Update to the Puako Community Forum

Aloha,

As many of you know, the Puako Community Forum underwent a major facelift some time ago. We replaced it’s original, outdated forum platform and moved it to a more modern blog platform offered by WordPress. The intent was not just a fresh look and feel, but perhaps more importantly, a more accessible user interface that would allow anyone from the community to enter their own posting with little or no help from puako.org support. Not that we mind helping, but the whole process was just not as fluid as we wanted it to be. Finally we had a modern blog that anyone could use on their own whenever they saw fit.

The only problem was you had to explicitly join the blog to be aware of a new posting. Sort of a Catch-22. That is a restriction of the WordPress design, but it’s not so good for those who never knew of the blog in the first place. And it’s also not so good for those who didn’t feel comfortable with navigating the steps required to join up on their own. So over the last couple of weeks we’ve been working on some changes.

We’ve developed our own cloud-based server application that allows the whole community to be notified of any new posting on the blog without having to explicitly join up beforehand. That’s how you received notice of this posting. To make your own, new posting, you’ll need to follow the forum instructions and establish an account, but to simply track the conversations you don’t have to do anything.

If you don’t want to receive these notifications, just drop us a note at support@puako.org and we’ll remove you from the mail list.

Also, if you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know.

Mahalo,

Brian McGann

puako.org

 

The last 2016 Keep Puako Beautiful Community Cleanup and Newsletter

Meet us Saturday December 10, 2016 at the Puako Boat Ramp                    7:30 to 11:30 AM .

Fundraising for South Kohala Reef Alliance 5o1c3.Your tax deductible donations will help Keep Puako Beautiful be sustainable.

Sign up, Email kpb@hawaii.rr.com,  RSVP potluck lunch and bring something to share or Reserve a donated kayak or tank of dive air(see flyer or contact information).

Provided; Sign waiver, Land cleanup supplies and survey materials, water and snacks.

Bring; Personal water gear, wear proper dress, lunch or snacks.

Share; Volunteers will be able to access our partners and educational materials. Partners on site to share their programs and activities.

Attending; So far, South Kohala Coastal Partnership, Marine Options UH Hilo, South Kohala Reef Alliance, Coral Reef Alliance, Liquid Hawaii, Lat 20LLC & 2 Papayas Rep., Hawaii Surf & Kayak, Elite Pacific Rep. and Friends of Hapuna.

Speeding will never end here without “humps”

This is a speeding report update,we have now been told by both police & highway dept.that speeding will never end here without the “humps”,please continue to call in AND email traffic services with speeders info.

< From: Officer Hookano
aloha  Yes I will get with the night shift guys and work on showing more presence at paniau regarding the gathering there. I will also continue to work with patrol to put our best effort forward to deter the speeding with the upcoming winter season approaching.. any vehicle I stop for speeding during this upcoming winter season will be cited and counseled in an effort to spread the word. as far as the paniau scene, you and other members of the community can help by continuing to log license plates, and calling patrol to the scene, so that the incident (no matter how small or big) can be documented, so that I can then follow up with whatever information is collectively  obtained through our efforts. Over the last 6-8 months or so I have been noticing that every person I have counseled, or personally talked to, I have not seen down there as a repeat offender (whether it be speeding or loitering). and although I cannot be there all the time,  together I truly believe we all will be able to make a difference. see you soon, aloha and have a blessed day.
________________________________________
From: Puako residents
Sent: Wednesday, November 9, 2016 11:10 AM
To: Hookano, Kelena
Subject: Re: officer Ho’okano

Officer H, many thanks for your presence this morning, However thought you would find it interesting to know that within 10 minutes after you left the  speeding began again. Seems the heaviest times for the surfing speeding is first thing in the morning because they check it out to see if it’s suitable at Paniau or turn around speed back out to go elsewhere,then again late in the afternoon when a lot of the guys get off work. Please thank the officers that came down yesterday after a few calls about the speeders they were very responsive.
Is there any chance at all of ever invading the Paniau party scene when all the drinking and other illicit activity is going on and trying to curb some of that activity?
As always we sincerely appreciate your efforts and hope to nip this in the bud before heavy winter surf is here.

Speed “humps” located on Kahilu Road in Waimea (running from Hawaiian Homes behind police station to Mana Road) are representative of what would benefit Puako. They are engineered to be easily navigated at the posted speed (25 mph) with very little bounce or vehicle disruption. These are NOT the speed “bumps” most folks envision; such as those obscene bumps installed in the Queen’s Marketplace.

