and then we
go through the process of reviewing it. I will sign off on it and work with fiscal to get the
money appropriated. Then eventually when the project is concluded, they have to show
some deliverables and Eddie requests pictures and a narrative and they provide that. So
that is pretty much how the Ho`olokahi grant has been operated in recent budgets.
Councilmember Chock: Okay. This year's appropriation is $8,249. Is
that correct? Is that what I am looking at under "Special Projects?"
Mr. Rapozo: No. As I mentioned, there is no dedicated
funding within Eddie's budget for Ho`olokahi. You would come in with a request and we
would look for the money. Mostly athletics are the ones that have been coming in, asking
for a homerun fence and pavilion. We have a cultural one with Kaneiolouma, but that is
also stewardship agreement, as well as working with the Office of Economic Development
in terms of funding.
Councilmember Chock: So these special projects that we are looking at
here are specific to these pavilions, bus shelters, and picnic tables?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. Those special projects for Eddie...Adopt-A-
Park Program...that is his Adopt-A-Park Program.
Councilmember Chock: Okay. It is different.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: So the Adopt-A-Park Program is for citizens in
the community that want to help out in the community and maybe take care of a park, say
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they see it getting vandalized a lot and they want to come in and paint it—this allows them
to do it quicker...this just provides money for a group like that to come in and do those
types of things.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes, so recently, Malama Hule`ia has come in to
help repaint Niumalu Pavilion. We put these people, Adopt-A-Park, in touch with Eddie
and Eddie will work with them and coordinate...provide the paint, and he has it down to
how much square footage...a beautiful dusty beige that we paint all of our park
facilities...how much that would cover per gallon, as well as the brown and one (1) gallon
green per table, depending what they have there. He will coordinate with them. That is
the Adopt-A-Park.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: This is not costing us more because it is things
we would have done anyways, right, but we are just putting money on the side in case the
community wants to help.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. I think it actually saves us money because
our guys can be doing something else as opposed to doing that.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: I am just trying to clarify that Adopt-A-Park is
specific to Parks and Ho`olokahi is a Parks associated project for bigger projects.
Mr. Rapozo: Or park improvements maybe.
Councilmember Chock: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: The other ones are more maintenance.
Councilmember Chock: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I want to acknowledge Eddie's really dedicated
stewardship over all the years at the Convention Hall. I have been around, so I have
watched it. I am really pleased that you have this Wi-Fi availability and when I see all the
chairs in the main hall, all now in perfect condition, I also am really grateful. There was
one (1) thing that it seems like you did not include in your list of successes—the other day, I
was in the exhibition room and the sound system was so good and I was told you made
some improvements there.
Mr. Rapozo: You should talk about that, Eddie. Everybody
talked about the bad sound.
Mr. Santa: In the exhibit halls?
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
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Mr. Rapozo: Then we hired that great guy.
Mr. Santa: We were very fortunate. In 2013 after the
incumbent retired, we hired this person. His name is Gerald Ancheta and we found out he
is a very talented person. He had all of these skills. He used to work in the theater
industry over at Kukui Grove Cinemas and he is very well-versed on sound systems. When
he first started, he came and recommended that we should...when I told him about the
exhibit hall situation and complaints we were having, he suggested putting in conduits
whereby we could connect the speakers. He installed it all himself and bought the
materials himself for about $1,000 and he did all of the installation and today the sound
system, I am proud to say, is excellent. You can transmit sound there. The problem we had
there, as we found out, is that sound did not travel horizontally through the exhibit halls
because there are obstacles between both halls. They put the air conditioning unit when
they built the new hall on the newer side. They put it right between the two (2) halls, so
the sound would go up to the ceiling and it has high ceilings, twelve (12) feet ceilings. It
would go up there, travel this way, and hit the obstacles and become garbled. So the people
sitting in Exhibit Hall A, the smaller one next to the kitchen and in the lobby, would not be
able to understand what the person is saying who is standing at the stage. That is what
generated all of the complaints. But with the conduits now in there, you can plug in the
speakers. The sounds are just great now.
Councilmember Yukimura: I believe it was County's Employee Recognition
night that we had or maybe it was the Boys & Girls Club `Ohana Night, but what it does is
it includes everybody in the other two (2) rooms, whereas before because they could not
hear anything...
Mr. Santa: Now you can.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
Mr. Santa: So if you had an event that used the lobby, and
we do have a lot of parties for example that want to use both halls and the lobby, but you
can hook up all of your speakers so that you do not...you can stand in the lobby and you can
understand exactly what the emcee is saying on the stage, unlike before where you could
not.
Councilmember Yukimura: It is a huge improvement and it just really
increases the usability of that facility. So kudos to you, Eddie, and to Gerald Ancheta. To
think that we could use a talented County employee, and you said only about $1,000 in
materials and stuff, make this vast improvement to the exhibition hall is a huge
achievement so thank you very much for that.
Mr. Santa: As I said, Gerald turned out to be...he is a very
dedicated employee.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
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Mr. Santa: We were very fortunate when we hired him. We
did not know him. There were two (2) people who applied for that positon and we chose
him and luckily we made the right choice.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes. The right choice is very important. I am
just hoping that in the design of our buildings we pay much more attention to acoustics and
sound because it makes such a difference.
Mr. Santa: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: You have proposed for next year the
improvement to the air conditioning of the exhibition hall.
Mr. Santa: Yes, that is the exhibit hall side.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right.
Mr. Santa: We want to change the entire unit that is
situated on top of the exhibit halls.
Councilmember Yukimura: That has caused a lot of discomfort, too, because
it gets so cold and it has been hard to adjust, so hopefully if we put in a new system, we will
give attention to that.
Mr. Santa: The unit over the exhibit halls, you can control it,
it has a thermostat. The one in theater is what people complain of.
Councilmember Yukimura: That is true, too.
Mr. Santa: You do not have a thermostat to control that.
The size of the air conditioning unit to air condition that theater is constructed to provide
air conditioning for one thousand (1,000) people. If you had an event for five hundred (500),
they would start to feel cold. If you had two hundred (200), they would be freezing in there,
too, but you cannot turn it down like you can do with other units. You either have to turn it
on and it is full force or you turn it off. If you turn it off, then they will begin to perspire, so
you will have to turn it back on. So you do not have a choice. It is just designed for one
thousand (1,000) people.
Councilmember Yukimura: The Kaua`i Performing Arts Center at Kaua`i
Community College (KCC) seems to have some problems, too, but is there any way to
actually retrofit that for better control?
Mr. Santa: You mean adjust it for them?
Councilmember Yukimura: I do not know. Is there no new retrofit
technology that can address that problem?
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Mr. Santa: The only way would be to change that entire air
conditioning unit for the theater. I am sure they have the technology now. That theater
was built in 1964, so you are actually stuck with 1964 technology.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, it is such a wonderful facility and it has
supported so many community groups and events.
Mr. Santa: I am sure they have.
Councilmember Yukimura: So if maybe we can look into that because what is
it...when is the 100th year?
Mr. Rapozo: It is fifty-two (52) years, we will not be around.
Mr. Santa: I know I will not be.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Well, how about we aim for the 60th
anniversary and try because we want it to be around longer and it will be energy efficient
because if it does not have to be that cold. Anyway, that is a request. Can we look into
that?
Mr. Santa: Only a word of caution is that it would be a costly
project.
Councilmember Yukimura: Maybe as a sixty (60) year anniversary retrofit to
make it last and usable for the next sixty (60) years might be worthwhile. Thank you very
much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I have a question on the royal palms. We have a
line item for royal palms trimming of$3,000. Can that not be done by our tree-trimmers?
Mr. Rapozo: We thought about that, but we classified that as
like the coconut tree-trimmings, so we just put it in there. We are going to look at trying to
do that, but in case we cannot, from up until now, we have not had a line item, so we need
to be more attentive to that. They are getting taller and we cannot reach it from the
ground. We either have to procure it out or maybe we will look to see if our tree-trimmers
can. We need to study the Kona decision that affected the coconut trees, as opposed to
every other tree that we have.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: You mentioned the Kona decision—so you have
gotten a ruling from the county attorneys that these coconut trees come under the Kona
decision?
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Mr. Rapozo: Yes, this was even before I got here, but I asked
that question and in that Kona decision, they considered for whatever reason, that coconut
trees were not customarily trimmed by park caretakers.
Councilmember Yukimura: So there is permission, if you will, to use the
private sector to trim the coconut trees, but we want to go the other way around.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: So that should not be a prohibition against us
doing it ourselves.
Mr. Rapozo: It may be.
Councilmember Yukimura: It may be a prohibition?
Mr. Rapozo: It may be.
Councilmember Yukimura: Oh...
Mr. Rapozo: We can look into it. Let me just say that we
should not take on the coconut trees yet when we still have all of these other trees in our
parks to go after.
Councilmember Yukimura: I agree, but your ten (10) royal palms maybe?
Anyway, I can concur with the Budget Chair's question.
Mr. Rapozo: We will look at it.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? If not, we are coming up
on lunch and I am going to conclude the Convention Hall. When we get back, my plan is to
take Wailua Golf Course and the Improvement & Maintenance Fund first, and then we will
finish with the Facilities Maintenance Division.
Mr. Rapozo: So should I tell Lyle to be here around 2:00 p.m.?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: We are going to take lunch until 1:30 p.m. Yes,
maybe tell him 2:00 p.m.
Mr. Rapozo: I have been told that Acting County Engineer
Tabata has scheduled a 2:00 p.m. appointment, so they are asking if we can switch that
around. I feel comfortable without Lyle being here to try to field questions regarding this
thing.
Councilmember Yukimura: Can we do it at 3:00 p.m. and have Lyle come?
