Thursday, March 14, 2013

BILL 65 Ewa Development Plan Community Amendments

BILL 65 Ewa Development Plan Community Amendments


Ewa Development Plan Amendments Suggested from Previous EDP Community Meetings

 
1.      There should be NO BIOLAB allowed in Ewa under the Ewa Development Plan. The planned Level 3 Bio Lab will work with some of the most dangerous viruses in the world. There should be no deadly diseases brought into Ewa for experimentation on live animals. The proposed Level 3 Bio Lab will be built in very close proximity to a child day-care center and many very large nearby home rental developments and Hawaiian Homelands developments. Beyond them in close proximity are elementary, junior and senior schools with thousands of students.


2.      DHHL DeBartolo Shopping Center Compliance With Ewa Development Plan. The DHHL DeBartolo Shopping Center project, proposed as the second largest in the State of Hawaii with two large hotels and a massive parking structure, needs to be re-examined by DHHL and conformed to the intent of the Ewa Development Plan. Public hearings are needed along with meetings with DHHL administration to encourage compliance with the EDP. The State and City governments should arrange land swaps with DHHL in the central Kapolei business district so that DHHL can achieve their revenue goals while also being in compliance with the EDP.


3.      No desalination plant in EDP. The concept of Hawaiian ahupua'a sustainability and the Konohiki system should be the guiding policy with no desalination plant in the Ewa Development Plan. New development in the Ewa Plains should cease when there is the clear warning that natural aquifer water resources are being maximized. Without a wise guiding water supply policy based upon centuries of observation and knowledge the Ewa Plains are doomed to a future landscape that is vastly over built, over crowded and over polluted with exhausted water resources and ever higher public and private maintenance fees.


4.      Requirement that before any new schools in the Ewa Development Plan can be constructed with air-conditioning that all current schools be provided with air-conditioning first.


5.      Ewa Village Master Plan Needs To Be Completed. Recommend a Special Cultural and Historical Preservation District be established in Kalaeloa / 'Ewa to include: Ewa Field battlefield, the Hawaiian archeological features,  the OR & L Railway, the three (3) 'Ewa Historic Villages (Renton, Tenney and Varona), the plantation Manager's Mansion and the old grave yard and have all of these sites placed on the National Historic Register.


6.      East West connector road-  no Hoopili/Dr Horton development allowed until that road is built first and completed, from Kualaka`i Parkway to Aawa Drive.


7.      The Critical Need To Preserve Top Grade Irrigation Ready Food Sustainability Farmland. The State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture has confirmed that a majority of the Ho'opili lands slated for development are classified as "A" or "B" grade, or "prime" lands under the state's agricultural land grading system.

 
8.      Ewa Historic & Cultural Resources. This area was known as Kanehili and encompasses Hawaiian trails, habitation sites, burial sites and traditional cultural practice areas. Leina a ka Uhane (spiritual leaping off place back to the homeland of Tahiti) – wahi pana (sacred place) which was in the very recent April 2012 HART TCP (Traditional Cultural Place) Survey Report.


9.      Preservation of Special Ewa Plains Historic Heritage Trails. Recognize that there still are very special Ewa Historic Trails, first identified on Western maps in 1825 with coordination with the State of Hawaii “Na Ala Hele” Hawaii Trail and Access Program to begin the geographic information system registration of the Ewa Plains trails into the State’s historic trails inventory.


10.   HCDA Kalaeloa Coordination with City Ewa Development Plan. HCDA should conform to the Ewa Development Plan and not allow Spot Zoning projects which may not be compatible with the adjacent Ewa communities and commerical/industrial areas.


11.   Kapolei Business District. Build the downtown business district in Kapolei proper defined by boundaries of Kalaeloa Boulevard to the west and Ft. Barrett Road to the east parallel between Kapolei Parkway and Farrington Highway.

 
12.   Ewa Plains Karst Water System. The Ewa Plains is composed of a major ancient coral reef Karst fresh water system with important hydrological and geological features that requires special mitigations, as well as possible land development hazards. This Ewa Plains underground Karst water system is documented by the US Geological Survey, US Fish & Wildlife, University of Hawaii’s SOEST and Coastal Geology programs, State Water Board and Honolulu City and County commissioned hydrology studies. Restored Ewa Plains sinkholes have been documented to show that native Hawaiian shrimp will naturally appear without restocking due to the interconnected below ground water flow.


