WCA Meeting to Cover Wide Range of Important Issues

Waimea Community Association. PC: https://www.facebook.com/WaimeaCommunityAssociation/

The Waimea Community Association will hold a “catch up” town meeting on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, at 5:15 p.m. in the Waimea School cafeteria.

“Itʻs ‘catch-up’ in nature because we devoted our June and July Town Meetings to Primary Election
candidate forums,” said WCA President Patti Cook.

September Presentations

• • Hawai’i County Mayor Kimʻs Executive Assistant Roy Takemoto will present an interactive
    discussion of the details and thought process behind the county’s proposed $800-plus-million eruption disaster assistance package that is being presented to the state Legislature for funding assistance. The discussion will include how county leadership is trying to leverage the disaster for islandwide issues such as affordable housing and homelessness. The mayorʻs administration is asking the Legislature to hold a special session as soon as possible to act on their request due to the extensive harm and cascading impacts of recent volcanic activity. Some of the $800-plus-million is expected to come from the federal government. Impacts and repair and recovery costs related to catastrophic flooding caused more recently by Hurricane Lane will also be discussed.
  • A brief update on County Council business by Waimea Councilmembers Val Poindexter and
    Dr. Tim Richards, now that the election process has concluded.
  • An introduction of new Pōhakuloa Training Area Commander Lt. Cmdr. Loreto V. Borce.
  • An introduction of new South Kohala Police Captain Sherry Bird, who was assigned to the station
    Aug. 1, 2018.
  • An introduction of new Waimea Middle School Principal Janice English.
  • An update of the October opening of a Waimea branch of Hāmākua-Kohala Health Center in
    Waimeaʻs Carter Professional Center. A community-owned not-for-profit, Hāmākua-Kohala Health is
    a federally qualified health center, which receives funds from the federal government to provide
    patient-centered quality primary healthcare. This includes all people who face barriers in accessing
    services because of poverty, language or cultural differences or an insufficient number of health
    professionals or resources in the area. Hāmākua-Kohala Health has had offices in Honokaʻa and
    North Kohala for many years, and recently opened a new office in Laupahoehoe.
  • WCAʻs spotlighted community not-for-profit for the September Town Meeting will be the Waimea Outdoor Circle, which among its many community initiatives, is the volunteer backbone and workforce that created and now sustains and guides continuing improvements to Waimea Nature Park – Ulu Laʻau.
  • September is National Emergency Preparedness Month, so Waimea CERT volunteers will provide useful information at the meeting.

As always, there is no charge to attend WCA Town Meetings and everyone is invited. Membership in
WCA is encouraged and runs $15 for individuals and $25 per family per year.

For more information, go to www.WaimeaTown.org or call Patti Cook at (808) 937-2833.