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: If we are done at 2:00 p.m., I do not want us to
have to recess, take an hour, and then come back at 3:00 p.m. Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: I think we can just...if Lyle goes, he goes. We
will conduct our business as usual. If he feels that his meeting is priority, then fine. I
think we should get rid of the golf course, like Councilmember Kaneshiro said, because I do
not think the golf course person needs to be here, but he can stay if he wants to. Let us just
go in order and if we need Lyle, then we can do a call-back. For now, if whoever can be here
from Buildings like Doug Haigh, Brian Inouye, or whoever, with the existing, if they could
be here as a matter of courtesy to this Council with Lenny, then I think we can get a lot of
answers that we want. That is how I feel right now.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I kind of feel the same way. If Lyle comes and
we only have half an hour, I do not know how much conversation we will get within half an
hour and he has to leave anyways, so I think we go through our schedule, get what we can
done, and if there are remaining questions then we have to send it over and possibly do a
call-back if we need to. I would like to avoid a call-back, but in this situation, we may need
to do one. That is my plan. Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I do not have objections to the plan. You said the
golf course and...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Improvement and Maintenance Fund. There is
one (1) item in it. For the golf course, their budget is almost the same as last year. Those
items should not take too long, but again, I do not have Councilmember Kagawa's crystal
ball and I do not know if it works. We will see.
Councilmember Kagawa: It does not work.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: But the plan is to get those out so that the people
can leave and I am sure that we are going to have a discussion on the Facilities and
Maintenance. I do not want people to have to sit here while we go through this whole
conversation when we could have gotten them out already.
Councilmember Yukimura: I agree. I just want to say though that because it
is such a big issue and it involves the Department of Public Works, it would be important to
have them here. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: With that, we will take our lunch break.
There being no objections, the meeting recessed at 12:28 p.m.
The meeting reconvened at 1:30 p.m., and proceeded as follows:
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Welcome back. Right now, we are still in Parks.
We are on the Wailua Golf Course. Ian, do you have anything to say on the front end? If
not, we will open it up for questions.
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IAN K. COSTA, Deputy Director of Parks & Recreation: It is up to you. I
guess I was going to touch on some of the initial successes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Costa: Ian Costa, Deputy Director of Parks and
Recreation. Some of the successes and achievements...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: One moment, we are on page 47 of the
presentation.
Mr. Costa: Correct. We recently implemented some senior
tees, which a majority of our golfing population is now seniors/super seniors. So I believe
they all appreciate that and we will be rerating the course within the next couple of months
by United States Golf Association (USGA), who is coming to Kaua`i to do a number of
courses. As a result, we will create new scorecards to include the senior tees, and then
rerate all the various tees. Then as stated previously in our budget presentation, we
recently implemented our tree-trimming crew, who had a chance to go out and do some
trimming at Wailua Golf Course. Trimming has not been done on the ironwoods and
non-coconut trees for over twenty (20) years. We often get calls from the Eagle Scouts who
ask us if we have projects that they can take on as part of their Eagle Scout projects. Last
year, we budgeted for carpeting to re-carpet the lounge, so we held off on the carpeting to
allow the Eagle Scouts to repaint the lounge, and then we re-carpeted the lounge and the
common corridor. Over the last year or two (2), we have had an increase in nonresident
play and revenues, roughly sixteen percent (16%) over the last two (2) years to-date
anyway. We believe that it is attributable to our recent...over the last couple of years we
became part of the Kauai Golf Co-op, which is promoted through the Kaua`i Visitors
Bureau. We believe that has contributed to that, as well as the exposure through the John
Burns Collegiate Golf Tournament. Now we have all of the greens and tees that have been
converted one hundred percent (100%) to seashore paspalum, which is low maintenance
and the conditions of the green and tees and not wavier as it has in the past. It stays
"prime" throughout the year. Just last week, we aerated, and as a result of the Bermuda
greens, we do not have to cut the plugs that we used to when we aerate, which means that
you cannot really use the green...it does not play well for several weeks, but now it is
needles that they use. There is really no loss in the quality. Our concessions have been in
full operation. The Wailua Golf Shop, which provides needed services to visitors as well by
providing pool cards, balls, or rental clubs. The restaurant concession, Over Par Bar and
Grill, has been particularly valuable for golfers. Then our golf cart concession, which I
would add there that the current contract comes up this coming December, so we will be
looking at rebidding that concession. As some of you may know, when we got this
concession contract, it was during the recession. We first went out for an $18,000 monthly
upsell price and nobody bid, so we dropped it to $16,000 and nobody bid. We then dropped
it to $14,000 and had two (2) bidders. The current concession there bid $12,000 and
Roberts Hawai`i bidders bid $7,500. So we negotiated the current contract. I believe the
economic time is better, so the bids should result in a higher monthly lease. Again, we
hosted for the third year in a row the John Burns Collegiate Gold Tournament that was at
the end of February. There were ninety-seven (97) players and they all loved the course
because the course was in prime shape and I believe we got good exposure for that as well.
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As I mentioned, we became a member of the Kaua`i Golf Co-op, which is promoted through
Economic Development and the Kauai Visitors Bureau. As a member of that for the last
two (2) years, once a year all of the Kaua`i golf courses host a media...what is called a
"Group Media Fam" or "familiarization tour" where we had eight (8) golf writers from all
over the nation come over and go to Princeville, Wailua, and Puakea and play the course.
So this year, some of the representatives were a representative from Mr. Tony Dear from
Global Golf Post, representing 1.7 million subscribers; Mike Chwasky from a golf magazine,
representing 7.5 million readers; Mike Bailey of Golf Adviser, representing approximately
1.5 million subscribers; Vic Williams from golf tips representing approximately 750,000
readers; Mike Buteau, 43 million monthly website visitors; and James Au of the China
Daily Press, average daily circulation 200,000. Again, that was the second year we hosted.
Every year, it is a different bunch of people. Last year was a similar bunch of people with
similar exposure to readers and subscribers. If I could add one more thing, I believe it was
about September, as part of the Administration's look at revenue increases, I did draft a fee
increase that I presented to the Kaua`i Golf Association (KGA), who is the organization that
coordinates all of the Kaua`i golf clubs. I did present it to them. The fee really looked to
increase daily golf fees for nominal $2 to $3, but the biggest thing that I proposed in that
was to implement a user fee, which would be a payable range from $2 to $3 every time you
use your monthly card. KGA strongly opposed that. The most vocal were the golfers that
play the most. For example, if you play four (4) times a month, a $60 card, that is $15 a
round. Most of the vocal players were seniors/super seniors who pay $26 for a card. A lot of
people play multiple times a week and in reality, paying probably less than $6 to $8 a
round and this would just add $2 to each of those rounds. Again, they voted to oppose it,
and then voted again to support a two percent (2%) increase with the exception that we do
not raise the junior fees by $0.20.
Councilmember Yukimura: That you do not raise which fees?
Mr. Costa: The junior fees, which is $1. With that, I just
wanted to touch on those things.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: I have a picture that I want to show. Ian, we
talked about it in person, but I want the public to see and hopefully somebody from The
Outdoor Circle who...I think this issue was brought up in the past about the constant need
for maintenance...I took that picture with my phone. There are a lot of leaves that are
inside the curb towards the tree, but a lot of those leaves fall daily, outside of the curb onto
the parking lot and these trees do not only leave a lot of large leaves, but they leave a lot of
nuts and there have been numerous complaints of people, including myself once, that I
stepped on a nut and twisted my ankle. That is like stepping on macadamia nuts. Those
nuts do not break.
Mr. Costa: Yes, there are about four (4) False Kamani Trees.
Councilmember Kagawa; My question is can we work through the
objections of The Outdoor Circle and have some suggestions from them as to what kind of
replacement trees that we possibly could look at that would require a lot less maintenance
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of our golf personnel that could take the place of these large False Kamani Trees? The
workers from the golf course have complained as well. They say, "We have been asking this
for years and we are spending too much time maintaining the parking lot and it is wasting
our time basically. If we have a replacement tree, we can spend less time dealing with
these leaves and nuts and more time on the course," and then no liability...well, not
liability, but preventing people from getting hurt. When they step out of their car, the last
thing they are going to look for is a nut on the ground. They expect to step right on the
pavement. Can you folks look at that again?
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: Let us look at removing the trees and replacing
them with something that does not have nuts and less leaves.
Mr. Costa: The other negative about this type of tree is that
the roots are all above ground, so it is a tripping hazard as well.
Councilmember Kagawa: Yes. My second question is on the fee increases,
what did the KGA recommend...how much per month increase?
Mr. Costa: They stated that they opposed a user fee, period,
and voted to recommend a two percent (2%) increase be looked at across the board,
including the monthly pass, which would be monthly cards. So on $60, that is what? $72?
Councilmember Kagawa: So basically they said to just raise everything
else instead of trying to collect a daily fee? I think it came from some of your collection staff
and they wondered about the accounting nightmare that it will cause by having to collect $2
to $3. What if people wanted to pay on their credit card? The transaction time that it takes
is probably not worth collecting it.
Mr. Costa: Well, yes. Wailua is one of a kind in that...I do
not know if you know, but when you buy a monthly card, everybody writes their number on
the...nobody brings their card. So this would force people to bring their card. I have never
seen that anywhere else where they write...we actually put tape on the walls every month
for people to write their card numbers. Anyway, that is something to think about. I think
long-term, other counties like Hawaii County implemented a $3 user fee and they are the
only county that has done that, but what the other counties have done is put a limit on that
card. O`ahu's monthly card is ten (10) rounds, that is it. If you want to play more, you buy
another card.
Councilmember Kagawa: So once you play all ten (10) rounds, you have to
pay either the daily rate or you buy another card?
Mr. Costa: Right.
Councilmember Kagawa: That again...
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Mr. Costa: And you have to bring your card, obviously, to
have it stamped or punched.
Councilmember Kagawa: That takes away the accounting nightmare, so
that could be a possibility that you can propose.
Mr. Costa: On the accounting nightmare, I take that with a
grain of salt because when Man Tada asked for the increase to $20 from $18, and then half
nine (9) hole card would be $11, well, they come up with a lot of things like if there are
two (2) people splitting, then they each are going to $550 and now we have to deal with
quarters. Give me a break.
