Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 11, 1 November 1992 — OHA Board Business [ARTICLE]

OHA Board Business

Na kuleana a ka Papa Kahu waiwai

by Pearl Leialoha Page Assistant Editor

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees held its monthly business meeting on Thursday, Oct. 1 on the island of Moloka'i at Kala'iakamanuhou Congregational Church. Present were Chairman Clayton H.W. Hee, presiding, Vice-Chair Abraham Aiona and trustees Moanikeala Akaka, Rowena Akana, Louis Hao and A. Frenchy DeSoto. Trustees Kamaki Kanahele, Moses Keale, Sr. and Thomas Kaulukukui were excused. Staff present included OHA administrator Richard Paglinawan, deputy administrator Jerry Walker, land officer Linda Delaney, culture officer Pikake Pelekai, OHA Moloka'i liaison Myrle Florea and Ka Wai Ola O OHA assistant editor Pearl Page. Guests present included Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council chair Lydia Namahana Mai'oho and eouneil member Lueille Meyer. Also present from the community were Mililani Trask, Walter Ritte, Manuwai Peters and Kamaka Von Oelhoffen. Just prior to the business meeting, the Committee of the Whole met to hear testimony on the Native Hawaiian Historic Preservation Council Report on Halawa Valley. Mililani Trask and Kamaka Von Oelhoffen urged the board to reject the report until all the evidence eame in. The matter was recomitted and taken off the agenda of the BOT meeting whieh followed. Trustee Clayton Hee called the BOT business meeting to order at 11 a.m. Minutes of the last two board meetings on Aug. 26 and an emergency meeting on Sept. 18 were amended and approved. The September meeting was held to approve $250,000 in special funds to assist relief efforts for Hawaiians affected by Hurricane 'Iniki. Administrator Paglinawan made a brief progress report on getting matching funds and how some of the funding might be used. At the August meeting, Alma Henderson, David Peters, Abraham Pi'ianai'a, Joyce Tsunoda and Miehael Chun had been selected as directors for the OHA Education Foundation. The Foundation was established to provide scholarship assistance to qualified persons of Hawaiian ancestry to pursue

college and postgraduate education as well as assistance for leaming-disabled students, special educational programs, and to support Hawaiian language immersion programs in the schools. At that meeting the board had also voted unanimously to ratify the agreement with the state for entitlements owed to OHA amounting to $111.8 million. The correspondence reports of the chairman and administrator were accepted by the trustees. Committee Reports Education and Culture The board declined to become party to a Memorandum of Agreement for 'Ewa Marina regarding the preservation and interpretation of native Hawaiian historic sites. Trustees Akana, Hao and

Akaka had reservations and wished more time to review what the MOA entailed. Trustee Akana felt it was unusual for the action item to eome before the board without the signature of the committee chair (Trustee Moses Keale, Sr.). She also questioned that the matter didn't go through the Eeonomie Development and Land Committee. Chairman Hee said if it passed he would refer the matter to the Eeonomie Development and Land committee chaired by Trustee Hao. Hao moved to amend the action item, but the motion was defeated. "This item has been before the Wai'anae community many, many times," said DeSoto. "The process has been ongoing for the last two years." The action item failed and returns to the Education and Culture committee. (Note: At the close of the meeting, Chairman Hee noted that the Eeonomie Development and Land Committee had in fact previously reviewed the item and referred it to the Education & Culture committee.) The board accepted the committee's recommendation to award this year's 'Aha Kupuna Award to Parley Kanaka'ole. He is a fluent Hawaiian language speaker, noted educator, and well versed in music, farming and Fishing, la'au lapa'au and Fine arts. "This male kupuna is a living role model for our male youth in re-establishing their rightful role in our Hawaiian society," the report read. Budget, Finance, Policy and Planning The board approved a funding request from the Kamanawa School of Personal Development for $99,600 in special funds for a program for at-risk children of native Hawaiian blood in selected schools on the Big Island. The board also approved $65,000 to Child and Family Service for the Wai'anae Coast Teen Network/Hawai'i Island Teen Services Project for FY 9293. The board also approved by a Five to one vote, Akana casting the dissenting vote, an appropriation of $32,000 to replace OHA's current staff car with a van for making pickups and deliveries and purchase a second auto for ofFicial

business. The board voted against changing the existing policy in the OHA administrative procedures manual pertaining to instructions for reporting serious and troublesome incidences whieh may involve OHA personnel and property; such as vandalism, robbery, Fire, arson, personal threat, and other incidents. The board also denied the administrator authorization to add, amend or delete provisions. The trustees approved $4,000 from the Native Hawaiian Rights Fund to allow OHA island liaisons to participate in the Integrated Resources Planning (IRP) process currently being conducted by electric utility companies on Maui and Hawai'i. Hawaiian Electric ine. has requested that OHA participate on the advisory committees. The IRP process includes community groups in the planning and decision-making for electricity generation. The Maui Electric Co. is eager to have Myrle Florea participate since there is no other participant from Moloka'i and because Moloka'i electricity is the most expensive in the state. The chairman recommitted without discussion an action item to approve $24,730 in additional funds to develop a business plan for a Fmancial services loan company referred to as OHA ine. *Chairman of the Budget, Finance, Policy & Planning Committee Abraham Aiona requested the chairman to recommit. Eeonomie Development & Land The board voted to decline an offer of $5,000 for all rights, title and interest OHA may have in property situated in Kalihiwai, Kaua'i, whieh is the subject of a quiet title action identified as Delbert Goo et al. v. Goo York et al. The board will eonhnue settlement discussions with plaintiff's attorney while pursuing legal clarification of OHA's kuleana escheat rights in Love vs. Kalawa and Love vs. Kahikona civil suits in the Second Circuit Court. Announcements The board also passed resolutions honoring Richard H.S. "Dickie" Wong, retiring speaker of the House of Representatives and Mamoru

Yamasaki, former chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, for exemplary public service. The board also honored Walter Meheula Heen, who served as a member of the territorial and state House of Representatives as well as the Honolulu City Council, for receiving the 1992 Lei Hulu Mamo Award. Lastly, the board congratulated A. Frenchy DeSoto upon her retirement from service with the City and County of Honolulu as manager of the Wai'anae Satellite City Hall.