Public Land Development Corporation Concluding Statewide Public Hearings on Proposed New Hawaii Administrative Rules

Public Land Development Corporation to Conclude Public Hearings on Proposed New Administrative Rules – Agency is subject to state and federal environmental, historic preservation laws.

The Public Land Development Corporation (PLDC) this week will conclude statewide public hearings to obtain community input on the adoption of new Hawai‘i Administrative Rules (HAR) affecting the PLDC and potentially small businesses.

Lloyd Haraguchi, executive director for the PLDC, stated: “Our vision is to improve and ensure that public land is maintained for the people of Hawai‘i; and to create public-private partnership that yield economic, environmental or social benefits and be culturally sensitive and appropriate for the communities they serve.”

Haraguchi noted that many people attending the hearings to-date have misconceptions about why the PLDC was established and how it observes environmental laws.

He explained: “The PLDC is not exempt from federal laws, state environmental impact laws, nor state historic preservation laws. The PLDC is committed to working with county zoning and permitting requirements to ensure that its projects conform to county guidelines. PLDC is committed to doing what is pono for the people and the state; always being sensitive to the environment and culture of Hawai‘i.”

One of the public concerns that has been raised was that the PLDC may waive its rules. However he said this provision ONLY applies to Chapter 301, Rules of Practice and Procedure, and is in place to enable the PLDC Board to have greater flexibility in accepting testimony from the public. It does not apply to Chapter 302, Public Land Development Program, nor Chapter 303, Project Facility Program.

Haraguchi said one frequent question that has been raised is whether OHA will receive any of the revenue from PLDC projects on ceded lands.

“The answer is yes. Lands under the PLDC are subject to the same requirements regarding payments to OHA as are other state lands.”

The PLDC was created by the state Legislature to help generate additional revenues for Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) by developing under-utilized or unused public land; this revenue-generating ability also exists within other state agency/department, such as the Department of Education or county governments.

Haraguchi said that community involvement and input is being sought on development proposals for any project to address the issues and concerns of the community in order to improve the communities that it serves.

Remaining public hearings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following times and locations:

MOLOKA‘I: Monday, August 27, at Mitchell Pau‘ole Community Center, 90 Ainoa St., Kaunakakai, HI 96748;

O‘AHU: Wednesday, August 29, at Department of Land and Natural Resources, Kalanimoku Building, Land Board Conference Room 132, 1151 Punchbowl St., Honolulu, HI 96813; and

KAUA‘I: Friday, August 31, at Elsie H. Wilcox Elementary School, 4319 Hardy St., Lihu‘e, HI 96766.

Hearings have already been held in Hilo, Kona, and on Maui. A news release to announce the schedule of hearings was first issued on August 9, 2012.

All interested persons are urged to attend the public hearing in their area to present relevant information and individual opinion for PLDC to consider. Persons unable to attend or wishing to present additional comments may e-mail comments to randal.y.ikeda@hawaii.gov or postmark written testimony by Friday, September 14, 2012, to: PLDC, P.O. Box 2359, Honolulu, HI 96804.

More information on the PLDC is available at www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/pldc.
Copies of the proposed rules change are available online at http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/pldc/rules.

Copies for public review are available Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at No. 1 Capitol District, 250 S. Hotel St., Room 501, Honolulu, HI 96813. The public may make written request for a mailed copy by indicating mailing address in correspondence sent to the PLDC address in the preceding paragraph.

Any person requiring a special accommodation (i.e. large print materials, sign language interpreters) should make a request in writing to the PLDC address in the preceding paragraph or by calling 587-0393 (V/T). The request will need to be received at least seven days before the hearing date.

BACKGROUND – WHAT THE PROPOSED RULES WILL DO:
The proposed adoption of a new Chapter 13-301, HAR, Practice and Procedure establishes operating procedures for the PLDC. It contains general provisions relating to the office location and hours, board meetings, and delegation of authority to the Executive Director; and sets forth procedures for proceedings before the board, contested case hearings, declaratory rulings, and petitions for amendment, adoption, or repeal of administrative rules.