COMMUNITY ROAD SAFETY WATCH

Date of event:
Time of event:
Vehicle license #:
Violator: male or female
Make:
Color:
Location of Violation:
Description of violation:
email to ; hcpd4494@co.hawaii.hi.us

-Puako Resident

Puako Speeders

Aloha Puako Residents,

The following is correspondence from our Community Police Liaison, Officer,  Kelena Hookano, addressing questions from Puako residents regarding the speeding in our neighborhood. Officer Hookano initially responded to a report from a Puako resident. Thus, the following postings reflect the continued communication between Officer Hookano, and our Puako residents.

BOTTOM LINE, TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: if you don’t care to read thru the correspondence below, Officer Hookano is directing us to BOTH call in the speeders’ info to CENTRAL DISPATCH 808-935-3311, as well as email, fax or drop off a written report to TRAFFIC SERVICES.  This way the infraction is documented and the registered owner of the speeding vehicle gets a letter notifying him or her of the infraction.
THIS IS THE COMMUNITY’S CHANCE TO HELP REDUCE REPETITIVE TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS BY IRRESPONSIBLE  AND DANGEROUS DRIVERS!!!

TRAFFIC SERVICES:
Call in the report: 808-961-2226
Fax in report: 808-961-2228
Email report: hcpd4494@co.hawaii.hi.us
REQUIRED INFO. FOR REPORT:
Date & time of event
Vehicle license #
Location & description of violation
(also obviously helpful if you can give vehicle make/color & driver description/gender, etc.)

On Sep 29, 2016, at 1:52 PM, Puako resident wrote:

Officer, many thanks for your enthusiastic response. Wondering if we can arrange something with the police department to either show up when we consistently have a speeding problem that needs to be addressed, which is typically weekends and during periods of surf. We are all aware that once one police car is spotted by these characters the word gets out. Can’t we attack this a better way?Can’t we work with the police to have unmarked cars set up doing surf and/or weekends; ticket a few people and then leave because the word will be out by then anyhow, and just do that sort of gorilla action now and then. We don’t want to see you guys waste your time and resources by coming down at times when there’s no speeding, and again,that’s why it would be ideal to be able to make a phone call when the speeding is prevalent and have a quick response from the police. And as long as these people continue to get away with speeding on a regular basis it’s going to continue. It’s going to take some of these people getting ticketed and spreading the word that the neighborhood is tired of their recklessness and lack of respect for our neighborhood.
Surely you guys are aware of the illegal activities that take place at Paniau on a regular basis. Why can’t there be a police effort to curtail that activity?
With the utmost respect for the police department, knowing how thinly you guys are spread, it just seems that if we can’t work together this will never end.

On Oct 4, 2016, at 9:21 AM, Hookano, Kelena <Kelena.Hookano@hawaiicounty.gov> wrote:

Aloha it’s officer Ho’okano. I just returned to work today. I expressed the puako community concerns about speeding with our patrol units that work the puako beat on the weekends..  and they will be making  a conscious effort to deter the speeding on the weekends.. Our department does have a “traffic enforcement division” that does use unmarked cars, but they patrol the highways island wide, and they are made up of about 5 to 6 officers.. I will contact the traffic enforcement division though, and ask if maybe they can use their unmarked cars to enforce speeding in puako on the weekends or whenever they are available..  I am also in puako on almost a daily basis as well,  I patrol all the beach access including paniau beach & the boat ramp.. I’ve been able to meet a lot of the regulars & homeless in the area, and have been doing my best to keep the area clear of drugs and negative activity… one of my main focuses recently has been a rash of vehicle break-ins at mauumae beach.. the beach between Mauna Kea resort & Spencer beach.. and I don’t want that activity to move south towards puako… and although I work Monday through Friday, I will try and research the surf calendar and enforce as much as I can during the week.. I really do care about our community.. and in the 8 months that I have been assigned in south kohala, I’ve been trying my best to improve all of its communities, from kawaihae and the low income housing units there,  to Waikoloa and everywhere Inbetween…  I will continue to work with you and the rest of the community to try and make this place the best and safest place to live… I’ll be down in puako today conducting foot patrol, and later running some speeding enforcement.. I look forward to communicating with you again..

On Oct 8, 2016, at 2:08 PM,  Puako resident wrote:

Officer H, again the community thanks you for your efforts and integrity. We are wondering, sir, not many of us carry the speeders’ form with us when we’re out walking, biking or whatever. So most of us in the community just prefer to call it in when it’s happening to dispatch in Hilo, in hopes that there might be a patrol car in our area that could actually go after the speeder then and there. So our question is this, does anything ever happen when we call in a speeder, giving a license number, vehicle description, etc. Will that phone report have the same effect that a written report would? Just hoping to get the most bang for the buck here and hoping that it’s not a waste of time to call in the speeders.

