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Pacific Guardian Center │ 733 Bishop Street, Makai Tower Suite 2590 │ Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Date: April 27, 2016
Time: 4:30‐6:30 PM Project Name: Black Pot Beach Park Master Plan
Location: Waipā Foundation, Keanolani Hale
Recorded by: Corlyn Orr Reviewed by DPR: May 31, 2016
Attendees: see attendance record Reviewed by CAC members: June 8, 2016
Subject: Community Advisory Committee Meeting 2
The second meeting of the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Black Pot Beach Park Master Plan Project was held at Waipā Foundation, Keanolani Hale on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The meeting was scheduled from 4:30—6:30 PM. The meeting purpose was to review the work done since the last CAC meeting, gather feedback on the draft conceptual plan alternatives, and discuss ideas for how to share the plan alternatives with the community. Handouts included the meeting agenda and Powerpoint presentation, the draft conceptual plan alternatives, and a comparison table of the plan elements.
WELCOME, INTRODUCTIONS AND PROJECT UDPATE
Johanna Ventura, meeting facilitator, called the meeting to order at roughly 4:35 PM. Mayor Bernard Carvalho opened the meeting with pule and offered welcoming remarks. Scott Ezer, Principal with HHF Planners, followed with a project status briefing that reviewed the priorities that emerged from the focus group meetings and the community meeting. Scott also provided a recap of the various Federal, State and county laws and regulations applicable to the planning area. This included background about: (1) the State Coastal Zone Management Act (HRS 205A) and the development regulations for the Special Management Area (SMA); (2) agency concerns about the ecological and environmental impacts that could be caused by vehicles driving/parking on the beach; and (3) the State’s rules for State unencumbered lands that prohibit driving on the beach (which does not apply to Black Pot Beach because it is was given by Executive Order to the County).
CONCEPTUAL PLAN ALTERNATIVES
Scott then presented three different conceptual plan alternatives, and briefly described the plan elements specific to each alternative (SEE ATTACHMENT I).
Group discussion that followed Scott’s presentation is summarized below.
The plan will include a recommendation about parking on the beach based on the existing rules/regulations and land use permits that will be required before construction can begin. For example, the project area is located in the SMA and will require an SMA permit and either an environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS). Given the sensitive coastal and marine resources surrounding Black Pot, it is unlikely that the regulatory agencies will respond favorably to a plan that proposes facilities for beach parking.
Question was asked about the number of parking stalls and camping sites to be included in the final plan, and whether the plan would have the capacity to accommodate the current demand. The alternative plans present scenarios for parking configurations and capacities, and camping areas. Both plan elements would be based largely on community feedback to the alternatives.
MEETING SUMMARY
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The shoreline setback line identified on the three alternatives was calculated based on the County’s new formula for determining the setback. Per the County’s new rules, no new structures will be allowed in the shoreline setback area. Existing structures—including the picnic pavilions and the leach field—can remain indefinitely in the shoreline setback area.
Requirements for setback distances from the river will be confirmed and added to future plans.
The toilets back up because people flush items that are not supposed to be flushed. Frequent malfunctions with the toilets are due to clogs within the septic system lines, and are not related to capacity issues.
Locating showers and bathroom facilities close to a designated loading/unloading area near the park entrance will encourage people to stop at the park to use the shower and bathroom facilities. This would add additional traffic congestion to the park entrance.
The configuration of the proposed boat ramp and trailer parking area is not practical. The boat ramp should be designed in the other direction (keep the current configuration pointing towards the river mouth). There also should be a turnaround area in front of the boat ramp for a truck/trailer to turn and reverse down the ramp. The washdown area should have its own designated turnaround so there are no conflicts with cars parked in the overflow parking area.
The County has not secured ownership of the property leased by Namolokama Canoe Club. Discussions are on‐going. The master plan is moving forward with the understanding that the land will eventually belong to the County.
A question was asked about possibly closing the park gates overnight. Lydgate Park is an example where the gates are locked at 6 PM daily.
The park needs to have capacity to accommodate canoe races (need space for staging).
The separated handicapped/lifeguard parking shown on Alternative C could also be designated for maintenance parking. Although the concept of separated parking is only shown on one alternative, it is an option that could be included in the preferred plan.
Dredging the river mouth is a wholly separate issue from the location of boat ramp. The choice of boat ramp location (part of the park planning process) has no bearing on the issues of whether the river mouth should be dredged. All ramp locations—including the existing Weke ramp and existing practice of launching boats from the ocean sand spits, and any future ramp locations along the river—place boats in the river and requires access to the ocean via the shallow river mouth. Sometimes the river mouth is deep, sometimes it is shallow. It changes virtually daily with the surf and rain.