Councilmember Kagawa: You folks should know this—how many
transactions are we talking about a day that will be added to the cashier? There has to be
an average. Is it one hundred (100)? Two hundred (200)? Fifty (50)? Twenty (20)? How
many transactions per day do we expect?
Mr. Costa: Yes, it is probably close to one hundred (100) a
day.
Councilmember Kagawa: Close to one hundred (100) transactions more per
day that we are going through the accounting and collect $3.
Mr. Costa: But that is the biggest impact we can make on a
small increase. I projected that alone raising $100,000 a year.
Councilmember Kagawa: Have we talked to Hawai`i island to see if they
had any concerns with the amount of transactions that the Council created by doing the
daily fee?
Mr. Costa: I think Baron has and he relays that they do not
like it.
Councilmember Kagawa: They do not have any problems?
Mr. Costa: The workers do not like it.
Councilmember Kagawa: Oh, the workers do not like it, but they do it?
Mr. Costa: Well, it has helped I think as far as revenues.
Councilmember Kagawa: So with the proposed KGA increases, that is
expected to generate how much more revenue? The daily rate you said would increase
$100,000 more maybe?
Mr. Costa: Yes, I have to look at the two percent (2%), but I
am guessing...
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Councilmember Kagawa: $50,000?
Mr. Costa: No, I do not think even that much.
Councilmember Kagawa: Not even $50,000 by increasing $7...
Mr. Costa: No, and the biggest impact is because as an
example if we sell five thousand (5,000) cards, we actually get fifteen thousand (15,000) to
twenty thousand (20,000) rounds off of those cards. It is a measure of every time you use
the course, you pay. The monthly card is then viewed as a "discount card," really. No other
way you can play for $6 a round.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay.
Mr. Costa: Again, they did not support that.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Other questions? Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: So legally, does the association have to approve
the fees in order for the Administration to propose anything?
Mr. Costa: I do not believe so.
Councilmember Yukimura: You were doing a courtesy to talk to them and
get their input.
Mr. Costa: That is correct, in the hopes that we would
actually get support.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
Mr. Costa: I did paint it that I recognize that we are getting
a deal; prices have not gone up in a while. Costs go up every year through gas, labor,
et cetera, and I stated that I am trying to find the smallest increases I can find with...
Councilmember Yukimura: A painless increase.
Mr. Costa: Yes, otherwise, eventually a drastic raise will be
proposed.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right. My concern is that if we do not have a
real good plan for maintenance reserve or what is the word...your improvement...
Mr. Costa: Rainy day fund.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, your asset maintenance management—over
time, the future of the golf course is in jeopardy if you do not do those major repairs that
need to be made in a timely way, whether it is your irrigation system or whatever. In the
long run, the golfers will get hurt the worst. I do not think they can come continuously to
the General Fund for that kind of really deep subsidy for people who are able to pay it. If
you are going to have a certain senior income limit for those who cannot afford to play, that
is one thing, but hopefully they see the connection between the sustainability of the golf
course and the need to have some regular source of income for that.
Mr. Costa: Right.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Thanks for the update on the golf course. Before
we started, you might have heard us having a discussion on the viability and sustainability
of golf courses and we know that it is not easy, so it needs to be subsidized every year.
Mr. Costa: Yes, the trend is that a golf course closes
every...I forget what it is...twenty-eight (28) days nationally.
Councilmember Chock: I am just wondering if we have thought about
other revenue streams. I see you folks are working on the lounge. Does the space get
rented? Could the golf course look at other events that would help subsidize keeping it
open?
Mr. Costa: That is a good point, but one of the things we will
try to implement over the next year is to introduce alternative uses of the golf course, such
as disc golf, soccer golf, and they even have this other one that is called arrow golf where
they use a bow and arrow. I presented that to KGA too and I told them nationally it is a
trend that is coming. So there may be a day when you are teeing off, there is somebody
kicking a ball in front of you or throwing a Frisbee. Ultimately, the same etiquette applies.
You do not hit, you do not throw, or you do not kick until that person is out of range. To the
soccer golf, they have a bigger cup, so those do not need to be on the green, so we would
place them off to the side of each hole. Apparently, it is a growing trend, not only
nationally, but in Europe as well. It is going to be a cultural education for long-time
golfers. Those are ways that we can fill the course. Frisbee golf—we would probably only
implement those on the front nine (9). With Frisbee golf, we can actually do eighteen (18)
holes on the front nine (9). We are already looking to purchase the soccer goal cups and
trying that out on the front nine (9).
Councilmember Chock: Thank you.
Mr. Costa: The other thing is I have had disc golfers
approach me and they want to do this, and one of the first questions are how much do you
pay to go? They say, "$5," so I said, "I do not think a golfer is going to appreciate paying
$15-20 and you paying $5." So that is why I thought maybe the nine (9) holes at half-rate
might be more palatable.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: What is soccer golf or Frisbee golf?
Mr. Costa: Instead of using clubs, you basically kick a soccer
ball.
Councilmember Yukimura: From hole to hole?
Mr. Costa: From tee to the hole?
Councilmember Yukimura: Really?
Mr. Costa: Same with Frisbee golf. You start at the tee, you
throw your Frisbee, go to where it lands, and throw it again and there is a basket that
catches the Frisbee.
Councilmember Yukimura: Where there are doing it in other parts of the
country and the world...
Mr. Costa: Frisbee golf is actually not...there are only a few
places that have implemented that onto an existing active golf course. A lot of them have
been developed on their own.
Councilmember Yukimura: Specifically for...
Mr. Costa: Much smaller acreage.
Councilmember Yukimura: Specifically for that sport?
Mr. Costa: In fact, this group that has been asking me, they
have implemented it at Puakea on the front nine (9), I believe.
Councilmember Yukimura: I would like to go watch just to see it.
Mr. Costa: They are actually in the process of adopting
Waikomo Park to be able to set up baskets there as well.
Councilmember Yukimura: So those are kind of mobile, but you can set it up,
and take it down?
Mr. Costa: Yes, it is basically a stand that has a basket with
a chain...the basket contains a bunch of chains that catch the Frisbee.
Councilmember Yukimura: So in the case of Waikomo Park, they use it while
they use it, but then it is freed up for other users for other purposes or for the more
conventional park uses?
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Mr. Costa: Yes, Waikomo Park...I do not know if you have
been there, but it is a very dry, barren park and I have never seen anybody there.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, good.
Mr. Costa: That is one of the reasons I kind of steered them
to look at that park because there would be no conflicts, at least at this time.
Councilmember Yukimura: That sounds good. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: What is the percentage of revenues generated by
non-Kaua`i residents?
Mr. Costa: I do not have the exact number.
Councilmember Kagawa: If you are from Honolulu or the mainland, you do
not get the Kauai rate.
Mr. Costa: No, it is Hawaii resident.
Councilmember Kagawa: Oh, Hawaii resident.
Mr. Costa: The only ones is the Kauai super senior/Kaua`i
senior. As far as resident, that is Hawaii.
Councilmember Kagawa: So what is the total Hawai`i generated
percentage of revenue that we get?
Mr. Costa: In general, the residents pick up roughly about
forty percent (40%) of the revenue, and then the visitors pick up roughly sixty percent
(60%). Then the play is almost opposite forty percent (40%), but less, nonresidents, but
sixty percent (60%) plus.
Councilmember Kagawa: Do you think there is an economic tourism value
to having the golf course like our beach parks? Some of them, especially like Po`ipu Beach
Park, where locals...
Mr. Costa: Definitely.
Councilmember Kagawa: Locals hardly are able to go there now because
there are too much tourists taking up the parking in the parking lot. It is basically a
tourist beach right now, I would say, in a lot of cases.
Mr. Costa: Yes, we are getting an increase in the visitor
play. Every quarter, I fill in golf round numbers into circular that goes from all of the
different golf courses...the private golf courses...we all put in our information. That allows
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me to look at...we get probably eighty percent (80%) of the local play, but probably only
about thirty percent (30%) maybe of the total visitor play. We get our share.
Councilmember Kagawa: Do you think there are still a lot of openings for
increased revenues that we could generate by better marketing and advertising our course?
Mr. Costa: Definitely. We still have...out of the total
available golf tee times during the day, we are lucky if we use fifty percent (50%).
Councilmember Kagawa: What are the barriers to possibly steal more play
from Princeville, Hoku`ala, Puakea, and the Grand Hyatt Kaua`i? How do we steal more of
their play, because I think we have a beautiful course and we have a lot of tee times you
just said. How do we make our golf course generate more of that daily play from our
visitors?
Mr. Costa: I think our participation through the Kauai
Economic Development Board (KEDB) and the grant that OED gets to help us do that is
huge and if that continues, it will only continue to grow. The other big one that I have been
looking at, and it is really a procurement issue, is online tee times, "golfnow.com," where
tourists can book their tee times before they even plan their trip. I am working with
Purchasing to see how we can craft some kind of an Invitation For Bid (IFB) like that, but
typically the way they approach you is, "Give us two (2) tee times a day, and then we will
set everything up and we will not charge you for the booking service." Obviously, we have
at least two (2) that we do not use. How we put a value on that and how we bid that to
others, I guess we are trying to figure that out.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Mr. Costa: I think that is a huge one. At least they claim
that they would increase revenues by forty percent (40%).
Councilmember Kagawa: If I can just follow-up, I talked to the
concessionaire for the Pro Shop and he is very happy on the days that a lot of visitors come
because of the rentals and they buy balls, and he knows that the course is generating more.
So I think when we get to that point where we can maximize the tourist play, because we
have a gem, but it is trying to fill up some of our tee times. I think that will get us to a
sustainable point.
Mr. Costa: I must give credit to our concessionaires because
they all take an extra effort to make the visitors feel welcomed.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Follow-up? Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I agree with Council Vice Chair that we have a
very spectacular course and you say in your report that we are the top three (3) of the best
golf courses in Hawai`i by Golf Channel.
