Ka‘ū News Briefs, Friday, December 13, 2019

Keiki presented their annual Winter Celebration program to family and the community at Pāhala Elementary this evening. See more photos, and find out what the children presented, below. Photo by Katie Graham

NĀʻĀLEHU THEATRE MAY BE DONATED TO THE COUNTY, according to today's Baltimore Sun, the newspaper of the hometown of the Weinberg Foundation, which owns the property.
     Baltimore Sun reported that Weinberg issues $12 million in grants per year in Hawaiʻi and has given more than $350 million to nonprofits in Hawaiʻi over the last 30 years.
     A fact sheet, given to the Baltimore Sun, states that Weinberg, "regularly reexamines and realigns its investment portfolio, including real estate holdings (located primarily in Hawaiʻi and to a lesser extent in the Baltimore region) and is proud of its long history in Hawaiʻi and is deeply committed to serving the community with warmest aloha for many years to come."
     Said Ley, "People are generally not building theaters these days, people watch Netflix. And again, it's a very small community. To put together a theater of that size is probably not feasible."
     Ley said the county "can't just automatically accept things," and that accepting ownership of the theater would require administrative and legislative review. She said no action has been taken, that the county has others priorities, and that the process will probably not be completed in 2019. Demchak said the foundation hasn't been told of any delays.
     Nāʻālehu resident Glen Winterbottom told the Baltimore Sun, "We don't have any other old plantation memorials that have survived."
     The theater has had an opportunity to be placed on the Hawaiʻi Register of Historic Places, according to a resolution sponsored by state Rep. Richard Creagan last year that asked the county use eminent domain to preserve its legacy. Mayor Kim's office and members of the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives sent letters to the foundation in March 2018. The mayor asked what Weinberg's plans were for the theater and other property in Nāʻālehu "relative to the Foundation's mission to assist low-income and vulnerable families." The representatives asked Weinberg to work with the community to help preserve the theater.
     The theater has been listed on historichawaii.org/ since 2010. It is considered "threatened" by the Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation. Its website states that "due to its decline, the State Historic Preservation Division has determined it is now too damaged for the registry. As the structure's decline continues, there is the potential that the building could be declared a public safety hazard forcing the owners to decide between repair or demolition."

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Debbie Ryder and Demetrius Oliviera accompany the children. Photo by Julia Neal

MAYOR HARRY KIM VETOED A BAN ON HERBICIDE USE ON COUNTY LANDS this week. Hawaiʻi County Council can override the veto with six votes.

     The mayor closed with a pledge to form a committee to "guide County operations in identifying and using best practices for the management of vegetation on County property, with the goal of reducing the use of herbicides. The function of this Committee is critical to the success of a program that ensures the continued protection of the community from exposure to handful chemicals… and doing our job of controlling invasive species."
     See more details on the proposed ban on the Nov. 23 Kaʻū News Briefs.

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EXTENDING DEADLINES TO ENROLL IN MEDICARE AND MEDICAID is the aim of Sen. Mazie Hirono. She and two Alaskan senators ask for Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to extend the Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment deadline for 2020 by two hours, to accommodate residents of Hawaiʻi and Alaska. It would allow residents of all 50 states the same deadline of Dec. 15.
     Open Enrollment closes at 3 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 16, which is 10 p.m.Hawaiʻi Standard Time and 11 p.m.Alaska Time on Dec. 15. The senators wrote that the timing of the deadline "is not prominently advertised on HealthCare.gov, leaving residents in Alaskaand Hawaiʻi to falsely assume they can enroll in health coverage through the end of the day on Dec. 15, resulting in a misleading deadline for the residents of these two states," said Hirono.

Elementary students present their Christmas program to community. Photo by Katie Graham

     "Data from past open enrollment periods indicate that many people put off enrolling in health coverage until the last minute. Last year, about half of sign-ups occurred in the last week and the final day of Open Enrollment is the busiest, particularly the final hours. Given how many mainland consumers sign up in the final hours of Open Enrollment, it is clear that consumers assume that midnight is the deadline. It is unacceptable to take away this valuable window of time away from people simply because they live in a different state.

      "It is absolutely vital that the residents of Hawaiʻi and Alaskabe given an equal opportunity to that of the rest of the country to enroll through midnight local time on Dec. 15. It is our understanding that keeping the Marketplace open for an additional two hours does not require significant infrastructure changes or staffing changes, and is a policy that should have been implemented years ago."

ADDITIONAL FEDERAL RELIEF FUNDING to help Hawaiʻi recover from natural disasters of 2018 – April storms, Hurricane Lane, and the eruption of Kilauea– was issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Fund. The $26 million adds to the $71 million issued earlier this year from the same source. Hawaiʻi has been issued more than $612.7 million in federal disaster relief funding, to help state and local governments rebuild impacted communities, especially in low- and moderate-income areas, and provide resources to help businesses recover.

The Senate Committee on the Climate Crisis, chaired by Sen. Schatz, held a  hearing on how to help communities rebuild after severe weather.  To watch the hearing, click here. Photo from Schatz's office

     Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked with federal agencies and state and county officials to ensure Hawai‘i submitted a strong application to receive the maximum amount of funding, says a statement from his office. The new funding allocation was part of the $1.7 billion housing disaster recovery package Congress passed last year.

     Other sources of funding include:

     Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) - $15.3 million of individual assistance to help people who have lost their home, and $205 million of public assistance to help local and state governments clean up and repair public infrastructure such as facilities, parks, and water lines;

     Department of Transportation - $93.1 million to help rebuild roads and highways;

     Department of the Interior - $80 million to help repair damages at the Hawai‘i Volcanoes Observatory and the Hanalei National Wildlife Refuge;

     Department of Housing & Urban Development - $71 million for housing and community development;

     Small Business Administration - $47.2 million in subsidized loans to help individuals and businesses pay for repairs not covered by insurance;

     Department of Labor in Disaster Unemployment Insurance - $4 million to help those who lost their job temporarily or permanently because of a disaster and are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits; and