LIHU‘E — County lawmakers and government officials had their hands full in 2011. The year marked Kaua‘i County Council’s return to the Historic County Building after a long, multi-million-dollar restoration. The massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan on March
LIHU‘E — County lawmakers and government officials had their hands full in 2011.
The year marked Kaua‘i County Council’s return to the Historic County Building after a long, multi-million-dollar restoration.
The massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan on March 11 sent waves of fear throughout the state, but the islands escaped disaster and were left mostly unscathed.
Here are some of the top stories related to government and community in 2011:
Tsunami leaves Kaua‘i mostly unscathed
An 8.9-magnitude earthquake 80 miles off the eastern coast of Japan on March 11 triggered a tsunami threat for virtually the entire Pacific Ocean, including the Hawaiian islands and the west coast of the Mainland.
Tsunami waves that washed ashore in Japan killed many people and destroyed massive areas in the northeastern part of the country.
It was a long, sleepless night for many on Kaua‘i who stayed up tracking a deadly tsunami’s progress across the Pacific Ocean. Roughly 2,300 people — mostly visitors — took advantage of holding areas at 12 public schools and three neighborhood centers following resort evacuations.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center initially forecast a 6-foot wave rolling into Kaua‘i with the potential to cause serious devastation to coastal areas. When it arrived in its weakened state just after 3 a.m., a modest bump in sea levels was recorded, and residents and visitors alike exhaled a collective sigh of relief after the “all clear” was given.
Salary resolution becomes law
A controversial county Salary Commission resolution squeezed through a special Kaua‘i County Council meeting Sept. 27 and became law the following week after a split vote.
The resolution effectively froze until July 1, 2013, the salaries of all elected officers and county department heads.
Historic County Building reopens
The County Council on Sept. 21 returned to its original home, the 98-year-old Historic County Building in the Lihu‘e Civic Center Historic District. The building went through a $4.8 million, 16-month renovation.
During the renovation the council held weekly meetings at the Hale Kaua‘i building in Nawiliwili.
County officials said the Hale Kaua‘i building cost the county approximately $30,000 per month, including rent and utilities.
TAU bill approved
After months of long meetings laced with heated exchanges, lawsuit threats and distinct opinions, the Kaua‘i County Council on Oct. 5 passed legislation to regulate growth of Transient Accommodation Units.
The council unanimously approved the final version of Bill 2410, which appeared to appease developers, lawmakers and those who have been fighting to preserve the island’s rural character.
Bag ban stays
While many residents have cheered Kaua‘i’s law banning plastic bags from checkout points at retail stores, some food industry professionals were saying the environmental gains come at the cost of potential health issues.
Kaua‘i County Councilman Mel Rapozo on Feb. 9 introduced an amendment to exempt businesses that sell ready-to-eat food. He said many people had approached him with health-related concerns.
After many meetings and passionate testimony, the council voted to uphold Ordinance 885.
Radiation feared in Airport shutdown
Mysterious emissions caused the Lihu‘e Airport to shut down for a few hours Nov. 3 and sent several Transportation Security Administration staff to Wilcox Memorial Hospital emergency room.
TSA officials said fumes affected 11 TSA personnel, but an airport worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said he suspects the culprit was a radiation leak in one of the TSA screening booths.
The worker said all TSA personnel who felt ill were working next to the booth.
New Kaua‘i landfill
Kaua‘i’s only landfill may operate another 10 years before closing down for good. With the clock ticking — and after a few extensions and expansions — the county has yet to find a site for the next landfill.
Compounding the problem, a materials recovery facility — which would divert solid waste from the landfill, buying it more time and potentially avoiding a vertical expansion — has fallen behind schedule and will only be ready by 2015, according to County Engineer Larry Dill.
GMO food labeling
There is no law in the United States requiring that genetically modified organisms be labeled. About 90 percent of the food products found in stores nowadays contain GMO ingredients, a representative for the billion-dollar GMO industry said in November at a County Council committee meeting.
The full council in December voted to support urging the state Legislature to pass a law requiring that GMO products in Hawai‘i be labeled.
Solar farm going big
The county Planning Commission on July 12 approved a solar farm nearly three times the size of the county’s largest solar facility currently in operation.
When completed, Kikiaola Solar in Kekaha will be generating an estimated 3.5 megawatts of power.
The county’s only solar farm, completed in January in Kapahi, generates 1.2 megawatts.
Surf in high schools
The state Department of Education, working in conjunction with the state Board of Education, announced Oct. 3 it was developing a plan to incorporate surfing in school athletics, with collaboration from city officials, surfing organizations and the community.
Current Women’s World Champion, Hawai‘i’s Carissa Moore, the youngest surfer to ever win a professional world title at the age of 18, made the announcement at Waikiki Beach, alongside Gov. Neil Abercrombie. She said it will open the doors for a lot of students.
Koke‘e cabins
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources auctioned 17 Koke‘e cabins in December. The cabins, which had been empty for years, were all sold in the first tier of a three-tier auction, which gave Kauaians first dibs.
Feral cat resolution
On June 8, Kaua‘i County Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 4-3 recommending approval of a resolution supporting Trap, Neuter and Release as a component of a humane approach to controlling the Garden Isle’s feral cat population.
But the following week, council stepped back and unanimously voted to just receive the resolution. In other words, the proposed policy statement was shelved without an official endorsement either way.
The inaction does give assurance that the council did not make a decision that could potentially be construed as encouraging the killing or harming of a protected species.
Underage drinking
Liquor Control Director Eric Honma said in April that during Fiscal Year 2010 the 205 liquor license holders on Kaua‘i sold $83 million in alcoholic beverages. About 5 percent of those sales were for beverages that ended up consumed by minors. This translates to underage residents consuming some $4 million of alcoholic beverages in fiscal year 2010.
Bill would hold writers, publishers liable for trespassing
On Feb. 17 the Senate Committee on Economic Development and Technology stripped away most of the language in a controversial bill originally written to hold authors and publishers of visitor publications liable to readers who suffer injury or death as a result of being enticed to trespass onto private lands.
With the committee’s action, SB 1207 gained a much different intent. It established a task force, attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, to identify problem areas in Hawai‘i related to trespassing over privately held or public lands as the result of information published on visitor websites and publications.