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Mr. Costa: Yes, Golf Channel, last year.
Councilmember Yukimura: The only municipal course ranked among
Hawai`i's four (4) top...
Mr. Costa: Yes, they rated the top five (4) and the other
four (4) are high-end resort courses.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right. From long ago, we used to be the top...
Mr. Costa: Top ten (10)...
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, top ten (10) in the country. So it is a real
asset that way, but if we are not marketing that and really taking advantage of that
status...I commend you for trying to think about all of these different ways to increase
revenues. I am really intrigued that by online tee time since that is the way to go
nowadays. Do you know of any other municipal golf courses around the country that are
doing that online tee time?
Mr. Costa: In my conversations with them, they did mention
a couple in California, but none in Hawaii. Puakea is kind of...
Councilmember Yukimura: Doing it?
Mr. Costa: Yes, because they are managed by Casper Golf,
so all of Casper Golfs...
Councilmember Yukimura: Could we talk to Casper Golf or these two (2)
municipal golf courses and learn from them how they are doing it and what kind of
problems they have in instituting it? You say we have fifty percent (50%) of our tee time
that is not used?
Mr. Costa: I think that is probably about right.
Councilmember Yukimura: That is astounding. They are probably not the
primetime that is...
Mr. Costa: Well, that is not necessarily true on the
weekends. During an average weekday though, yes, probably close to that.
Councilmember Yukimura: I see. The local golfers have first choice on the
tee times, right?
Mr. Costa: For the most part, yes, because they are there at
5:00 a.m. I have never seen anything like it where golfers are waiting on the tee for the sun
so that they can at least get an idea of where their ball generally went. But they are there
waiting for the sun and there is a line.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Those are the real dedicated golfers. That does
not happen anyplace else?
Mr. Costa: Yes, on other courses, but I do not think you see
that at beach parks.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, if they are getting it for $6 a round and
they are getting prime tee time...what is it that you said?
Mr. Costa: Yes, I guess people call prime tee time as
basically before 10:00 a.m., so that you can finish between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Councilmember Yukimura: Are those tee times usually taken up by local
golf?
Mr. Costa: Yes, for the most part. On Saturdays, definitely
until about 11:00 a.m. and that is where KGA comes in. All of the different clubs on
Saturdays and Sundays have set tee times and most of those are prior to 11:00 a.m.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. I am curious about your statistics on use
and users. How many users do we have of the golf course by...what did you call that?
Non-overlapping numbers? How many individuals?
Mr. Costa: That is a difficult number. What I would use is
basically...the number of rounds is hard. You would have to take the number of cards sold,
plus the number of daily...well, even the daily rounds are repetitive to some degree.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am not talking about rounds, I am talking
about players.
Mr. Costa: Right. Well, that is the best indication I would
have.
Councilmember Yukimura: Your visitors would be considered one-time.
Mr. Costa: Right.
Councilmember Yukimura: Then local players...can you give those statistics?
Mr. Costa: The only way I could approach that is to, like I
say, look at the number of monthly cards sold plus the number of individual daily rounds
sold and that would probably give me the best number.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Can you provide that information? How
many acres is the golf course on? Did you present it the last time?
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Mr. Costa: Was it eighteen (18)? Last year when we did the
comparison with the parks, I think roughly eighteen (18), but the eighteen (18) I would say
includes Marine Camp.
Councilmember Yukimura: Eighteen (18) acres?
Mr. Costa: That entire parcel that is the golf course parcel
actually goes to Marine Camp, so I believe that includes that area as well.
Councilmember Yukimura: Can you just provide that, too, and if you can
approximate what is only golf course?
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
Mr. Costa: One hundred (100) acres.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, I thought I was more than eighteen (18).
Mr. Costa: I know I did that thing last year and I will dig
that up because it had the total number of acreage for our sports fields versus the golf
course acreage, and then cost per acre.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, please eliminate, by approximation if you
cannot get more specific, the non-golf use.
Mr. Costa: Okay.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, or acres. Thank you. I am really pleased
to see this ten percent (10%) increase...let us see...you said nonresident play.
Mr. Costa: Yes. The last fiscal year and over the last two (2)
years, it is almost sixteen percent (16%). So this year, we are actually higher
than...year-to-date, we are well over what we were year-to-date a year ago.
Councilmember Yukimura: And you are showing a $95,000 increase in fees,
so that is probably from that increase in play.
Mr. Costa: Primarily. The other trend is nationally, there is
a decline in golf, so I mentioned a four percent (4%) decline of resident play, but there is
actually a corresponding four percent (4%) increase in senior play and that is primarily
because the residents are all becoming seniors.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes.
Mr. Costa: The juniors are not seemingly continuing on the
millennium and picking up golf as we used to.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Right. We do have the grain of society, right?
The baby-boomers are becoming seniors, so that should increase some of the senior play. If
they are not able to pay, that is one thing, but if they are then we should get some benefit
from the increase. It comes partly out of this cooperative that you are part of with the
visitor industry.
Mr. Costa: I believe so.
Councilmember Yukimura: I remember when you said that was the plan and
I am really glad to see it implemented.
Mr. Costa: We really pay a nominal amount. I think it is
like $1,400 a year.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, it is a wonderful synergy.
Mr. Costa: But we are packaged in all of KEDB's golf
promotions, along with everybody else.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, that is excellent. Do you have any articles
that are resulting from these tours of golf writers and stuff?
Mr. Costa: Well, what we receive on a regular basis is an
update on articles written or published, but I can ask them for the actual...
Councilmember Yukimura: Or even the statistics, because I know Sue
Kanoho probably keeps careful track of that.
Mr. Costa: Yes, it is really this contractor that KEDB
contracted with, Buffalo Productions, that sends us these updates and tracks the various
writings that result.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. If we could just get some of the statistics
showing the increased exposure that came from our participation in the cooperative, that
would be really interesting.
Mr. Costa: For now, the summary I read on this "fam trip,"
as well as I have last year's on the participants and who they represent.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Thank you. Lastly, we used to track, and
I think Sue tracks, "How did you hear about us?" If there is a new tourist golfer who comes
and you ask them, "How did you hear about us," and sometimes they will say, "Oh, it was
this article in `so and so."' Actually, when Economic Development, when we first started
advertising in magazines, Kaua`i...when people requested information from OED, then we
said, "How did you hear about us." So we could track what was effective as a publication or
marketing.
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Mr. Costa: I will work with Nalani and Sue to get those
statistics and feedback.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: On page 348, the regular overtime line item, last
year it was $10,000 and this year it is $46,000 for a three hundred sixty percent (360%)
increase. I see on the budget appropriations transfers report that on February 28th of this
year you had to transfer $40,000 from salaries to overtime. So, in fact, then the trend of
$52,000, $43,000, $53,000, and then last year where it dropped down to $10,000, that was
unrealistic and you ended up having to transfer an additional $40,000.
Mr.Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So that is why you are increasing it back to
$46,000 this year?
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Then on page 349, similar with the Repair and
Maintenance (R&M) equipment, from $30,500 just to $36,500, so only a twenty
percent (20%) increase. On February 28th again this year you had a transfer of$29,000 and
it says, "Need about $24,000 to repair pump at golf course." So here you have equipment
repairs, $25,000, and motor pump repairs, $5,000. Is this pump repair something that is
rare and last year it broke down?
Mr. Costa: Yes, the $5,000 what we budget on an annual
basis is for routine maintenance of the pump, but the pump actually failed.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So then that is why it was kind of a big $24,000
expense?
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: But you are not budgeting for this year?
Mr. Costa: Right. Then we did replace a bunch of key
equipment, I believe three (3) years ago or two (2) years ago. So over the last few years,
maintenance of that equipment has been low and will slowly increase until it is the end of
its useful life.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Then the last thing as this one vacant position
1958 Cashier I, part-time, I guess it is fifty percent (50%).
Mr. Costa: Part-time, yes.
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Councilmember Kuali`i: It has been vacant since December 31, 2014, so
like one (1) year and a few months. What are the plans for filling this position?
Mr. Costa: Well, somebody should be starting in that
position within the next month, I believe
Councilmember Kuali`i: Next month?
Mr. Costa: Yes. It has been tough to hire part-timers.
About two (2) months ago, we went through an interview process and we offered the job to a
person who currently works on Maui, in finance, and she wanted to...before accepting the
position, she asked if we could pay her the same salary as she was making at finance, which
was considerably higher, so we denied that and had to go back out and recruit. Like I said,
we have a new candidate who should be starting shortly.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Okay.
Mr. Costa: That half-time position is critical at the golf
course because it opens for eleven (11) hours a day, so that halftime is needed to fill the
gaps between the fulltime workers.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: As far as the leased items, is auto maintenance
keeping track of your replacement schedule? They have done it in past for all departments?
Mr. Costa: I do not think they do that for our equipment, no.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: So do you have an equipment replacement type
of schedule?
Mr. Costa: Yes, basically what the manufacturer
recommendations are for the useful life and as maintenance costs start increasing, yes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
Mr. Costa: But the golf course is not part of motor pool's
vehicle.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Motor pool is taking care of a lot of other
departments.
Mr. Costa: Everybody else pretty much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: But you folks do have a replacement schedule?
Mr. Costa: Yes and a fulltime mechanic who does their own
repairs.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Any further questions? Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: On page 351, you show bond principal and bond
interest. So the golf course is actually paying for the bond projects in the bond fund?
Mr. Costa: Yes. That is the irrigation state system that was
installed in 2002 I believe.
Councilmember Yukimura: I think we covered it in CIP. Have we done this
or is this a new thing?
Mr. Costa: No, we have been paying that every year.
Between that and central services, we start the year in just about three hundred (300) in
the hole.
Councilmember Yukimura: So you are three hundred (300) in the hole, and
then we spend $1.2 million to subsidize the golf course.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: $1.2 million subsidizes everything, including the
bond.