Scott explained that the Army Corps of Engineers General Permit under which the County performs stream clearing activities does not apply to Hanalei River because of the river’s designation as an American Heritage River. The County would need to apply for a separate individual permit from the US Army Corps to clear the river. The current channel depth and the need for clearing would be described in the master plan report as a follow‐on action because decisions involving the river are outside the scope of the master plan.
Sea level rise is an important consideration for future improvements. The location of the boat ramp is being based on current conditions, but conditions will change with sea level rise.
Prior to 1961, groins and a sand beach were constructed along the Princeville side of the river as part of a larger proposal that included dredging the river and constructing a wading pool. This proposal was not approved, and the applicant was instructed to remove the improvements. The
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groins were subsequently installed and the river dredged as a County project to stabilize the channel depth (see ATTACHMENT II for documentation submitted by a CAC member). Comment was made that these groins should be removed to restore the river to its original state.
Scott confirmed that the CAC would see the alternatives before they are presented at the community meeting. The alternatives should be considered “snapshots in time,” and may change based on feedback from the focus groups and DPR.
Construction cost estimates will be included as part of the final plan.
GROUP ACTIVITY
The larger group was divided into three small groups, with 4‐5 individuals in each group. Groups were asked to identify the planning concepts that they would like to see in the preferred alternative. Comments from each group are summarized below.
GROUP 1 Alt. A Alt. B Alt. C
Parking is too far to transport equipment (e.g., kayaks, SUP boards). ● Parking configuration is adequate.
Parking for canoe halau and drop off configuration need improvement.
Remove bathroom at boat ramp to make more space for trailers/boats. Need enough space for two trailers to pass and maneuver. Suggestion is to allow two‐way traffic on the mauka side and one‐way traffic closer to the river.
●
Bathroom is not close enough to camping. Boat ramp users can walk to bathroom. Use current bathroom near Namolokama Canoe Club for camping bathroom instead of proposed location.
● ●
Would like drop‐off alongside the pier.
Would like more pavilions on the makai side for picnickers/day‐users. No pavillions on the mauka side: keep mauka separate for camping.
Would like more camping areas (hard to tell how many camping sites proposed in each alternative).
Possible to add a gate w/posted park hours? Possible to limit parking?
Need turnaround for trailers. Design should allow for the least amount of turns.
Suggest removing boat wash area. Boat wash runs off into river and adds to pollution and takes up space that could be used for boat trailer parking/maneuvering.
Removing proposed boat ramp bathroom would gain parking for trailers.
● ● ●
GROUP 2 Alt. A Alt. B Alt. C
Dislike bathroom location on Hodge Parcel ●
Like moving canoe halau to rear of park near the river ● ●
Like traffic flow/circle at park entrance.
Alt. C was the preferred choice for parking. Suggest adding half of Alt. A and Alt. B Makai parking to Alt. C to preserve grass area by the ocean.
●
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Prefer bathroom location in Alt. B, near current location but not right against pavement
Group was divided on open space overflow parking option
●
Like second bath/shower at the rear of park
Need better trailer turn around configuration
Suggest permeable pavement
Preserve open space at beach
No matter which alternative chosen, maintenance is an issue.
If camping permits are not enforced, there will continue to be overcrowding issues
Mauka properties—like Hanalei Canoe Club—will not want to drive through the parking lot to get to their properties.
● ● ●
GROUP 3 Alt. A Alt. B Alt. C
Need to conform to Hanalei Watershed Plan
Need correct boat/trailer radius, turning distances, etc. (40‐50 foot truck/trailer radius)
Location of existing boa ramp needs to stay (historical location shows it weathers the seasonality of the river)
Need to acquire Sheehan’s ramp
Need a boat washdown area
Need a constraints map. Also need to show permitting/development constraints (e.g., setbacks for uses, height limits)
Likes parking that allows views of surf and beach
Likes the green belt
Need a signage plan
Want to see centralized bathrooms
Consider capacity limits of parking and camping
Consider shuttle to lower visitor parking demand
Removal of ironwoods would also remove the old concrete pier ramps
● ● ●
DISCUSSION OF NEXT STEPS
The next steps in the planning process consist of a second round of focus group meetings and a second community meeting to present and gather feedback on the preliminary alternatives. (Focus group meetings are targeted for June, followed by the community meeting in the summer. The goal is to have a final plan by the end of the year.) The CAC was asked to share their thoughts on how to disseminate information about the plan alternatives and communicate with the public in advance of the community meeting. Comments are summarized below.
