NORTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ADVISORY GROUP
DATE: Monday, August 4th, 2025, 4:30 pm
PLACE: Kohala Senior Center (behind the statue)
AGENDA
CALL TO ORDER – Please put all cell phones on silent mode.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLIC COMMENTs ON AGENDA ITEMS: Members of the public are welcome and ARE invited to speak to any items on the agenda. Public comments and input are welcome at designated periods at the beginning and end of each meeting. People may, however, speak during AG discussions, if the situation warrants. Please raise a hand to be recognized. Comments should be limited to three (3) minutes in length per agenda item, subject to the discretion of the chair. Recommendations for agenda additions for the next meeting should be made during the input session at the meeting end.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Affordable Housing
HICDC (Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation) Self-Help allows for 40-year mortgages, meaning lower payments than bank-financed mortgages. Amendments still need to be made with the Planning Department in order for them to apply for grants. Applications are not yet available. However, our group is preparing to help people gather the necessary materials for their applications.
CDP objective, Keep Existing Housing Stock Local: when distressed homeowners are unable to maintain their houses, it can lead to reverse mortgages or foreclosures, and loss of local ownership. Homes must be restored or fixed up before they can be insured. This group’s Vacant Home Inventory is intended to refer empty homes in disrepair to the KCLT. Kohala Community Land Trust (KCLT) is able to raise money to purchase and/or improve houses. Since the land in Kohala is valued higher than many buildings, the Trust can hold title to the land, while allowing the transfer of titles to people from Kohala to own just the house, therefore making homes more affordable. Technically, the median income in Kohala is defined based on the median income of the whole County, and for this reason does not necessarily reflect affordability for people from our district. KCLT decided not to apply for the (NARIT) or Request for Proposals (RFP) by Hawaii County this year, as they are a newly established entity and were not yet prepared with agreements from homeowners.
Agricultural Lots and Housing- no new updates on this month.
The next meeting will be August 13th, 9 am at Pomaika’I Café.
Agriculture
North Kohala Citrus Festival. Inspired by the large amount of citrus fruit that goes unused in the community and a story about the first citrus fruit being brought to the Kohala region. The purpose is to celebrate citrus, support local farmers, and provide educational opportunities for the community.
Timeline: The group decided to postpone the festival until January 2027 to allow for a full year of planning, ensuring it is well-organized and has a lasting impact. January is the peak orange season. A small committee has already been formed, but the organizers are seeking more community involvement to share the workload. Those wishing to join the committee are asked to please email: pueopowerfoods@gmail.com The organizers are confident they can secure funding through community donations and grants, with a goal of raising $30,000. A portion to be used to create small grants for local farmers. Ideas for the festival include showcasing recipes for citrus, creating a “blessed fest” atmosphere, and having an “Orange Blossom Lounge” with spa treatments and showcasing products made from citrus.
Just One Organics: In attendance was the founder, David Rose, who used to work for Taro Dreams. His company uses a special low-temperature dehydration process that quickly dries pureed food, preserving its flavor and nutrients using less energy than traditional methods. He wants to bring this technology to Kohala by building a large facility to buy surplus and “imperfect” produce from local farmers at fair prices. This would provide farmers with a reliable market for their crops and reduce food waste. David’s goal is to reinvest any profits back into the community, such as by offering low-interest loans to farmers. He hopes to secure funding and launch the project within a year, ultimately supporting local agriculture and strengthening food security in the region. More info available on www.justoneorganics.com
Next meeting, August 28th, 5–6:30 pm, Kohala Resource Center.
Community Access (see maps on last page for locations)
Did not meet in July.
Next meeting August 6th, 4:40 pm Senior Center.
Growth Management
Pololu Lookout DLNR plan + valley rim subdivision.
Townscape Planning got OK with their plan.
State has appropriated money for project.
EA is done.
Owner of the old mule station has donated land to use land for parking, cultural appreciation and comfort station.
Pololu Subdivision plan from Surety has preliminary approval.
Must meet certain conditions to get full approval.
Asked for a variance in the road from 20′ to 12′.
This committee wrote to Director of Planning for more time to respond to that request. Was granted more time.