Proposed adoption of a new Chapter13-302, HAR, Public Land Development Program sets forth a procedure for the PLDC to initiate, by itself or with qualified persons, or enter into cooperative agreements with qualified persons for the development or financing of projects that make optimal use of public land for the economic, environmental, and social benefit of the people of Hawai‘i.

Proposed adoption of a new Chapter 13-303, HAR, Project Facility Program establishes a procedure for undertaking and financing any project facility as part of a project. Project facilities include improvements, roads and streets, utility and service corridors, utility lines, water and irrigation systems, lighting systems, security systems, sanitary sewerage systems, and other community facilities where applicable.

ABOUT PLDC: The Public Land Development Corporation was formed after the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 1555, which was signed into law as Act 55 by Governor Neil Abercrombie. The corporation is governed by a five-member board of directors. Its executive director is Lloyd Haraguchi. Three state agencies are represented on the board either by its director or their designee. The agencies include the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; the Department of Budget and Finance; and the Department of Land and Natural Resources. One member is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and one member is appointed by the Senate President.

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Fisherman Identified in Honomu Accident – Coroner’s Inquest Begins

Big Island police have initiated a coroner’s inquest case in connection with the death of a fisherman over the weekend.

South Hilo patrol officers responded to a 3:09 p.m. report Saturday (August 25) and learned that 37-year-old Ian Tengan of Hilo had been fishing at the water’s edge in an area known as “23 Flats” in Honomu, when he disappeared. Police officers and Fire Department personnel located him face down in the surf.

He was taken to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:02 p.m.

Police have requested an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

A Black and White Jackson Chameleon

This Jackson Chameleon is either really old, really sick or its not really a Jackson!

Or maybe this Jackson likes to lighten his skin too… LOL!

Stop Flu at School Kicks Off Today

This fall, the state’s annual school-located vaccination program, Stop Flu at School, will again offer free flu vaccine to elementary and middle school children in 338 public, private and charter schools statewide.

The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) is collaborating with school administrators, health care providers, pediatric associations, health insurers, and federal partners to continue this effective program that successfully vaccinated more than 69,000 Hawai‘i students last year.

Information packets and vaccination consent forms are being distributed to parents through participating schools. To make the free vaccinations available to their children, parents or guardians should complete and sign the consent forms, and return them to schools by the deadline, Friday, September 7, 2012.  Vaccination clinics will begin in October and continue into  December.

“This program reduces barriers to immunization by eliminating costs to families and the need for parents to take time off from work for a trip to the doctor or clinic,” said Health Director Loretta Fuddy. “DOH vaccinated more than 69,000 students last year through the Stop Flu at School program, and we’re committed to reaching even more of our most vulnerable communities with this free, voluntary program.”

In an effort to reach more families, DOH will again have translations of the consent forms and vaccine information statements available on its website.

This year, we are offering parents the option of completing the consent form online,” said Ronald Balajadia, Immunization Branch Chief. “To access the online consent form, visit https://vaxonlinereg.doh.hawaii.gov. Consent forms completed online must be printed, signed and dated, then returned to school by the September 7th deadline.”

“Flu vaccinations are safe and our best form of protection against the flu,” said Dr. Sarah Y. Park, State Epidemiologist. “By vaccinating school children, we protect not only our keiki but their families and our communities as well.”

For more information about the Stop Flu at School program and translated consent forms, go to the DOH website at http://flu.hawaii.gov/SFAS.html, or call Aloha United Way’s information and referral service at 2-1-1 for assistance.

Brother and Sister Arrested in Connection With Waikoloa Burglaries

Big Island police arrested a Waikoloa man and a Waikoloa woman last week in connection with three burglaries in the Waikoloa area.

Sometime between August 11 and August 12, someone entered a house on Kehela Place and removed jewelry, clothing and electronic equipment.

On August 13, someone broke into a home on Pakanu Street and removed an electronic game device and several games.

On August 14, a Waikoloa couple reported that they saw a man leaving the driveway of their Lina-Poepoe Street home. The man claimed he had been in their back yard rescuing a dog from the swimming pool. When the victims went inside, they discovered that a screen had been removed and two laptops were missing.

Through investigative efforts, South Kohala police officers determined that the three cases were related.