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: It is not on top of the bond.
Mr. Costa: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, but I think it is good accounting to show
what is attributable...
Mr. Costa: Because of the enterprise fund, I believe we pay
back what essentially is a CIP type of item, as well as pay our right hand for helping.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Thank you very much.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions for golf? If not, we are
going to move on to the Improvements and Maintenance Fund. Lenny, the Improvements
and Maintenance Fund comes out of concessions from Spouting Horn, right?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Okay. Do we have any questions on this? It is
on page 323. I think the main item in that are the new asset management program and
consultant fees. We had a brief description on it earlier today.
Councilmember Yukimura: Page 323? Is it at the end of golf course? What
is it?
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Sorry, it is at the end of Parks. I have it written
as 323, but that is because it is inserted after page 252. So look for page 252 first.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Do you know the page in here?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: 252, on the bottom.
Councilmember Kagawa: Oh, okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Yes, it is right after page 252. Any questions?
Councilmember Yukimura: We are on the Revolving Fund, right? What are
we on?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: It is called the "Improvements and Maintenance
Fund."
Councilmember Yukimura: 209.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: 209. The money comes out of Spouting Horn
concessions. We have one (1) amount as a contingency fund for R&M park facilities, which
has been reduced from the prior year and we have money in there for the Four Winds asset
management system and consultant.
Councilmember Yukimura: It looks like on page 327, is it?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: It is the Four Winds program.
Councilmember Yukimura: So that is 327?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: On page 327, yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: What is the total amount on money in the fund?
I think if you look on the revenues side, it shows $263,800. Of that, you are proposing to
use $50,000 this year for the Four Winds?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: No, $200,000 for the Four Winds.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: So where is the rest?
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: What are you asking for, Councilmember
Yukimura?
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Councilmember Yukimura: Where the rest of the money is shown? The
$63,000.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: The contingency is on page 325.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. Four Winds, $50,000 installation cost and
the $150,000 is for what?
Mr. Rapozo: To implement all of the data from the different
Parks facilities into the asset management program.
Councilmember Yukimura: So that is the input part?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: This is Parks only or is this part of the transfer?
Mr. Rapozo: This is Parks only.
Councilmember Yukimura: So what are you going to do about the rest
assuming that the transfer is made?
Mr. Rapozo: Again, when this project started, this started
before the transfer of the Department of Public Works, so it was focused on Parks. My
understanding is that the Department of Public Works has their own program that they are
implementing or putting it.
Councilmember Yukimura: So you are going to use two (2) different
programs for building and facilities maintenance and repair?
Mr. Rapozo: Currently, yes, for now.
Councilmember Yukimura: That sounds really expensive.
Mr. Rapozo: Again, when we started this project last year...
Councilmember Yukimura: I know, but you are proposing this year, so we
want to know how you are going to manage the merger. Why would you have two (2)
software programs and you need two (2) different servicing...
Mr. Rapozo: Currently, that is how it is setup, so we will look
at it once this transfer is made, but currently what Buildings has right now did not fit
Parks' needs as we went through the process of determining what kind of asset
management program we are going to have. Therefore, we went out and we got what we
have and what we are implementing now.
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Councilmember Yukimura: I mean if you are proposing to merge the two (2),
I would expect that you have a plan for how you are going to merge it. So that is what I am
asking for.
Mr. Rapozo: For the asset management right now, that plan
will be running two (2) programs as it is right now.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions on this? I think the
questions are already heading to our next section, so if there are no further questions on
this, then our final section is the Facilities Maintenance and the transfer of positions to
Parks. If there are no further questions on this or if you want to hold your questions on
this, when we talk about the transfer, I would like to move on to the transfer. The
Facilities Maintenance is on 232 on the bottom. Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Can I ask Mauna Kea to tell us if first of all, this
substantial change does not interfere with the intention of the Charter and can the
Administration legally do this change and add maintenance and repair responsibilities
beyond the scope of the Parks Department, as stated in the Charter, to include facilities
that I believe are not Parks and Recreation-related? Can we have that opinion before we
even waste our time?
(Councilmember Chock was noted as excused.)
MAUNA KEA TRASK, County Attorney: Aloha Committee Chair Kaneshiro
and Honorable Councilmembers. For the record, Mauna Kea Trask. I reviewed the Kaua`i
County Charter and my understanding first to contextualize this is that, and correct me if I
get this wrong, Director, but currently the building maintenance and repair section in the
Department of Public Works will be moved over to the Parks and Recreation Department,
and once under the Parks and Recreation Department, will also be authorized to continue
to do countywide repair and maintenance. So based on my understanding, also the purpose
of this would be in relevant part...my understanding is that about fifty percent (50%) to
eighty percent (80%) of all of the current Department of Public Works Repair and
Maintenance sections work requisition orders actually come from Parks for Parks facilities
like the Po`ipu Beach Park bathroom, Kilauea Gym roof, and all of this other types of
examples. Correct?
Mr. Rapozo: Correct.
Mr. Trask: So with that understanding and based on those
facts and circumstances, I reviewed the following sections of the Kauai County Charter:
Section 2.01, Section 6.01, Section 6.05(a), Section 7.05, Section 31.03(a), and
Section 23.1(4). Based on my review on all of those sections, in relevant part, if you go to
Section 7.05(a), "The mayor as the chief executive of the county shall exercise direct
supervision over all departments and coordinate all administrative activities, and see that
they are honestly, efficiently, and lawfully conducted." If you look at Section 31.03, it
enumerates the powers of the Director of Parks, which is to plan, design, construct, operate,
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and maintain all parks and recreational facilities of the County. I left out another section,
which was the authority of the County Engineer that includes, in pertinent part, to plan,
design, construct, operate, maintain, and repair all County facilities. The difference
between Section 31.03, Parks authority and...I am sorry...the Department of Public Works
authority is the presence of"repair" in the Department of Public Works section and the lack
of the presence of "repair" in Section 31.03(a), the Parks section. However, if you look at
Section 23.14, coordination of work, "The mayor shall devise a practical and working basis
for the cooperation and coordination of work by the various departments, eliminate
duplication, and overlapping of functions, and shall have the various agencies cooperate
with each other in the use of employees, land, building, quarters, facilities, and equipment.
The head of any department may empower or require an employee of another department
subject to the consent of the head of such other department to perform any duty, which he
might require of the employees of his department." So I believe also, too, in looking at
definition of"maintain" and "repair," "maintain" is defined as, in pertinent part, "to keep in
a condition of good repair; efficiently or use." In looking at the thesaurus, "repair" is
synonymous with "maintain" and in light of everything, it is also my understanding that
once these employees are moved to Parks, the County Engineer and the Director of Parks
have agreed, per Section 23.14, to empower the other employees to maintain the County's
facilities. Given all of that, I think that the Charter does not prohibit this.
Councilmember Kagawa: I have a follow-up question. So I have a listing
here of all the Parks facilities. There are eighty-nine (89). Then the on the County
facilities side, I have forty-one (41), not to say that the eighty-nine (89) equals forty-one (41)
because the forty-one (41) includes Moikeha, the Historic County Building, and every other
building like the Police Department building and all the amenities. Would it be against the
Charter or illegal to split the Buildings Division so that Buildings takes care of this list of
forty-one (41), and then Parks would take care of the eighty-nine (89)? Thereby, really, I
think, we fall right in place with the Charter and what the voters wanted, which was for
Parks to have a separate department where they are accountable to the general public and
taxpayers for Parks facilities. Adding these forty-one (41) to their responsibilities, I think,
leaves in question whether any failure in taking care of park responsibilities is now going to
be due to having to spread their work, their management, to the forty-one (41) that is not
their kuleana. So we split them in half, and then we have equal accountability to both sides
and Lyle will take care of buildings right here, as he should with his Buildings Division and
his two (2) EMs with specific management responsibility in their job description to care for
building maintenance, and have Parks now finally have what they wanted, some
separation, so they can dictate where to repair and maintain according to their priorities,
instead of having to rely on Buildings to accommodate their requests.
Mr. Trask: Just to be clear for the record, I see my role in
this situation as that of legal counsel, so informing the department heads and the mayor,
what their powers are. I know what my powers are, but their powers. So like anything, in
the Rules of Professional Conduct, it says, generally if I can paraphrase, my representation
or any attorney's representation of their client is not necessarily endorsement or an
agreement of the actions that they take. So the policy is something that the Office of the
County Attorney really defers to those who are in power to make those decisions. Whether
or not, and specifically, if the powers that be see this as a measure that eliminates
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duplication or overlapping of functions and/or increases efficiency of duties and activities,
that is something that I would defer to them and I really do not know the specific details.
Councilmember Kagawa: But it is legal to split it?
Mr. Trask: Yes, they can coordinate. I think they can split
and based on my understanding, sometimes it is easier to chart this out, but the
coordination can be in various ways on how they agree upon it, as long as they agree.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you, Mauna Kea.
Mr. Trask: You are welcome.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you, Mauna Kea. I am sorry, but did you
address Section 6.02 where it says, "Upon recommendation of the mayor, the council may
by vote of five members change, abolish, combine, or rearrange the executive agencies of
county government?"
Mr. Trask: I did not, but of course that exists as well.
Councilmember Yukimura: Is this not a reorganization of executive agencies
in county government, this proposal?
Mr. Trask: The way I understand it is that it is a
coordination of activities and it is a movement of personnel from one department to
another, and then after that movement occurs, the department heads are coordinating for
efficiency reasons. I did not see it as a Section 6.02 matter, the way it was framed to me
because we are not getting rid of or abolishing.
Councilmember Yukimura: But combine or rearrange?
