Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 11, 1 November 2011 — Trustees meet with Hawaiʻi community [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Trustees meet with Hawaiʻi community

By Karin Stanton Adozen people testified before the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees at its annual Big Island community meeting, with approximately half expressing concerns about the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea. The Oct. 19 meeting at the Kanu O Ka 'Āina Hālau Ho'olako campus in Waimea drew about 50 people, many of whom thanked the Trustees for their continued support on issues that affect the Big Island. Before listening to the presentations and testimony, the Trustees took a moment to address the audience. Trustee Rowena Akana said she enjoys Big Island meetings because people know the issues, while Trustee Boyd Mossman said he was honored to share his last community meeting with the people who will become his neighbors. Mossman has since stepped down as Trustee to serve as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kona īemple, where, he said, "I will talk to the living and listen to the dead." Chairperson Colette Machado

said she was especially thrilled to hold the meeting at the campus of Kanu O Ka 'Āina, a Hawaiianfocused charter school that the Trustees toured last year during the construction phase. The Trustees then heard updates from various projects across the Big Island. Alycia Juvik, Hawai'i First Federal Credit Union Community Development Director, said this year's contribution from OHA has helped ehampion small businesses and create jobs. The Hawai'i First FCU resource center assists entrepreneurs with business and marketing plans, as well as matching their savings 4 to 1. Onee a business owner saves $1,000, the matching program bolsters that to $5,000, whieh ean be used to grow the business. "We're creating a lot of small businesses and a lot of jobs," Juvik said. "So we thank you for that." A second, larger resource eenter in Hilo is expected to open in November, Juvik said. The Trustees also were pleased to present a commendation to Eric Andersen, Chief of Interpretation at Kaloko-Honokōhau National SEE HAWAI'I MEETING ON PAGE 8

La'i 'Ōpua 2020 Executive Director Bo Kahui briefs the OHA Trustees on the masterplanned Hawaiian Home Lands community. - Photo: Mn Stanton

HAWAI'I MEETING Continued from page 4

Historical Park.

"They are doing all they ean to preserve Kaloko-Honokōhau," Hawai'i Island Trustee Robert Lindsey said. "That area needs to be kept the way it is because there is a good possibility that's where Kamehameha is buried." Andersen said he is proud to help preserve the cultural and historical significant resource. "I'd like to say thank you for the support from all of you," he said. "It's our mission. In that way, our hands and your hands are forever linked." The Trustees also heard an update from Bo Kahui, Executive Directorof La'i 'Ōpua 2020. The master-planned Hawaiian Home Lands community is slated to eventually include more than 4,000 affordable single-family homes and is closing in on eompletion of its technology center. Kahui said the center is expected to open by mid-November and is looking to hire a Director. The center has three goals: To increase high school graduation rates, to increase language fluency and to be a bridge for the entire community. Kahui thanked the Trustees for providing video-conferencing equipment to allow better access to meetings across the island and across the state. La'i 'Ōpua 2020 also is plowing ahead with several other projects, including a 200-acre regional park. The land already has been acquired and Hawai'i County Mayor Billy Kenoi has pledged $500,000 toward its design. "We're juggling quite a few balls but with baby steps we'll get there," Kahui said. "We are on the fringe of success and seek your continued support." Finally, a number of heneheiaries, including B . Pualani Case and E. Kalani Flores gave emotional and passionate presentations on the Thirty Meter Telescope - a $1 billion project proposed by a nonprofit partnership atop Mauna Kea. Flores said he has studied the

proposal carefully and believes he has spotted inaccuracies and misleading information in the report. Flores urged the Trustees to request that the state Board of Land

and Natural Resources, or BLNR, revoke the conservation district use permit and asked whether hnaneial support might be available for potential litigation over the summit site. "It's time to say enough, and

we ask you to stand with us," he said. The Trustees pledged to review Flores' information and consider a resolution urging the BLNR to revoke the permit. "We have to respond based on this presentation," Chairperson Colette Machado said. "We ean craft a strong resolution from this." After the meeting, Machado said she was impressed with Flores' presentation. "It was succinct, clear, thorough and provided lots of information," she said. "Because this is a Neighbor Island, this was the first opportunity to directly hear from him, and he did a lot of groundwork, whieh is very important. It's up to us to validate and verify his information now." ■ Karin Stanton, a former reporter/editor at West Hawai'i Today, worksfor the Associated Press and Hawai'i 24/7.

"They are doing all they ean to preserve Kaloko-Honokōhau. That area needs to be kept the way it is because there is a good possibility that's where Kamehameha is buried." — Robert Lindsey Hawai'i Island Trustee