Kaʻū News Briefs March 13, 2024

A new poster with Hawai'i Volcanoes National depiction by late minimalist graphic artist and illustrator Charley Harper is printed in large size and available from U.S. Department of the Interior for $16 each. The art was commissioned in 1986. See https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/hawaii-volcanoes.

KAʻŪ BUSINESSES ARE INVITED TO HAWAI'I ON THE HILL TO PROMOTE LOCAL PRODUCTS and services. U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono collaborates with Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i to host the four-day event in Washington, D.C. June 15-18 to, showcase Hawai'i to the nation's leaders and the D.C. community. The eighth annual Hawai'i on the Hill offers opportunities to gain insights into federal resources and support.
     The Taste of Hawai'i on Capitol Hill, a highlight of the gathering, draws thousands to the Hart Senate Office Building, providing a tantalizing taste of what Hawaii has to offer. It is the largest such event each year on Capitol Hill. Other highlights include a Welcome Reception presented by Alaska Airlines and The Queen's Health System, Policy Summit presented by Papa Ola Lokahi, a Manufacturing Tour and general visitor tours. Registration packages range from $500 to $25,000 and Alaska Airlines is offering a 25 percent discount on air tickets roundtrip to D.C. For more information, contact Tricia Fetui, VP of Events and Business Development, at tfetui@cochawaii.org.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events,  print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

2023 first prize winner in Congresswoman Jill Tokuda's Art Competition.

KAʻŪ STUDENTS CAN ENTER THE CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION FOR 2024. Ka'u's Congresswoman Jill Tokuda is accepting art and applications through Friday, April 19 from high school students in her Hawai'i Second Congressional District. The winning artwork of will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol in the Cannon tunnel, where Members of Congress and tens of thousands of visitors walk and ride underground from the offices of the members of Congress to the U.S. Capitol. The winning artwork is also featured on House.gov's Congressional Art Competition page and Tokuda's website and social media pages. A photo of the completed art and a completed student release form must be submitted to Shaun Kim at Shaun.Kim@mail.house.gov by Monday, April 15, 2024. The physical artwork must be mailed or delivered by Friday, April 19, 2024, 5 p.m. Hawaiʻi time to office of Rep. Jill Tokuda at Topa Financial Center, 700 Bishop St. Suite 1902, Honolulu, HI 96813.
    Contact Tokuda's Hawaiʻi District Office at (808) 746-6220 with any questions.

To read comments, add your own, and like this story, see facebook.com/kaucalendar. See latest events,  print edition and archive at kaunews.com. See 7,500 copies the mail and on stands.

THE NEW SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT OPTION FOR PĀHALA is tentatively identified by the County as a "package wastewater treatment plant with new collection system." set back from the corner of Hwy 11 and Maile Street that comes into town along the pine tree road. It is described in the Amended Draft Pāhala Environmental Information Document, which became available on Wednesday through the County's monthly status updates at https://www.dem.hawaiicounty.gov/projects/pahala-na-alehu-large-capacity-cesspool-closures and for direct download at https://www.dem.hawaiicounty.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/307481/638459178461591134.
    The document will also be available at the Pāhala Public and School Library. The community is invited to the Pāhala Community Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, to provide comments on the Revised Draft EID and the County’s preferred option. The link to join the meeting by Zoom on April 10 is: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16031058165.
Under the 2024 Revised AOC, the Final EID is due to EPA on July 30, 2024. The final deadline for the County to close the large capacity cesspools is Jan. 22, 2027.
    The document not only presents the analysis of plans for dealing with the closure of old polluting gang cesspool left over by the sugar plantation when it shut down, it offers an overview of the geography of the area, including:
    "Even though Ka‘ū was one of the originally settled areas in the Hawaiian Islands, it remains a vast remote area. Only a fraction of a percent of the Ka‘ū District has been developed with residential properties, and the remainder is largely used for agricultural purposes or remains undeveloped. The Ka‘ū District covers about 922 square miles (approximately 590,000 acres), with over 80 miles of virtually undeveloped coastline. Nearly two-thirds of its total land area is in the Conservation District. The Ka‘ū District consists of several communities, including the Pāhala community, which had a population of approximately 2,210 persons according to the US Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2021. The distance to the communities of Hilo and Kailua-Kona means that the Ka‘ū District is relatively isolated from the major infrastructure systems found in those communities, including wastewater treatment and disposal facilities."