Ka`u News Briefs Feb. 18, 2011w

Wendell Ing brings his entertaining style to the Volcano School of Arts & Sciences
fundraiser tomorrow.

HOW WOULD IMPACT FEES HELP IMPROVE COMMUNITY infrastructure like roads and parks when housing, industrial and commercial developments come to town? This was explained by County Council member Pete Hoffmann last night at a Brittany Smart talk story session in Pahala. The councilman said an impact fee formula could replace Fair Share practices that have the county charging more than $12,000 for each house built.
     Hoffmann said an impact fee could reduce that amount for affordable houses and could allow owner-builders of affordable houses to pay the impact fee over time. He said that impact fees could also be charged for commercial and industrial development.
     Many of those who attended were concerned that impact fees would add on too much cost to housing, while Hoffmann said they could wind up costing less and be financed by the county for lower-income people.
     The next talk story meeting hosted by council member Brittany Smart will be held at Na`alehu Community Center next Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. The subject, again, will be impact fees.

Mazie Hirono

CONGRESSWOMAN MAZIE HIRONO launched a bipartisan effort to save education programs for indigenous people. She and Republican Don Young, of Alaska, created the Young-Hirono amendment. It cleared the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday with a vote of 313 yeas to 117 nays. “Working across the aisle, Rep. Young and I were able to join forces to counteract those who strongly oppose any programs benefitting Native Hawaiians or Alaska Natives," she said. The amendment restores eligibility of Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native education programs for federal funding. 

THE BIOFUELS TAX BREAK has been refined at the Legislature to guarantee use of local resources and support of local agriculture. In order for developers to receive tax breaks of 30 cents a gallon, amendments to Bill 772 would require the feedstock to be at least 75 percent locally sourced. It also tags the tax break to actual production of biofuel and allows tax breaks for use of many waste materials, such as fats, oils and grease. Tax breaks had been based on capacity rather than actual production. A meeting on the biofuels refinery and farm planned for Ka`u will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at Pahala Community Center, with a presentation by the developers of the project, `Aina Koa Pono. 

`Aina Koa Pono's depiction of its
proposed Ka`u Energy Farm

A PROPOSED SITE FOR THE BIOFUELS REFINERY would be along on Meyer Camp Road, off Wood Valley Road. The location would be buffered from Pahala by a 1.7-mile wide block of existing macadamia orchard just above Pahala and would be set off of Wood Valley Road - .4 miles up Meyer Camp Road. 

THE KAʻŪ HIGH JV SOFTBALL TEAM did not allow a little rain to get in the way of victory over the Hilo Vikings on Wednesday. The girls defeated the Vikings 14-6 at the Pahala ball field. Shaylin Navarro went four for four and scored three times along with Shylee Tamura and Chazlyn Fuerte. Pili Kailiawa and Jadelyn Kekoa-Jara went two for four and scored twice each. Kamalani Fujikawa went one for four and scored once to help the lady Trojans win in the seventh inning. Winning pitcher was Shaylin Navarro.
     Earlier this week on Valentine's Day the Trojans killed Keaʻau 23-13. Navarro served as winning pitcher again and went three for five, scoring three runs along with Fuerte. Kailiawa went four for five and also scored three times, as did Toni Beck and Casey Koi. Kekoa-Jara went four for five and scored twice, along with Tamura. Fujikawa was five for five, scoring three runs to help secure this fifth-inning T.K.O. victory and Valentine's gift for Coach Donald Garo via the lady Trojans. The two wins were the first of the JV season, which will end this coming Tuesday.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE for the Ka`u Federal Credit Union annual membership meeting and steak fry which will be held on Saturday, March 19th. They are available at credit union locations in Pahala, Na`alehu and Ocean View.

A POETRY SLAM will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus in Volcano Village. Kimberly Dark emcees the poetry competition.

THE OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION PANCAKE BREAKFAST is tomorrow, Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Ocean View Community Center.

RECYCLE your HI-5 and receive 5 cents per container and an additional 20 cents per pound for all aluminum tomorrow at Na`alehu School from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Atlas Recycling will also donate 20 cents per pound to the school for all aluminum.

THE VOLCANO SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES hosts a big music festival fundraiser tomorrow at Kilauea Military Camp Theater. It features the Kuahiwis, Wendell Ing & Friends, the Bump City Funk Band, Halau Ke `Olu Makani O Mauna Loa and more. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.