Mr. Trask: That can be done, too, but it can also be
coordinated. I do not think they are exclusive. If you look at Section 2.01, it says here,
"The county may to promote general welfare, safety, health, peace, good order, comfort, and
morals may have and exercise all powers necessary for local self-government and any
additional...the enumeration of powers here shall not be deem to be exclusive." So that
means when you statutorily construct things, you read them so as to include all powers and
duties that can be applied thereto. Also in addition to the express powers, enumerated here
or implied thereby, "it is intended that the County shall have and may exercise all powers it
would be competent for this Charter to enumerate expressly." So I do not read Section 6.02
to the exclusion of Section 2.01, Section 6.01, and Section 6.05, et cetera. But they also
could come to you and abolish, et cetera.
Councilmember Yukimura: For me, it is like, does the Mayor have the power
to do what the transfer that is being proposed without consent of the Council?
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Mr. Trask: He can coordinate, correct.
Councilmember Yukimura: But it says, "There shall be an administrative
code providing for a complete plan of administrative organization of executive agencies of
county government consistent with provisions of this charter, and upon recommendation of
the mayor, the council may be vote of five members change, abolish, combine, or rearrange
the executive agencies of county government."
Mr. Trask: Correct.
Councilmember Yukimura: So arguably, the proposal needs to have five (5)
votes.
Mr. Trask: I have actually been doing a lot of reading about
the Charter history because of the various charter proposals and amendments and it is a
really interesting thing. The Charter was first begun to be formulated in 1966. The
Chairman at that time...the Secretary was Mr. Tokita, and the final Chairman was
Mr. Shinsato. I forget who the initial Chairman was, but anyway, when they formulated
the Charter, and Section 6.02 was created, I believed that that really pertained to the
administrative code currently found in the Kauai County Code, which describes...I think it
is in the first chapter or the second, "There shall be a Department of Public Works," and
"There shall be an Office of the County Attorney," et cetera. You also have to read this
historically. It is really difficult to read the Charter in opposite to itself, and I believe the
law encourages you to read it all together, so you could effectively do both.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. So I would like to ask a formal opinion
from your office.
Mr. Trask: Okay.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Hooser.
Councilmember Hooser: It seems like a plain reading of the Charter is
first, and then historical.
Mr. Trask: Correct.
Councilmember Hooser: So I would think that what Councilmember
Yukimura is concerned about is a valid concern. It certainly seems to me that the Charter
intends for the Council to approve such reorganization.
Mr. Trask: I do not want to get into an argument about it,
but again, you can look at one thing many different ways and I do not want to appear that I
am trying to rationalize this, but I think it looks like to me a coordination under the
sections that I had talked about. If you are saying that it is reorganization, then I guess it
could be that as well. But when you do statutory construction, you try to interpret the law
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so as to give effect to all portions of the Charter. If you look at the plain reading of one, it is
okay. If you look at the plain reading of another, it would seem so as well. So therefore,
you have a potential conflict. When there is a conflict or a potential ambiguity, then you go
to history and all of these other things. Ultimately, the way I understand it is that this is a
matter of efficiency and trying to coordinate all activities for the betterment of the public.
If that is what the Director of Parks and Recreation, the County Engineer, and the Mayor
think, then it seems to me that those are the appropriate policymakers to make that call. I
really want to appropriately advise and limit the County Attorney's role. I am happy to
receive a clear written question that I can research and we will take it from there.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I just want to add that during this budget
process, the Council does have the ability to move the positions back with a vote to the
Building Division if we wanted to, is what I have heard.
Mr. Trask: That is correct.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: That is the five (5) votes...you make the proposal
when we do the...then you move it and if it has the five (5) votes, that is in the Council's
power.
Mr. Trask: That is true, too. The budgetary process is still
effectuated. All various processes can still go forward according to the Charter.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? If there are no more
questions for Mauna Kea, we will open up questions to Lenny. Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I know that you gave each Councilmember the
letter that was sent to all of your employees informing them of this transfer and the letter
was written as if the transfer was complete and it did not say really accurately what
process was still pending. Were the other department personnel affected also included in
discussions and formulation of this transfer plan, such as Mr. Inouye and Mr. Haigh?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. They were part of the affected people, yes.
Councilmember Yukimura: They were not only informed, but they were
actually consulted in the development of the plan?
Mr. Rapozo: Consulted with the Facilities Maintenance
Supervisor for sure, and then of course, after there was some discussion with Mr. Haigh.
Mr. Inouye was not until after we formally approached staff and said that we were going to
make this move. Then Mr. Inouye was spoken to.
Councilmember Yukimura: Was Mr. Tabata spoken to?
Mr. Rapozo: Mr. Tabata was part of the discussion as well.
Councilmember Yukimura: Alright. Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: I have a follow-up to that question. You
mentioned some of the steps, but just walk us through what were the steps that led to this,
and then what are the remaining steps? I think an agreement with the UPW and stuff still
needs to happen. How did it start? What steps happened? What also needs to be done
before this thing is complete?
Mr. Rapozo: From my understanding and we were
approached, just as we had discussed prior, all of the UPW members, who they answer to
does not change. My belief is that their condition of work does not change, so it is a matter
of just informing UPW that this is what we are doing. I do not believe that we need their
concurrence on this. Of course, they may have a different opinion, but from where I stand,
we do not need an opinion. The affected members that changes their working condition is
the HGEA members, which it would be Mr. Koga, as it was mentioned and...
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Maybe if you can refrain from the names.
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. So the Maintenance Supervisor and the
Custodial Service Supervisor. Those are the two (2) HGEA members that are affected by
this move.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: So you need HGEA's approval on it?
Mr. Rapozo: Not necessarily their approval. They can come
back to us and give us their concerns. Really, at the end of the day, the Administration has
the right to just complete this transition. For instance, if one of their affected members is
relocated from Lihu`e to Kekaha, let us say, that is a situation where they could possibly
grieve. What we are doing and the moves that we are making are really that we can just
confirm and move forward. In our spirit of trying to work with everybody, we have had
discussions...I had discussions with HGEA. Upon notifying the staff, that very day I went
to HGEA to let them know what we were doing.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: Was HR consulted as to whether consent or
consultation from unions are needed or not?
Mr. Rapozo: HR has been involved in this from the beginning.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, so your statement that consultation was
not necessary is...
Mr. Rapozo: No, consultation is necessary to inform, but not
necessarily "approval."
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. So that has been confirmed by HR?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
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Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. When you say that there is no change in
lines of accountability, maybe for UPW, but the ultimate accountability does change to
Parks Director instead of the Public Works Director?
Mr. Rapozo: I am sorry, I had mentioned that the affected
bargaining units would be the HGEA members as to who they report to. That would be the
changes.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay. So in that one, do you have to consult or
not?
Mr. Rapozo: As I mentioned, in speaking with HGEA, and my
belief as well, at the end of the day, we could consult with them, but if we decided to make
this move, they may not agree with the move, but the move is such that the affected
members...we are not rifting their position. We are not drastically changing their position
or where they are working in terms of their job performance, so it could just happen.
However, like I had mentioned if we decided to take somebody who was working in Lihu`e
or reporting to Lihu`e and put them out in Kekaha, then that is a problem.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, so you already consulted with HGEA and
they are okay.
Mr. Rapozo: They have concerns, but we are working through
the concerns.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: But as I mentioned, even if they have concerns,
at the end of the day, if we wanted to do it, we can do it. But we are not like that, so we are
trying to work through their concerns.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: If she has more questions, she can go.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Do you have any more regarding that question?
If not, Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: Lenny, I am looking at page 232. So the top one
is we have a Building Manager listed, EM-5, and then we have the Construction
Maintenance Supervisor II. I am wondering if the Building Manager is going to help
manage the forty-seven (47) or so people.
Mr. Rapozo: No.
Councilmember Kagawa: So only the Construction Maintenance
Supervisor?
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Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: Why is the Building Manager listed?
Mr. Rapozo: That is part of the current division that is coming
over.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay, but he will be doing other things like
project management or something?
Mr. Rapozo: He will be responsible for the CIP maintenance
project of other County facilities.
Councilmember Kagawa: Of all the facilities?
Mr. Rapozo: Outside of parks.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay.
Mr. Rapozo: I am sorry, let me rephrase that. All CIP
maintenance projects, large projects, parks countywide, including parks; that is what he
will be responsible for.
Councilmember Kagawa: Can you give us an example?
Mr. Rapozo: For example, if he was under Parks right now,
the roof repair at the IQilauea Gym is what he should be doing; overseeing of the
replacement of the roof facility at the Po`ipu West Comfort Station, that is what he should
have been doing, as opposed to planning and development.
Councilmember Kagawa: The other Building Manager, EM-7, will stay in
Buildings and run the code enforcement, but his job description says that he shall manage
repair and maintenance, so are we going to amend his job description?
Mr. Rapozo: He is going to remain back with the Department
of Public Works, so I would leave that question of how are going to change his job
description to Public Works. I think they would have to bring it up...
Councilmember Kagawa; At the last meeting, we were told that he was
working on a lot of the Hardy Street and Rice Street improvements and so forth, but I think
it is not transparent to the public to have a job description that says you are going to be
doing this, this job of R&M, when we actually let him do what we feel is a glaring need and
take him off of the responsibility and not list it.
Mr. Rapozo: I agree with you.
Councilmember Kagawa: Anyway, that is my concern.
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Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kagawa: Are you confident that we are going to go down
from...I think the EM-7 was fifty percent (50%) of his time on R&M, and then we had the
Building Manager, EM-5, probably spent seventy-five percent (75%) of his time, and then
we had the Construction Maintenance Supervisor spending one hundred percent (100%) of
his time. Are we confident that this will work with one hundred twenty-five percent (125%)
less management? Of course, I did not count the Parks Department Head and the Deputy
though, so I do not know if you folks will be filling in that gap of one hundred twenty-five
percent (125%).
Mr. Rapozo: Well, I do not know where your percentages came
from, but when we looked at the percentages of what in their job description/position
description, it should not be that high. In the EM-5, I remember it was about twenty-five
percent (25%), in terms of coordination and supervising of the workers.
Councilmember Kagawa: How much was the EM-7?
