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Kula Community Association |
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General Meeting Minutes 18 May, 2000 Open
House The open house commenced at 6:30 p.m.
with 16 people. Civil
Defense set up a table with a videotape showing
Hawaii in hurricane storms and providing handouts with information on disasters and hurricane preparedness
were available. Emergency
Medical Services had an ambulance available for
viewing. A question and answer
session was followed by a demonstration by EMT Leina'ala Kawaia'a.
James Kimmel, paramedic, and Kurt Morimoto, paramedic and operations
manager were also available for questions. Maui
Fire Department Fire Prevention Bureau was
represented by Mike DeCosta (who is in charge of training firefighters) and
Capt. Neal Bal (who is head of Fire Prevention Bureau), who were available for
questions. Call
to Order The meeting was called to order by
President Elliott Krash at 7:00 p.m. in the Kula Community Center.
Attendees At 7:00 p.m. 47 people were present,
which grew to 56 by 7:30. Treasurer's
report On February 24, 2000 the KCA balance
was $2,538.20 (Income was $230.87,
including $165 from dues, $48 from T-shirt sales, $9.82 in donations, and $8.05
in interest. Expenses were $1,114.24, including $348.82 for newsletter postage,
$364.58 for newsletter printing, $85.45 administrative costs, $250 for the
Hawaii State Association of Counties conference registration fees for two
attendees, $54.14 general meeting expenses, and $11.25 for miscellaneous costs).
The May 18, 2000 balance is $1,654.83. With a motion by Alan Kaufman and a second by Steve Sutrov,
the group accepted and approved the report subject to audit as submitted by John
Wilson reporting for absent Treasurer John McDonald. Secretary's
Report The secretary's report as submitted by
Verna Nahulu and typed by Gina Flammer was posted on the web and distributed at
the meeting. On a motion by John
Wilson with a second from Alan Kaufman, the group approved the February 24, 2000
General Meeting Minutes. Announcements Americorps:
Jim Crowe gave a brief overview of Americorps, a
domestic Peace Corps, with Maui-based projects run from the Maui Economic
Opportunity (MEO) offices. This
group is seeking to reach young people, 18-26 years old, interested in projects
such as the reforestation above Ulupalakua.
Participants receive a living allowance and scholarships up to $4,000 for
college. KCA
business: There are Board vacancies for anyone
interested in serving. Membership dues are payable at today's meeting or by
mail. KCA t-shirts are available at Morihara'a Store and the Cutis Cost Gallery.
The next Board Meeting is June 1, 2000.
The next General Meetings are 8/24 - Primary Election Forum; 10/19 -
General Election Forum; and 11/16 KCA Elections. Kula
Elementary School Survey:
Principal Rene Yamafuji and PTA President Mitchell Silver invited
audience members to complete and submit the school assesment survey form which
was available at the meeting. Program:
What Can We Do to Keep Kula Safe? Fire
Prevention Capt.
Neal Bal, Maui Fire Dept.: Fire prevention during drought.
The community is asked to take care of overgrown lots (especially vacant)
with over 18" of growth. Half-acre
lots are required to have a 100-foot fire break.
Question from Elliott Krash: "Whose
obligation is it to check fire hydrants?"
Reply: The water supply
Dept. Question from Steve
Sutrov: "Who gets letters about overgrown vacant lots?' Reply: Tax Key
map names owners and Fire Dept. informs them. Capt.
Mike Costa, Maui Fire Dept.: Important to have smoke
detectors in house and to maintain them with new batteries, to read appliance
instruction manuals, to have microwave ovens on their own circuit, only put
three Christmas light strands on one circuit, and to plant trees at least 50
feet from house and use plantings that do not need water.
Phone contacts: 243-7566 MFD Prevention Bureau, Capt. Bal; 270-7565 MFD
Training, Capt. Costa. Ambulance
Service Donna
Maiava, Emergency Medical Services: Introduction
of staff: Kurt Morimoto, Paramedic and Operations Manager; Steve Brody,
Paramedic; Kapena Hill, Paramedic; James Kimmel; Leina'ala Kawaia'a; and Harry
Vant Groenewout. There are three
other communities in the state without locally-based, 24-hour emergency service.
Funding for 24-hour service Upcountry has not been acquired for six years,
possibly due to low volume of calls Upcountry as compared to other areas in the
state. On the Big Island, there is
coordination between Emergency Services and the Volcanos National Park Service
to provide 24-hour coverage and the suggestion was made that such an approach
might be feasible for Upcountry Maui and Haleakala National Park.
State standards of response:
10 minutes to high emergencies
15 minutes to suburban areas
20 minutes to rural areas Number of calls Upcountry within a
24-hour period:
3p.m. to 11 p.m. shift has most calls
11 p.m. to 7 p.m. responses are fewer
After 6 p.m. 9 calls are about average When the Kula ambulance is not in
service, the nearest available ambulance responds.