It will be important to manage people’s expectations about what is realistic and possible vs. what is unachievable. There may be a disconnect between what people want to see at the park and what can actually be done. Make it clear so people understand that implementation is going to
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take time and will be phased because of permit approvals and funding restrictions. Presenting the timeframe for the plan (e.g., a 20 year planning horizon) would help to manage expectations.
The County was asked to consider using the fenced lot (next to Na Molokama Canoe Club) for overflow parking in the near‐term. Given the long delay until plan implementation, this could be an interim, short‐term solution to provide for additional parking on busy days/weekends. In response, Lenny stated that DPR has opened the park on certain occasion, while others have been taking the liberty to open the gate on their own.
Scott confirmed that participation in the focus group meetings would be limited (targeting 12‐15 participants per group), and that sign‐up for meetings would be handled on a first‐come, first‐served basis. Invitations to sign‐up to participate in a focus group meeting would be sent to those who participated in or were invited to attend the first round of focus group meetings, then to select individuals who signed‐up at the community meeting. CAC members were encouraged to submit names and contact information of individuals to be considered for the focus groups.
Social media and technology are underutilized outreach tools. Suggestions were given to expand use of the Facebook page as a way to share project information and to add FAQs to both the website and Facebook page.
Question was asked about the format of the next public meeting. At the first community meeting, a number of individuals left at the start of the small group activity because they were disappointed that there was no opportunity to speak publicly. The community has come to expect an open mike session at public meetings.
Effort should be made to reach out to kupuna since this group is not on social media and have difficulties coming to public meetings. CAC members were encouraged to submit names and contact information of kupuna who should be contacted.
If DPR is going to introduce operating hours for the park, this should be part of the discussion for the focus groups and community meetings. There was a general sense of agreement among CAC members that posting park closure hours and installing a gate near the pier to keep vehicles off the beach when the park is closed would help to address problems with illegal activities. It was noted that illegal activities are less likely when campers are present. It was also noted that Hanamaulu Park became a safer place after the County closed the park at night.
Lenny Rapozo, DPR Director, stated that the final plan would be used to determine proper staffing and maintenance position. DPR currently has a total of 10 acres of beachfront parks in Hanalei, which is the upper limit for the number of maintenance positions allotted to the district.
ADJOURNMENT
In closing, Scott thanked everyone for attending and reviewed the next steps, including asking CAC members to send in names and contact info for focus group participants by May 22. The meeting was adjourned at 6:50 pm.
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ATTENDANCE RECORD
1. Adam Roversi 2. Aukai Lee 3. Billy Kinney 4. Charlie Cowden 5. Dave Stewart 6. Dawn Wooten 7. Hobey Beck 8. Jim Braman 9. Joel Guy 10. Kaiulani Sodaro 11. Keola Sheehan 12. Maka‘ala Kaaumoana 13. Mike Schorr 14. Nathan Teixeira
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jay Furfaro, County Administrator, Office of Boards and Commission Lenny Rapozo, DPR Director Nancy McMahon, DPR Park Planner Scott Ezer, HHF Planners Corlyn Orr, HHF Planners Rick Quinn, HHF Planners Johanna Ventura, Community Outreach
COMPARISON OF PRELIMINARY CONCEPTUAL PLAN ALTERNATIVESBLACK POT BEACH PARK MASTER PLAN
Community Advisory Committee Meeting | April 27, 2016
Plan Element Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C
Loading/unloading area near parkentry/pier access road
YES YES, BUT DIFFERENTCONFIGURATION
YES, BUT DIFFERENTCONFIGURATION
Existing bathroom and showers Moved to Hodge property(makes space forloading/unloading area andopens up views to ocean)
New bathroom built in existinglocation
Shifted slightly north (makesspace for loading/unloadingarea and opens up views toocean)
Additional bathroom and showers nearnew boat ramp
YES YES YES
Makai camping sites alongside river YES YES YES
Additional mauka camping sites Between canoe halau and newboat ramp
Between Weke Ramp and canoehalau
Between Weke Ramp and canoehalau
Remove ironwoods along the shoreline YES YES YES
Kayak launch at Weke Ramp YES YES YES
New boat ramp at mauka end of park YES YES YES
Number of trailer parking spaces 6 5 8
Location of canoe halau In middle of park Mauka end of park near newboat ramp
Mauka end of park near newboat ramp
Vehicular access to neighboringproperties via:1. Private driveway to Wilikoki Street2. New paved parking lot
YES YES YES
Number of parking spaces(paved/marked)
161 191 211 (maximum paved area)
Number of overflow parking(unpaved/unmarked)
80 80 0
Total parking spaces 241 271 211