Mr. Rapozo: I did not look at the EM-7 because the initial
plan was not for him to come over anyway, but I wanted to see what...from that building
manager side down what their responsibility was.
Councilmember Kagawa: The question is then if they were not...if only
twenty-five percent (25%) of the EM-5 was spent on managing forty-seven (47) employees to
maintain and repair all of the County facilities in the County, and then the EM-7 did not
need to be managed, then maybe we are going to have the same thing by just shifting it
over. One (1) guy will have a difficult time succeeding in managing forty-seven (47) people
and one hundred thirty (130) something facilities.
Mr. Rapozo: That is my point, Councilmember Kagawa. As a
department head, my management of personnel is maybe ten percent (10%), I believe. My
Deputy, who should be in charge of operations, his percentage should be increased. The
division head who has that operation, his management of his personnel should be anywhere
between eighty percent (80%) to ninety percent (90%). The other ten percent (10%) to
twenty percent (20%) is making sure they have the supplies, the trailers, and everything.
So the percentages get greater as you move down the line. If that twenty-five percent (25%)
from the Building Manager...that is what he was doing...the next guy below him, which
will have the more direct contact with those people, his percentages are supposed to
increase, and that is what I looked at—how we are going to fill this other twenty-five
percent (25%) of the Building Manager? My intention is he is going to take on more Park
CIP maintenance projects. He is going to get forty-eight (48). Park Maintenance, I
mentioned, he has seventy-one (71). Again, the dynamics and the complexities might be
different in terms of what the demand for that position is. The complexities may be
different, but the complexities come out to be about the same. That is why I think it can be
done.
Councilmember Kagawa: Okay. Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Just to follow-up, on page 232 with the listing of
all of these positions, down in the lower section, there is a position 1559, Custodial Service
Supervisor, and the two (2) immediately below, 1543 and 1857, are called Janitor Working
Supervisor, so that kind of aligns with what you were just saying, Lenny. But up above,
after the 1536 Construction and Maintenance Supervisor II, are the two (2) Maintenance
Worker Its working supervisors?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So they are actually working supervisors as well?
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. So I guess as a better working
foreman...how do you describe it...like working foremen...so they are the supervisors with
the subordinates underneath, but they also perform some of the work that needs to be done,
like a Park Caretaker II.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Overall, when is this change supposed to
happen?
Mr. Rapozo: If it does pass the budget process, it would be
effective July 1st.
Councilmember Kuali`i: But like you were saying, these people are still
being supervised on all of the lower-levels by all the same people. It is just the top that is
changing? For the positions that are vacant, there are three (3) of them that are currently
in the Department of Public Works Buildings: Janitor II, Maintenance Worker I, and
Plumber I, that would be in this new division. The recruitment and everything is just
ongoing and you will not on July 1st be in a situation that, "Oh, yeah, they gave us this
vacant position and now we have to fill it."
Mr. Rapozo: We would see where in the process, but I am
confident that the Department of Public Works would continue to hire up until July 1st. I
think the Plumber is a different scenario.
Councilmember Kuali`i: That is the one that is actually dollar-funded.
Mr. Rapozo: The janitor comes off the labor list and that labor
list is generated within the next two (2) weeks, right?
Councilmember Kuali`i: Yes, it was just vacant on February 1st.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: The only other one, the last one, is 1535,
Maintenance Worker I, which seems to be vacant for a while since July 31, 2014.
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Mr. Rapozo: For that one there, I am not real sure where they
are in that process.
Councilmember Kuali`i: I may have asked that or will be following up
with them. Thank you.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? Councilmember
Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am really concerned about having two (2)
different types of software because you are going to need to have different learnings and
different consultants, and if you are going to eventually have to merge it, why do you
spend...you should probably figure out which one is the best software, and then
accommodate that to the whole plan. But this idea of having two (2) types of software and
no plan for what you are going...what if you spend this whole $150,000 on the Four Winds
and then figure out that actually the program that Buildings has it better?
Mr. Rapozo: We looked at that. I recall when I answered that
question earlier, that is why it took us...instead of you giving us from January of last year
to March, I asked to be December because we wanted to see what was out there and try to
see if we could do that. It did not meet our needs and we went beyond December to get this,
but because I thought we did a good job in trying to see how we could fit. We still have the
basic sharing the same basic computer programming system, but we have the software that
is going to best fit Parks and that is what the exercise was at the time. Now that we are
bringing this over...at the time, it did not fit to begin with, so I think we are going to have
to manage two (2) at the same time, although that asset management program is
something that should be used by the Building Manager.
Councilmember Yukimura: Well, that is why maybe it is premature to bring
these two (2) things together because if you have two (2) separate systems...it does not
make sense to me, but maybe our Acting County Engineer has something to say.
LYLE TABATA, Acting County Engineer: Acting County Engineer, Lyle
Tabata. Councilmembers and Chair. So the reason why we are looking at the Four
Winds...we have already implemented it in our Wastewater and Roads Divisions, going
away from the AS400 system. We do not have the in-house expertise to create reports
readily from the AS400 system. Evidence is we were asked why we have not provided
building permit reports for a year and a half. To reformat a report costs us funds to bring
the vendor in to reformat and create a report for us.
Councilmember Yukimura: Sounds terrible.
Mr. Tabata: The AS400 system, I totally agree, is archaic and
needs to be replaced at some point in time. So what we have been doing in the Department
of Public Works, the Department of Water...the Department of Water also uses the same
software. It is a lot more user-friendly and I believe what it would take is some
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coordination of migration of that data that we already have input into the Four Winds. We
have not completed a substantial amount of migration of data from our old card catalog
system of assets into the AS400. So now is the time, if we put in new software, and I
believe that the Parks Department has the personnel to do that, that is when it will be
happening. We have things still in hardcopy that was never input into the AS400 when I
believe it was installed in the early 2000s. We have never been able to get it to work. The
only thing we use the AS400 system is for work order and work maintenance budget
tracking.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, so that sounds like a pretty obsolete
system and if you have to have a consultant in order to make reports, that is awful...that is
too expensive. It has to be something that our departments can do internally.
Mr. Tabata: And that is why we have migrated away from the
AS400 to this new software.
Councilmember Yukimura: If you are making this migration, we need a plan
that says, "We are going to go with the Four Winds system. It is going to cost us this much
money." I am not convinced that Parks has the capacity to do that. They have hardly even
begun to do theirs.
Mr. Tabata: In this whole move of personnel, as was stated,
the personnel will move entirely; however, the Department of Public Works is not
"abandoning the ship." We still will be assisting them and I believe even though we are
saying July 1st, it is going to be a process. We are going to have to support them. We still
support them with CIP management. We still support them with engineering expertise.
Councilmember Yukimura: Okay, but...
Mr. Tabata: I do not think that they are going to be left out in
the cold. Actually, I know they are not going to be left out in the cold.
Councilmember Yukimura: That is not my issue. My issue is if you are
planning this, then you should be able to tell us that this is going to be our end goal and
these are the steps that are going to be taken, and this is how much it is going cost, and
show us that you have a timetable and you have a plan.
Mr. Tabata: I believe they already came to acquire the
software and they have personnel to learn how to use the software and we have other
personnel who can assist in the learning, and then we have to populate the new software
from paper to electronic.
Councilmember Yukimura: Parks has to do it first with the parks facilities,
right?
Mr. Tabata: Since they are most familiar, they will start with
that. I think the Manager Director has something to say.
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NADINE K. NAKAMURA, Managing Director: Nadine Nakamura,
Managing Director. I would just like to add to what Lenny and Lyle have spoken about.
But one thing I want to suggest to move the discussion along is that the Information
Technology (IT) Manager will be also here to discuss this transition, and the presentation is
scheduled for next week Thursday. Unfortunately, he is on vacation today. If not, he would
have been here. I think we can have a fuller discussion from his perspective since it is an
IT issue. So I would ask if you would be okay with having that discussion next week.
Councilmember Yukimura: Sure.
Ms. Nakamura: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions? Councilmember Kagawa.
Councilmember Kagawa: I am trying not to be discriminatory, but I asked
the question about the competitive pay for responsibility and I know I talked about the
beautification or maintenance supervisor making $60,000 or so and supervising
seventy-one (71) employees, and then if I look at the Construction Maintenance Supervisor,
now we are merging the janitorial responsibilities, as well as all of the county facilities and
we are paying them $65,682 with forty-seven (47) people under him. This is not mowing
the lawn or lining a field; this is fixing scoreboards and repairing buildings that... just
major construction like electrical, plumbing, as well as many maintenance and janitorial
workers. Is that fair pay to be relying on one (1) person to make significant improvements
over the current system without having the two (2) executive management supervisors that
used to be working with him in buildings?
Mr. Rapozo: If you are asking my opinion, I think it is. One of
the things we did look at was to try and provide him as much financial compensation as we
could and based on the current resume that he possesses, that is the most that we could
provide for him. He will be the only F-211 in the State of Hawaii; nobody else had even
gotten to that. Unfortunately, that does not mean that with him staying within the job that
that number cannot be reallocated as he gets more experience within the position itself. It
was the same with the previous Parks Maintenance Chief that you had spoken about. He
has been in there almost about one (1) year now and in about six (6) more months, we will
be able to relook at him and probably reallocate him based upon what he is doing.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you. I am just going back to the Parks
Maintenance one. From taking care of the west side to taking care of island-wide, he
received a whopping $3,000 raise. That is what I was saying; with all the added
responsibilities...we have EMs all over the place in this County budget. I lose track of how
much EM positions we have. Yet, we have these important areas that are in dire need...it
has to be done or else public complaints are up the "ying-yang" and they have measly pay.
If it is the way it is, it is the way it is. I am just saying that for me it is troubling.
Mr. Rapozo: I would like to add that he also took on that
tree-trimming crew, which is a new thing and he took on the Irrigation Repair Specialist. I
give him the kudos. Like I said, the one thing in government is you come in because that is
what you qualify for, but if you stay in a position, there is no reason why we cannot relook,
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revisit, and reallocate you. That is what is going to be happening with him as he takes on
more responsibilities.