Crystal Beban

On August 20, they arrested 29-year-old Crystal Beban on suspicion of burglary for the first incident and recovered $500 worth of jewelry and clothing. They arrested her brother, 32-year-old Jeffry Wayne McBride Beban Jr. on suspicion of two counts of criminal trespass and two count of burglary for the other two incidents.

Jeffry Wayne McBride Beban Jr.

Crystal Beban was released later that day pending further investigation.

Jeffry Beban Jr. was held at the Kona police cellblock until August 22. He was then released while officers continue to investigate, gather further information and collect additional evidence.

Police ask that anyone with information about break-ins in the area call Officer Joshua Dumont at 887-3082 or the police non-emergency number 935-3311.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

Hawaii Police Express Interest in Face Recognition Software

I am so against this for so many reasons!  Can you imagine walking into Walmart and having them immediately identify you by your face?

The FBI recently announced that it will distribute free facial recognition software to law enforcement agencies following a pilot program of the system, reported Slate.com. Police will be able to use the Universal Face Workstation (UFW) program, which grants access to a central database of about 13 million images. Police departments will also be able to submit and enhance their own image files to be cross-referenced with existing images in the database to identify matches.

UFW, which was piloted in February in Michigan, is part of a $1 billion biometrics FBI program called Next Generation Identification, which will create a database for scars and tattoos.

The program is expected to launch within a few weeks, while full operational capability for facial recognition is scheduled for summer 2014, according to a statement from the FBI. Officials in Hawaii, Maryland, South Carolina, Ohio, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, Tennessee, Nebraska and Missouri have expressed interest in participating in the facial recognition pilot program.

Amid recent news like the WikiLeaks report on the national TrapWire system, some are concerned with privacy issues surrounding facial recognition technology, but the FBI insists such technology is only being used to supplement current biometrics, such as fingerprinting, to identify criminals.

“The Facial Recognition Pilot provides a search of the national repository of photos consisting of criminal mug shots, which were taken at the time of a criminal booking,” wrote Jerome M. Pender, deputy assistant director of the Criminal Justice Information Services Division of the FBI, in a statement. “Only criminal mug shot photos are used to populate the national repository. Query photos and photos obtained from social networking sites, surveillance cameras and similar sources are not used to populate the national repository.”

Since the time of the statement, Pender was named executive assistant director of the FBI’s Information and Technology Branch.

The FBI’s Next Generation Identification program, of which the facial recognition system is part, is 60 percent deployed, according to a statement.

From Government Technology

Related articles

• FBI Sharing Facial Recognition Software With Police Departments Across America (theintelhub.com)
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Free Queen Lili‘uokalani Festival Set for September 8th in Hilo

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation announces the Queen Lili‘uokalani Festival – He Hali‘a Aloha No Lili‘uokalani – will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at Queen Lili‘uokalani Gardens in Hilo.

Penny Vredenburg and Skylark Rossetti will serve as co-emcees for the free event that will feature an opening pule or prayer by Aunty Lucille Chung, ho‘okupu presentations and a special appearance by Claire Asam, executive director of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center.

Musical performers will include Kūkulu Kumuhana ‘O Puna, Queen Lili‘uokalani Trustees, Tai Shoji taiko drummers, Waiakea Ukulele Band, the Brown Ohana, Kahulanui Pacific Island swing band, Mark Yamanaka and Ulu‘au.

Recording artist Darlene Ahuna, a multiple Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner and former Hawai‘i Female Vocalist of the Year, will coordinate a mass hula and a “floral rain,” which will involve thousands of flower petals being dropped from a helicopter.

There also will be an Urasenke tea ceremony, children’s water slide and games, crafters, and food booths.

Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center, the Hawai‘i Tropical Flowers Council, KAPA Radio, KWXX 94.7 FM Hilo and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters are partnering with the County of Hawai‘i in holding the festival.

Additional parking and free shuttle service will be available from the nearby Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.

For safety reasons, Lihiwai Street will be closed at 2 a.m. Friday, Sept. 7, and won’t be reopened until after the festival concludes on Saturday, Sept. 8.

For additional information, please contact the Culture and Education Office at 961-8706.