13.   North South Rd. Kualaka`i Parkway should terminate at Roosevelt Road and Coral Sea Road becomes main arterial thoroughfare to the Ewa shore and as second access route for Haseko development.


14.   Move Urban Growth Boundary. Move Urban Growth Boundary south to Mango Tree Blvd  - East to Ft Weaver- and West to Kualaka`i Parkway to ensure preservation of important high quality agricultural lands.


15.   Ewa Transportation. Change from "should" to "shall" in 4.1.6 GENERAL POLICIES. Adequate capacity for peak-hour H-1 freeway commuting is agreed to be Level of Service D.  The H-1 freeway has been at E for years, and will be at F by 2030—with Rail and without Ho’opili.  The ‘Ewa Neighborhood Board approved of changing “should” to “shall” in all of these statements. Provide adequate capacity for major peak-hour commuting to work in the Primary Urban Center. Adequate capacity for major peak-hour commuting shall be the national standard: Level of Service D. (Although the share of residents who will both live and work in Ewa is projected to increase from 17% in 1990 to 44% by 2020, a majority of residents will still commute to jobs outside the region.)

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Welcome To Kanehili News - Sacred caves destroyed by Navy Contractors

Welcome To Kanehili News

ancient sacred Hawaiian cultural areas

Sacred caves in Hawaii may soon be destroyed by Navy Contractors

By John Bond | Mar 06, 2013   Kanehili Cultural Hui
 
HAWAII - Incredible Kanehili Ewa Karst Caves may be destroyed by Navy Contractors drilling and burying ancient sacred Hawaiian cultural areas without benefit of an Archaeological Inventory Survey. A Federal consultant said that this area likely contains hundreds if not THOUSANDS of Hawaiian burials as an area of the Leina a ka Uhane- spirit leaping place within Kanehili.

Most images are from a video camera placed down into cave entrances as we lacked cave exploration equipment to venture into them. The Kanehili Cultural Hui (KCH) is working to bring National Geographic and other investigative news organizations on the mainland to send out reporters to do a story about this major injustice.

The Navy has refused a request for consultation with KCH about archaeological discoveries and supplied documentation about major Karst Caves which are below their HECO (Hawaiian Electric Company) Power Line and PV Farm construction project. Prior military history notes Karst caves as large as railway cars and storage of WW-II bombs in such caves next to the airfield that was attacked on December 7, 1941.

The Navy's own test surveys also indicate caves but they have refused to share this data, which they had promised to do earlier. In addition they are not allowing cultural monitoring, which they had also promised to do earlier. In addition, the Section 106 for the project was completely rigged and not signed off on by any of the local Ewa Community because of the Navy arrogance to fix the outcome the way they wanted it.

Many of the Incredible Kanehili Karst Caves areas are surrounded by walls. Numerous important sinkholes and cave entrances have been found just this past weekend and shot on high-definition video. It is an established fact that these caves are hydrologically connected and water flows through them to the ocean. Further this area was designated by a Federal HART TCP survey as a major "Leina a ka Uhane" sacred place and recommended for the National Historic register as a Traditional Cultural Property.

Sacred caves in Hawaii may soon be destroyed by Navy

The Navy has refused Archaeological Inventory Survey despite all of the documented evidence that goes back to 1925 when the Ewa Mooring Mast was first constructed in this area. 1925 photos show the extensive coral limestone sinkholes and caves of the area and 1941 Ewa airfield construction further documents them.

These cave discoveries are makai (ocean side) of the Ewa Field area where Hunt Corp is currently putting in their solar farm and HECO is drilling down 9 feet below the surface to install a major 46 kV power line. An ancient Hawaiian implement which may possible be a kukui nut oil lamp was previously found, possibly used for going down into and exploring such caves by ancient Hawaiians.

The Navy refuses to do an Archaeological Inventory Survey despite all the evidence that they will be busting into ancient Hawaiian caves just below ground using boring and drilling equipment. This entire area was a major ancient Hawaiian cultural site with rich cultural significance and mentioned in the 1000 year old chants of Hi'iaka.

 

Leilono to Kanehili Kaupe’a - Leina a ka uhane – The Spirit Leaping Place

  KANEHILI CULTURAL HUI Leina a ka uhane – The Spirit Leaping Place of Leilono to Kanehili Kaupe’a Archeological sites in Kanehili have clea...