Councilmember Kagawa: Thank you. Basically, you are saying, "Prove it;
prove your worth, and we will try to do what we can."
Mr. Rapozo: Like I mentioned earlier, sometimes in
government you have to drown a little bit until you can bring your nose above the water to
breathe.
Councilmember Kagawa: Very good. Thank you.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
(Councilmember Kagawa was noted as excused.)
Councilmember Kuali`i: I see that the R&M equipment line item has
$370,000 and the two (2) biggest pieces to that are both air conditioning maintenance
contracts. Where would vehicles be? Would this be vehicles now for both...where are the
vehicles, period? I see a couple of leases someplace. Under lease on the next page, there is
fourth or fifth year lease and fourth to fifth year lease, $17,000 and $21,000. So those are
both vehicles?
Mr. Rapozo: Councilmember Kuali`i, if you look through all of
our budgets, including Parks, you are not going to find any kind of vehicle maintenance line
items. That is handled with the repair shop out in Pua Loke.
Councilmember Kuali`i: I do not even mean the maintenance; I mean just
the existence of the vehicles.
Mr. Rapozo: When we replace the vehicles on the lease
program, that ends up in the various departments as to how they are paying for the
vehicles.
Councilmember Kuali`i: But these two (2) leased vehicles, it says on page
235, fourth or fifth year lease, $17,000, fourth or fifth year lease $21,000. So can you tell
me what those two (2) vehicles are and who they are used by?
Mr. Rapozo: They have not come over to Parks yet, so I would
not be able to tell you, but I would be able to tell you whatever those vehicles represent
there...this is the fourth year of a five (5) year leave...
Councilmember Kuali`i: Yes, because you already have your janitor. This
would be...
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Mr. Rapozo: This is the fourth year of a five (5) year lease
that they are paying, so next year they make one (1) more payment, and then that vehicle
becomes ours free and clear.
Mr. Tabata: I can clarify. Those are our maintenance worker
vehicles.
Mr. Rapozo: I think he wanted to know what kind of vehicles
it was...
Councilmember Kuali`i: No, that is fine.
Mr. Tabata: It is a utility truck that the maintenance workers
use. They can put their tools and the materials for the work that they do in the field.
Councilmember Kuali`i: So both of those vehicles are from the Buildings
side?
Mr. Rapozo: Correct.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Are there any vehicles from the janitorial side?
Mr. Tabata: I believe two (2) years ago, we purchased a new
vehicle for the janitorial supervisor with a lift gate on it to be more practical for their use.
Councilmember Kuali`i: It was purchased, so it is not going to show up
as...
Mr. Tabata: I believe it is a lease. It should be in there.
Councilmember Kuali`i: It is also coming over then, right?
Mr. Tabata: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: I do not see it in here. Are one of those two (2)
that fourth of the fifth year lease?
Mr. Tabata: We had to purchase a brand new
maintenance/repair worker truck because it was damaged. It was broken into and stolen
from the baseyard and it ended up getting set on fire. So we lost that and with the
insurance money, we were able to replace it and for the janitorial, like I said, we bought a
new pickup truck with a lift gate to help them because they are moving equipment around
for the various facilities maintenance, like the carpet cleaners and high pressure washers
and so forth.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions from The members? I
have a question. It is kind of just taking a step back and I guess my question is, is there a
rush to do this transition? What is the reasoning? Probably because it is sooner, but to do
it during the budget right now, compared to us having had the conversation during the
year, coming up to the budget and committee meetings and giving everybody time to kind of
digest it and get a little more comfortable.
Mr. Rapozo: From a timing standpoint, we thought this was
the time to do it during the budget process since all of these positions and their
dollar-for-dollar budget items would have to come over to Parks. So that is why we did it at
this time. You folks have the prerogative to continue the discussions if that is what you
want to do.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Well, it does kind of give us a timeline because
we either have to approve it or not approve it at budget, which is pretty tight to get
comfortable. That is why you get a lot of questions because we are not that comfortable
with it. We are trying to get our answers answered, but yet, we know we have this timeline
that, "Hey, fish or cut bait." We are going to have to make a decision on whether the
Council as a whole thinks this is a good idea or a bad idea. I do not know. It could go either
way. You start it early...I guess you would know that we were not happy in the beginning
or we are very happy and you do it...I do not know...I cannot tell the future on what would
be the best directive. I know probably getting a lot of questions because we are still trying
to get comfortable with it and our back is kind of against the wall with the budget.
Mr. Rapozo: Councilmember Kaneshiro, you are right.
Sometimes I like deadlines because you have to try and meet it, and if not, there are
reasons that you go beyond it. But it is a big change to how we are doing business. I have
always approached my life in government to try and think out of the box and to try to make
changes hopefully for the better of the whole organization and the people that we serve. I
can understand the apprehension and wanting to make the decision, and hopefully we are
making the right decision. I think we are....seven (7) bodies...we are all not going to be...if
not...if we all agreed too easily, I would have been out of here at 9:30 a.m. instead of we still
doing this at 3:15 p.m. I think it is a process that we need to vet out. I think it is a good
dialogue back and forth. Hopefully we will see it both ways. If we move forward and we
are both not happy, then I think it was a fair decision and not everybody is happy. I always
believe that. Everybody got something that they wanted. Overall, I think the intention of
the move is to try and make County government better.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Any further questions from the Members? We
had enough of it? I understand what you guys are trying to do regarding the efficiencies. I
think questions came up on is that the correct department for it to be in? Should it all be in
Buildings or all be in Parks? Of course, you went through that analysis to decide what the
best route was.
Mr. Rapozo: I think the other one that we have not touched
upon for us...I think we met when we discussed this thing...hopefully this allows the
Department of Public Works to take other resources and energies and focus on other things
that are really big CIP projects. We have a landfill project. We have the upgrades of the
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wastewater treatment. Of course, there is our backlog of roads. Maybe what we are
relieving in terms of them having to worry this that we can take it on would allow whatever
personnel there...they can direct...we talked about those other high level guys that can
maybe go and help with those big projects. I think that is one of the major intents of trying
to move this thing over to help with that situation.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: From our point, we are looking at it...we can see
salaries-wise that the transition might cost a little more because you have different heads
that maybe do not have the people in their department anymore. These new heads have.
Again, yes, clarification on this transition should make things...although department heads
are people, supervisors are getting paid more, it is going to streamline the efficiency of the
County and we will be able do more. CIP jobs will be able to do things faster. That is the
part where we just have to see also. Is it really going to streamline and make it more
efficient? Will we be able to do more CIP projects and kind of catch up?
Mr. Rapozo: I think it would be fun if we did.
Councilmember Yukimura: I have a question.
Mr. Rapozo: You folks talked about the "crystal ball" on that
side. If we had that "crystal ball' to say, "Oh, Councilmember Yukimura was right.
Councilmember Kaneshiro was right. Lenny was right." We do not. We make the decision
and we go from there. I think we have discussed some of the decisions that we made that
have impacted the community. It has helped us budget-wise, but it also affected customer
service. We had the discussion earlier. That is why it is good to have this back and forth
conversation. We get a little heated at times, but I think at the end of the day, if we can
walk out smiling at each other then I think we both did our jobs.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Yukimura.
Councilmember Yukimura: I would like to know and I presume you have
researched how the three (3) other counties in the State handle their facilities?
Mr. Rapozo: The other counties have their own public works
trades within parks and recreation.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am sorry, can you try that again?
Mr. Rapozo: Okay. So Maui County has plumbers and
electricians.
Councilmember Yukimura: Oh, so they have their own teams in each of the
departments.
Mr. Rapozo: Yes. I do not think we are a county that is that
large.
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Councilmember Yukimura: The way I would see it is that Buildings would
take care of Parks and you would do that wonderful cross-department cooperation that you
talk about. I do not believe that we should have two (2) different teams.
Mr. Rapozo: I agree.
Mr. Tabata: I can answer what the City and County has done,
and like Lenny said, they are huge, but they have a Department of Facilities Maintenance
and they take care of all of the facilities for the entire city. They also do all of the roads
maintenance at the same time, so they merged all total "maintenance" into one (1)
department.
Councilmember Yukimura: Right. It is really hard to compare with them
because they have one million (1,000,000) residents and we have seventy-five thousand
(75,000) or whatever it is now.
Mr. Tabata: Maui is different because Maui has taken
Environmental Services out of Public Works. So Solid Waste and Wastewater is one (1)
department. Public works is facilities, roads, and engineering;just three (3).
Councilmember Yukimura: But their facilities are countywide.
Mr. Tabata: Yes. So they take care of everything.
Councilmember Yukimura: In Maui? To me, that makes more sense than to
have a line department take care of all of the facilities. I would like to see a body that has a
mission to take care of all of the facilities and to professionalize it, streamline it, and do
it...but serve everybody. You have your internal customers.
Mr. Tabata: That is why we are moving the entire
maintenance division to parks.
Councilmember Yukimura: Yes, you are putting it in a line department,
which has another mission.
Mr. Tabata: Yes, but I believe we are too small for that. I do
not think we can fund it. With all of the budget cuts and so forth in all that we are being
asked to do...it is a whole new creation of top level management all the way down.
Councilmember Yukimura: I am not talking about a separate department; I
am talking about a division in the Department of Public Works. The Department of Public
Works is public works. It is buildings and infrastructure.
Mr. Tabata: Okay.
Councilmember Yukimura: Thank you.
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Committee Chair Kaneshiro: If there are no further questions, thank you
again for the long day.
Mr. Rapozo: Thank you. It has been fun. Happy April Fools'
Day.
Committee Chair Kaneshiro: At this time, I would like to recess the
Departmental Budget Reviews. We will reconvene at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, April 4th, where
we will hear from the Kaua`i Fire Department and the Kaua`i Police Department.
There being no objections, the Committee recessed at 3:20 p.m.