Average response time from the Makawao Fire Department to Kula is 17
minutes. Kula
Hospital Services Alan
Lee, Kula Hospital: This week is Hospital and
Nursing Home Week. Recent and
anticipated changes at Kula Hospital were reviewed. There is a little known
Nurse Training Unit. The medical services clinic soon will be open five days a
week. The lab has been moved to the clinic. There is a new x-ray unit and x-ray
room. Federal program support for a Rural Health Program will be in effect next
year. Two beds for acute care will
be increased to six beds in six months time and to ten in a year or two.
They are negotiating a lease for an Children's Autistic Program for 8-10
year olds. Major trauma cases are still handled at Maui Memorial.
In a few years Kula Hospital hopes to provide emergency services.
The hospital has two water tanks: 450,000 gallons for one-week's
consumption and 380,000 gallon capacity for an additional week if needed. Hurricane
Preparedness Kyle
Watanabe, Civil Defense: It is Hurricane preparedness
Week. Though Maui has not been
devastated by a hurricane in the past, hurricane Dora in August of 1999 did just
miss the island by 300 miles. Hurricane
season is June to November and hurricane activity has increased in the South
Pacific. The state has computers
and monitoring stations, but hurricane prediction is very difficult.
It is important for all residents to read the Preparedness Plan. Bill
Shanney, American Red Cross: All workers who inform the
community on preparedness are volunteers. There
are 32 shelters in Maui, including three in Kula.
Allowing 10 square feet per person, the shelters can accommodate up to
30,000 people, or approximately 30% of the population. Disaster welfare assists
people starting 48 hours after a disaster hits; damage is evaluated within 24
hours, estimates are made, and help is provided. The Red Cross works with other providers like the Salvation
Army and Churches to help people who are trying to care for themselves.
After 72 hours of shutdowns in power, water, and telephones, FEMA
(Federal Emergency Management Agency) moves in to find places for people to stay
and vehicles to transport people. Preparedness
measures include: having a family
plan for uniting members and protecting valuables; providing for pets since they
are not allowed in shelters; evacuation kits should be prepared ahead of time
(see booklet for how to make one); weather-proofing house with �" plywood
over windows and skylights is advisable; and for emergency water fill bathtubs,
washing machines and empty containers. If
you are interested in providing shelter please call the Civil Defense and Red
Cross for information on standards. The
Red Cross will provide training at your location for 8-10 people.
The training includes: introduction to disaster services, shelter
operations, shelter simulation, caring for large numbers of people (meal
serving, outreach services, and working with local food banks), and emergency
assistance for families (how to run a service center, low cost loans for repair
and major loss). Kula
Highway Traffic Officer
Ernest Soares, Kula Community Police Officer, Maui Police Department:
Upcountry officers and the Department received numerous complaints about illegal
U-turns in the vicinity of King Kekaulike High School entrances to Kulamalu and
Kula 200), where students are trying to get to school quickly without waiting in
the long lines from the Pukalani direction.
Traffic is usually backed-up to the Five-trees area.
There has been no resolution of the problem at this time.
Officer Soares's phone number is 876-0871, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. His
area is Kula 200 to Kaupo. King
Kekaulike High School is technically in Pukalani and Mark Ka'a will be the
police officer working with the High School community.
Bob
Siarot, Highways Division: The Highways division does not
see a need for a traffic signal at the school at this time. Problems mentioned
were inexperienced and impatient drivers, speed, the volume of commuter traffic
heading down the mountain, and the numbers of cars trying to enter the school at
the main entrance. Alternatives discussed included a traffic signal during
school rush hours only; reduced speeding; routing some of the school traffic to
the entrrance on highway 377; and an extended left turn lane at the main
entrance. Other issues discussed briefly
were the need for a traffic
assessment at Kula Lodge; left turn problems at Omaopio and Kula Highway; the
unshielded lights at the Kulamalu project; the traffic signal planned for the
Kulamalu entrance when the traffic flow increases as determined by a traffic
study; and availability of funding for addressing traffic problems.
Everett
Dowling, Kulamalu Project, was also available to respond
to the questions related specifically to traffic at the Kulamalu entrance. Reported
Offenses in Kula Greer
Prince, Research Analyst, Maui Police Department and Officer Soares: Charts
were presented that summarized Kula's data.
Last year, 473 reports and 546 this year already. Approximately 50% of
the incidents are, not serious, non-criminal.
Most incidents occur on Fridays and Tuesdays, with the least on Mondays.
By the hour, offenses peak during the middle of the day. Theft, burglary,
criminal property damage, and abuse incidents have increased this year, while
all others appear to have stayed the same.
Adjournment John Wilson moved to adjourn with a
second from Steve Sutrov. President
Elliott Krash adjourned the meeting at 9:12 p.m.
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