CDP Cultural Group says no archaeological assessment was made so far
Access to ditch, trail system, blocking access with locked gate?
See article in June Kohala Mountain News for a full explanation.
Kohala Shoreline entry of OHA into the picture.
Public access report triggered a site visit, which could not find some historical sites because of damage from bulldozers during a fire. Original survey found 40 sites, only & preserved. Access group found trial blocked by downed trees. Public access has not been properly addressed.
Laulima Survey workshop: By invitation only, primarily for local reaction to vacation rentals. Put on by the Hawaii County Research & Development office. Contact that office.
General Plan goes to County Council hearings: County council will be holding public meetings starting July 29th. Discussion in our group about aspects of the county plan that are controversial.
Next meeting is August 13th, 5pm, Senior Center.
Health and Wellness/WRK
Guest speaker Brian Alejandro RN, Kohala hospital. Brian is the newly created Community Outreach and Wellness representative. Much of his mission is to educate the community and referring hospitals about the services offered at Kohala hospital.
Kohala and Kona community hospital have been rebranded as West Hawaii regional giving more cohesion of care between facilities. Kohala hospital has undergone significant improvements and a CT scanner is scheduled for future implementation.
Community health and wellness events:
Grief Share support group offered by Overflow church in Hawi.
Community work-day to support local food security and community resilience.
Social services Navigator available to support individuals in North Kohala to connect with social services. Kohala Resilience Hub
Next meeting August 15th, 4pm. NKCRC.
Kohala Culture & History Advisory Group (KCHAG).
No report yet.
Next August 15th,10 am Walker Hall.
Parks, Roads, Erosion Control and View-planes (PREV)
Did not meet in July
Next meeting is August 20th at the Senior Center.
Utilities
Civil Beat article describing new law that permits small power-sharing grids. Starting in 2027, HECO will be required to let independent electricity producers use its grid to deliver electricity directly to customers for a fee. Today, developers build big wind and solar farms and sell the power to HECO, which pays as little as 8 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity from them and sells at much higher prices. Law enables customers to pay closer to what the renewable electricity costs HECO to buy and to encourage smaller players to get in the game. The wheeling provision does this by letting independent electricity producers pay a set fee to use HECO’s grid to deliver power to customers. https://www.civilbeat.org/?p=1720086
Electric redundancy and the battery project. The group continued its discussion. Battery location still set to be at the Hawi substation. Wind farm cannot recharge it there during an outage.
Pepe’ekeo Biofuel plant. Hū Honua Bioenergy and HELCO have resumed talks to revive the 30 Mw plant. Previous power agreement was terminated due to missed construction deadlines and the PUC denied the proposal in 2022 citing cost concerns and failure to address greenhouse gas emissions. Biomass energy is officially classified as renewable under Hawaiʻi law, but the facility could produce over 8 million metric tons of greenhouse gases over the course of a multi-decade contract. Environmental watchdog Life of the Land, whose challenge led to the project’s prior rejection, is closely watching the latest developments.
60 Mw Hamakua plant sold to a subsidiary of Harbert Management Corp.
Next meeting is August 20th at the Senior Center.
NEW BUSINESS:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- The 2025 Hawaii Farmers Union United (HFUU) annual convention is scheduled for October 24-26, 2025, in Kailua-Kona. Hosted by Kamehameha Schools, it will be held at Kahalu’u Ma Kai. A gathering for small family farmers, ranchers, and food enthusiasts from across the state.
- Little Fire Ant Talk Story: Sustainable Kohala is sponsoring a Little Fire Ant Talk Story Session around mid-August, still waiting to confirm the venue
REPORT FROM OUR COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE.
PUBLIC INPUT AND AGENDA SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
The Next Advisory Group Meeting will be Held on MONDAY September 1st, 4:30pm, Senior Center.
Adjournment
NOTICE: The purpose of the public hearings is to afford all interested persons a reasonable opportunity to be heard on the above items. They may also bring up another item for consideration by the AG. A person wishing to submit written testimony may email winterj@whitman.edu.
John Winter, Chair NORTH KOHALA CDP ADVISORY GROUP
