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Kula Community Association |
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Board Meeting Minutes Call to Order 4 Dec 97 The meeting was called to order by President Alan
Kaufman at 5:30 PM in the Kula Elementary School Library. Secretary’s Report The minutes of the 6 November meeting were approved as submitted on a motion by Gerri Hestand, seconded by Karolyn Mossman. Communications State Department of Transportation: A letter to Kazu Hayashida sharing KCA survey results on the Kihei-Upcountry Highway and inviting him to the February General Meeting and a response from Hayashida stating that the community’s opposition to sites U-2 and U-3 will be considered. Alan Arakawa: Acknowledging the KCA’s concerns regarding the Kihei-Upcountry Highway through Kulamalu to Five Trees and noting that the Corporation Counsel is researching the extent of the county’s authority in determining the highway location. Avery Chumbley: Expressing appreciation for KCA information on meetings and positions, especially 24 hour ALS. Linda Lingle: A letter acknowledging receipt of KCA’s thank you letter for the tennis courts and stating that the other tennis court issues addressed in the letter were forwarded to appropriate staff. Barbara Fernandez: A telephone call regarding problems with tennis court lighting. (See below, Committee Reports - Parks) Media: Notices to the Maui News, Haleakala Times, and Honolulu Advertiser announcing the 4 December Board Meeting. Committee Reports Technology: Mitch Silver reported on the recent revisions to the KCA web page and plans to add a map of the Kula/KCA area. John McDonald offered the map he has now and Alan Arakawa noted that the GIS map will be available soon. Membership: Gerri Hestand announced that there are 472 members. Steve Sutrov suggested that a newsletter/survey be finalized at the January meeting so that distribution, response, and results could be completed before the February General Meeting and in time to generate annual renewals and new memberships. Land Use: (See below, Unfinished Business - Kulamalu). Parks: Steve Sutrov reported that tennis courts lights were malfunctioning and shining into nearby residences. He introduced Barbara Fernandez who explained the problem and the actions taken by county workers to fix the timers and the reflectors/shades. Alan Arakawa noted that he has requested that a backboard be constructed for the tennis courts and a separate skateboard facility be built for Kula youth to keep them off the courts. Unfinished Business T-shirts: Alan Kaufman reported that David Morihara and Curt Cost have offered to sell the T-shirts at their establishments. Henceforth, the KCA will not sell them directly except on special occasions such as General Meetings or Harvest Festival. To replenish supplies, the purchase of four dozen more large and extra large shirts was approved unanimously on a motion by Karolyn Mossman, seconded by John Wilson. Kulamalu: Dick Mayer reported that the bill for approval of the Kulamalu project is scheduled for its final reading on 9 December. He distributed maps showing the previous and present proposals for alignment and width of the main road through the development and a draft memo to the County Council opposing the new roadway which would allow it to serve as a connector for the Kihei-Upcountry Highway. The proposal would create a busier commercial area than originally planned and worse traffic problems that previously anticipated and be in conflict with the Upcountry Plan which supported the country town concept and either no highway or the Haliimaile terminus. There was lengthy discussion, including such points as: - The corporation counsel’s opinion that the county can only make recommendations to federal and state officials on the highway location. - The fact that the highway location process is on-going and is not a "done deal" and that an environmental assessment and subsequent public hearings will be held. - The advantages of putting a highway through a new rather than an existing development and the pros and cons of it being in Kulamalu. - The inevitable need for a Kihei-Upcountry Highway and the futility of the "head in the sand", no-build approach. - The appearance of preferential treatment and fast-track approval for the project, and a significant roadway change late in the process with limited opportunity for public review. The original motion to send the memo with the changes discussed was tabled then withdrawn. The memo was revised pursuant to the discussion, and on a motion by Dick Mayer, seconded by Steve Sutrov, it was approved unanimously (with John Wilson abstaining) for forwarding to the County Council. copy at http://kulamaui.com 24 hour ALS: Avery Chumbley reported that the state Department of Health cannot justify providing 24 hour service to Kula when there are parts of the state without any service. Therefore, even with the support of the legislative health committees, the money committees likely would not allocate funds for Kula. Continued lobbying by Kula residents was suggested to maintain current service levels and to work towards increased and full funding. Copies of the bill were distributed and comments should be forwarded to Alan Kaufman. Emergency Medical Helicopter Service: Avery Chumbley announced that Governor Cayetano and the military are finalizing arrangements for relocation of the medical evacuation training program from Alaska to Hawaii, with personnel and equipment to be based on Maui. New Business Agricultural Zoning: Alan Arakawa introduced the topic, emphasizing the importance of residents and landowners being informed and involved and highlighting several significant features of the proposed ordinance. He then presented John Summers of the Planning Department who distributed copies of a fact sheet, the draft ordinance, and suggested amendments and explained the need for the ordinance to promote agriculture, protect open space, and promote good planning. Kalani English noted that the current interim zoning situation has allowed extensive loss of open, agricultural lands to subdivision and stressed that this ordinance is long overdue. There were questions and discussion on gentlemen farmers’ estates, special uses (e.g. bow hunters’ ranges), impacts on farm operations adjacent to residential areas, and other concerns. Additional questions may be addressed by calling John Summers. Comments and suggestions should be sent to Alan Kaufman for compilation, electronic posting to KCA members, and forwarding to the County Council prior to the next meeting of its Planning Committee in early January. Announcements Next Board Meeting: 8 January 1998, Kula Elementary School, 5:30 p.m. Next General Meeting: 18 February 1998, Kula Community Center, 7:00 p.m. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m. |
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