From: “Hookano, Kelena” <Kelena.Hookano@hawaiicounty.gov>
Date: October 10, 2016 at 7:27:20 AM HST
Subject: Re: Speeders

good morning.. yes the “COMMUNITY ROAD SAFETY WATCH” form is a little more proactive in the sense that when the form is submitted, it goes straight to our traffic services division, and the registered owner of the vehicle gets a letter notifying them of the violation… compared to when the call is received by central dispatch, if the patrol units are unable to locate the vehicle, then the call stops there… so in actuality the best and most effective option would be to do both.. that way there’s a chance the vehicle can be located the day of the infraction, and if we are unable to locate the vehicle, then traffic services can follow up on their end.. the form is also a great way to document whether or not a Vehicle starts to become an “on-going” issue.. where at that point traffic services along with patrol & community police units can try and pin point the problem speeders..

hope that helps.. I’ll be down in puako today, and I’ll have some forms with me. I’m planing on dropping some off with peter, and I can drop some of with you as well… I have a project at mauumae beach & Spencer park later in the afternoon, so I’ll be in the area. hope you have a blessed day
ALOHA

from officer hookano oct 11,2016
Aloha , it is best to call it in to central dispatch. then later submit the form (electronically through email or through the mail) to traffic services…

also, I was able to make contact with that vehicle you reported yesterday afternoon  at paniau.. I counseled the driver & the passengers in the vehicle. Go ahead and submit the traffic services form as well, so that they can follow up too… the more police contact (via counsel, warning, citation) the more likely the person will stop speeding.

-Puako Resident

8/20/16 Puako Boat Ramp Cleanup

Hello Volunteers, Partners and Friends,

Join Keep Puako Beautiful volunteers who protect our coral reefs by removing marine debris and land based trash from Puako Bay, the Ala Kahakai Historic Trail, harbor facility and surrounding areas.
Sign up information is available here PBR.160820. Volunteer, reserve donated dive air, water gear or kayaks.
Share this flyer with your group or friends.
See you at the cleanup.
Aloha,
Cynthia Ho

Keep Puako Beautiful
Site Coordinator for
Keep Hawaii Beautiful and Get The Drift & Bag It
OceanEnvironment and Education Station
The 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse Single-use Plastics
kpb@hawaii.rr.com
keeppuakobeautiful.com

Land and Water Survey and Beach and Roadside Cleanup

Hello,

 
Join us for a land and water survey and beach and roadside cleanup on June 28, 2016, from 8 AM to 10 AM. 
We provide cleanup supplies and water. Bring water gear and dress for the cleanup. Please RSVP, let us know if you are staying for lunch or will bring something to share.
We are glad to announce Coral Reef Alliance, Puako Makai Watch and Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization will be on site to share their reef conservation programs.
Share this flyer with your group and friends.
 
Aloha,
 
Cynthia Ho

Keep Puako Beautiful
Site Coordinator for
Keep Hawaii Beautiful and Get The Drift & Bag It
OceanEnvironment and Education Station
The 4 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Refuse Single-use Plastics
kpb@hawaii.rr.com
keeppuakobeautiful.com

Support Letter for HWMO GIA Application

Aloha Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization partners,

At the request of Representative Cindy Evans, we have been asked to gather support letters for this year’s Grant In Aid application which provides funds to nonprofit organizations.  We have applied for funds to address many of the priority projects that were recommended by our partners, as well as desperately needed operational support funds to cover some basics like rent and bookkeeping, which we can’t get covered through other grants.  We already know we are not receiving WUI funds this year as we normally do, so this grant will help us keep up our momentum and cover our costs, as well as implement a few new priority projects.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could write a letter of recommendation for us.  I have attached a template if that is useful for you.  Please let me know how else I might assist in the letter writing.  We have appointments with the decision making Representative and Senator in mid March, so we will need the letters before then.
Thank you so much for the letter, and your partnership and support in general!  Fingers crossed that we are awarded this grant!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Pickett
Executive Director
Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization
65-1279 Kawaihae Rd. Suite 211
Kamuela, HI 96743

Friday, Feb, 26th Help Slow down Speeders

Greetings Puako Residents!

For all those who are concerned about the speeding in
 Puako, our Puako Community Police Liason, Officer 
Hookano has arranged to be at Beach Access #138 this
 coming Friday, Feb 26th at 7:45 a.m. with 3 other 
officers, planning to join as many Puako residents 
as possible for a sign waving to get the message 
out to speeders that our community has had enough 
of the speeding.

This is fair warning to the speeders, to be followed 
up with more police presence and citations issued.

The only way this can be effective is with community 
support, working with the police to get the message 
out. Please plan to join us and bring your own sign 
if you can!

WHAT:  Police CTAP Sign-Waving for Speeders
WHERE: Puako Beach Access #138
WHEN: Friday, February 26th - 7:45 a.m.
WHO: YOU…your community and your local police officers
WHY: Stop Puako speeders and protect our community!

See you all there! MAHALO!
Concerned Puako Residents