#Pohakuloa Training Area

A heavy rain band potentially reaches Kaua‘i on Sunday night, but that remains rather uncertain; on the other hand, confidence is increasing that the Big Island will remain largely dry.

Join the Waimea Community Association’s pivotal town meeting on April 2 at the Keck Observatory.

The rain is mostly over Maui County this morning, with the storm expected to slide southeast toward Hawai‘i Island later today.

No additional training is taking place at Pōhakuloa Training Area, but the Big Island base has a heightened level of security for employees and visitors.

No structures, wildlife or cultural sites are present in the affected training area.

The funding will be used to make repairs to architectural and structural elements at PTA Fire Station Building 390, restoring the fire station to full operational capacity.

Kīlaueaʻs dramatic episodic eruption, the unexpected death of the Hawaiʻi County Fire Chief and a new hospital for West Hawai‘i were among the top news of the year.

The meeting will take place on O‘ahu, but it will be livestreamed, so anyone interested in listening in can be present.

Members used their inaugural meeting — in advance of meeting with the governor — to review their roles and responsibilities, discuss a general framework to proceed and develop a shared understanding of the choices before the state — lease, land exchange and condemnation.

Mostly made up of Native Hawaiians, the committee encompasses individuals from state government and the private sector.

Helicopters once again will be flying overhead for several hours after dark tonight for training above the area between the training camp in the saddle region of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport and Hāwī.

The U.S. Army’s land lease with the State of Hawai’i for Pōhakuloa Training Area is set to expire in 2029, a lease that the military paid only $1 for in the 1960s.

The joint training will include thousands of participants, including U.S. joint forces and military personnel from seven partner nations: Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Maldives, France, New Zealand, and other multinational partners.

They would take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., depending on weather, and will consist of several military vehicles carrying personnel and equipment.

The document signed by Gov. Josh Green and Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll reflects a shared understanding about how Hawaiʻi and the Army will discuss protecting lands used by the military, while also supporting national security.

The 8-0 passage of the resolution comes after the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources rejected the U.S. Army’s final Environmental Impact Statement to extend its 65-year lease for the Pōhakuloa Training Area.

“The Army’s current leases expire in 2029, and while federal leaders have emphasized national security concerns, they’ve also indicated they could act through eminent domain, which would leave Hawai‘i with nothing in return. We must stand firm and ensure our people’s voices are at the center of these negotiations,” said Hawai‘i Gov. Josh Green.

The military is working to renew its lease at Pōhakuloa Training Area on the Big Island, but the state Board of Land and Natural Resources voted in May not to accept the final environmental impact statement.

“I am extremely hopeful that my fellow colleagues on the council have been impacted, educated and convinced that now is the time for us to make this statement as a county,” said Hawaiʻi County Councilmember Rebecca Villegas, who introduced the resolution.

Councilmember Rebecca Villegas introduced Resolution 234-25, which was discussed Tuesday during the Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management.