Dozens of Big Island residents met with Mayor Kimo Alameda and other Hawaii County officials Wednesday at the first of 14 planned community meetings around the island.
Alameda kicked off his four-month series of community events at Aunt Sally’s Luau Hale by introducing the heads of the county’s agencies and inviting attendees to tell them about their concerns.
Those concerns were wide-ranging, from requests about specific road features, to allegations of countywide sex trafficking, and more.
Multiple attendees asked what the county is doing to crack down on sex trafficking — particularly child sex trafficking. However, Hawaii Police Chief Ben Moskowitz said he is unaware of any active sex trafficking cases.
“When we look at the number of sex trafficking investigations we currently have open, that number is zero,” Moscowitz said. “Which means that we’re not being told. I can do absolutely nothing without your help.”
But other attendees pressed Moscowitz on the matter, including one who alleged a century-long history of child sexual abuse by a nonprofit. Moscowitz reiterated that, if presented evidence, his department will investigate such claims.
Other concerns came from members of Friends of the Pana‘ewa Zoo. The Department of Parks and Recreation last year had announced plans to start charging admission to the zoo, which currently is free. While those proposed fees would be reduced for kama‘aina, zoo advocates were concerned that changing admission at all might have negative impacts on the zoo.
“If it’s working, why change it?” asked one member of the Friends group.
In particular, some attendees worried that if zoo-goers were charged admission, they might be less likely to donate to the Friends of the Pana‘ewa Zoo, which is funded entirely by donations and provides animal care, assists in purchasing animals and more.
“That’s a good point,” Alameda said, seeming genuinely taken aback by the idea. “I didn’t think about that.”
Parks and Recreation Director Clayton Honma said the department is developing a new fee schedule that is different than the one previously proposed and is “friendlier” to local residents.
“Keiki, kupuna, should be free. Locals should be as economically feasible as possible,” Alameda said.
Those fees will be discussed at a future community meeting, Honma said.
Still other complaints elicited responses promising future, albeit nonspecific, action.
Matthew Runnells, county Animal Control administrator responded to concerns about people feeding feral cats on Banyan Drive, saying the county and other agencies are working on restrictions, but acknowledged the matter is complicated.
“We’re trying to make everyone happy, which is virtually impossible,” Runnells said. “The problem is that the feeding has gone on so long that it has made an impact on the nene … so they’re habituated to people feeding the cats, and they come in to eat the same food. So, with that, anything you do with the cats has an impact on the nene, and the (Department of Land and Natural Resources) is all over that.”
On the other hand, he added, repeated contact between nene and cats puts the endangered birds at risk of contracting potentially fatal diseases.
Several attendees raised concerns about traffic features on specific roads — a lack of a traffic light or bus shelter near the Mohouli Senior Residences, and the sign of the Hilo Benioff Medical Center obscuring a pedestrian crossing, for example.
Mass Transit Administrative Services Assistant Zac Bergum promised to look into the former issue, and Mass Transit Administrator Victor Kandle said he’d investigate the HBMC sign that very night.
Bergum added that Mass Transit is securing nine additional vans to back up its paratransit fleet.
The meeting did not include specific updates from each county agency, despite what notices in advance of the meeting suggested — although it did end with attendees asking department heads direct questions one-on-one.
Thirteen more meetings will be held in the future. The next will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Honokaa People’s Theater.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
