LIHU‘E — Next week the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Kekaha Host Community Benefits will begin listening to proposals for use of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds allocated in July 2008, county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka said Wednesday.
LIHU‘E — Next week the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Kekaha Host Community Benefits will begin listening to proposals for use of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in funds allocated in July 2008, county spokeswoman Beth Tokioka said Wednesday. The county allocated the funds to compensate the Kekaha community for hosting the island’s landfill.
“The total amount requested via the proposals is roughly $1.7 million,” Tokioka said. “The total in the fund right now is just under $900,000. So the CAC’s work at this point is very important.”
Last year the KHCB/CAC, after several meetings, could not agree on how to spend the funds. A new set of meetings has been conducted this year, resulting in the current proposals.
The KHCB/CAC is inviting the public to attend two meetings next week to hear presentations from organizations that have applied for funding for many projects aimed at benefiting the Kekaha community.
The presentations will be given Monday and Wednesday evenings, during which public will be welcomed to testify each night after the last presentation.
Project proposals were accepted from community groups and non-profit organizations, corporations or unincorporated associations, chartered or otherwise engaging in charitable activities in the county.
The projects are intended to benefit Kekaha in one or more areas including community improvements, economic revitalization, environment, sustainability, education, culture, arts, human services, and health and wellness.
Both meetings will be conducted at the Kekaha Neighborhood Center, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday presentations
• Kanaka Aupuni A Ni‘ihau Aloha — Hula and Fine Arts facility: Construct a building at 8315 Kekaha Road for the KANAKA public charter school to support hula, music and language education programs and to benefit community groups during evenings and weekends.
• Boys & Girls Club of Hawai‘i — Zero Waste Project for Kekaha’s Keiki: Implement a waste management educational curriculum for Kekaha Elementary School students, grades 3-5, called Trashology 101 that will outreach to families, youth organizations, recreational clubs and faith-based organizations.
• Kekaha Community Garden — Many Hands, Light Work: Improve the garden by adding a micro food forest for shade and fruit production; rental fees for a portable potty; building a gazebo and benches; and installing a sump to decrease water costs.
• St. Theresa School — St. Theresa School Renewable Energy Project: Acquire photovoltaic systems for the school complex to decrease electricity costs and use those savings to continue offering community services.
• E Ola Mau — Kekaha Photovoltaic Project for Deserving Residents: Decrease the cost of electricity for long-time Kekaha homeowners (dating back to the landfill) by installing photovoltaic systems on their homes.
• Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity — Repair and Renovation Program: Repair of deteriorating homes for Kekaha homeowners earning between 30-80 percent of Kaua‘i’s median income and without other resources. Critical home repairs will be made to roofs, exteriors, windows, handicap accessibility ramps, etc. using donated materials and volunteer labor.
Wednesday presentations
• The “W” — Kaua‘i 2012 NBC Basketball Camp: Provide the first annual NBC Basketball Camp at Island School Gymnasium for youth ages 9-18, consisting of 5 days of basketball instruction and life skills training.
• Na Lei Wili Area Health Education Center — PATCH Family Fitness: Implement a 45-week fitness program for families to address obesity and overweight issues using nutrition education and fitness coaches and produce a 90-minute documentary that tracks the progress of three families and develop a 48-page cookbook.
• American Cultural Arts Cooperative — Rainbow Road Project: Create an educational cultural arts program comprised of an improvisational theater troupe to serve as mentors to youth and those young at heart in schools, shelters, parks, etc.
• Kekaha Pop Warner Football — Locker Room and Storage Project: A three-year community build project for locker room space and storage by renovating the existing building at Kekaha Faye Park and constructing an additional building.
• Kekaha Pop Warner Football — Community Awareness Presentations: Provide annual training sessions for families about challenging issues in Kekaha such as drug and alcohol abuse, bullying, cyber safety, homelessness and health and wellness.
• Kekaha Elementary School — School Garden (tentative): Develop a community/school sustainable garden to be incorporated into the school’s curriculum. The first phase will build a taro loi.
Contact CAC Chair Bruce Pleas at 639-2850 or Diane Zachary from Kaua‘i Planning & Action Alliance at 632-2005 for more information.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
