Community Enterprises
Kona Town Meetings
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Community Enterprises
Board Member & Officer Directory 2010
Rep. George (Denny) Coffman; Chairman
Fred Housel, President
George Wilkins, Vice President
Barbara Housel, Treasurer
Bita Wicart, Secretary
About Community Enterprises:
Community Enterprises was founded in 2005 to create a community forum for concerned
citizens of West Hawaii. Community Enterprises is a non-partisan, non-profit
Hawaii Corporation and a federally recognized Public Charity under Section
501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service code. Our mission is to present
educational forums to Kona area residents by scheduling speakers from government,
business, and nonprofit organizations for monthly town meetings.
Community Enterprises’ Board are unpaid volunteers, committed to
community service, who are dedicated to the coordination and preparation
of Kona Town
Meetings. Guest speakers are not compensated for their time or expenses.
Program Highlights 2008-2009
September- Meeting Topic: Candidates for North and South Kona County
Council and West Hawaii State House and Senate. Speakers included: North Kona
County Council candidates Debbie Hecht, Kelly Greenwell, Joe Reynolds, Tsing
Young and South Kona County Council candidates, Brenda Ford and Casey Delo Santos.
Hawaii State House candidates, Maegan Macgregor, Andy Smith, Bucky Leslie, Denny
Coffman and State Senate Candidates Virginia Isbell and Josh Green.
October- Meeting Topic: Alternative Renewable Energy for the Big Island. Speakers included: Mike Kaleikini, Plant Manager of Puna Geothermal Ventures, Tal Ziv, Director of Project Development for Sopogy, Jay Ignacio, President, Helco, Betsy Cole, Deputy Director of the Kohala Center, Pete Hoffmann, Chairman of Hawaii County Council, and Bob Herkes, State House Representative. North Kona Councilman Angel Pilago provided a Council update.
November-Meeting Topic: Water Quality And Availability in West Hawaii. Speakers included: Milton Pavao, Manager, Hawaii County Dept. of Water Supply. Brenda Ford, Hawaii County Councilmember, District 7, South Kona. Loren Heck, Chairman, Road Corporation, Hawaii Ocean View Estates. George Wilkins, Former Commissioner, Water Board. Brig. Gen(ret) Greg Trebon gave a Veterans Day Memorial presentation.
January- Meeting Topic: West Hawaii State Representatives Plans for 2009 State Legislature session. Speakers included Senator Josh Green, District 3, Kohala and North and South Kona, Representative Cindy Evans, District 7, North Kona and South Kohala, and Representative Denny Coffman, District 6, North Kona and Keauhou. Meeting format: Individual presentations and Roundtable talk story.
February- Meeting Topic: Economic Outlook for West Hawaii in
2009:
Speakers included Nancy Crawford, Hawaii County Director of Finance, George
Applegate, Executive Director, Big Island Visitors' Bureau, Robert A. Ferrari,
Director, Kona Board of Realtors, and Greg Ogin, President, Clark Commercial
Group.
Councilmember Pete Hoffmann substituted for Brenda Ford and provided a Council
update.
March- Meeting Topic: Hawaii County Property Taxes:
Speakers included Greg Gerard, Realtor Broker, Clark Realty, Peter Lasich,
Licensed Appraiser, Pacific Rim Appraisal, Stan Sitko, Hawai’i County
Real Property Tax Administrator, and Pete Hoffmann, Hawai’i County
Councilman District 9.
Councilmember Brenda Ford provided a Council update.
April- Meeting Topic: Mayor Kenoi and Cabinet:
Speakers included Mayor Kenoi, Public Works Director Warren Lee, Parks and
Recreation Director Bob Fitzgerald, Planning Director Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd,
Deputy Managing Director Wally Lau, Environmental Management Director Lono
Tyson, and Civil Defense Director Quince Mento.
May- Meeting Topic: Renewable Energy, Part Two:
Speakers included Randy Kurohara, Hawaii County R & D Department Director,
Ted Peck, Hawaii State DEBDT Energy Administrator, Guy Toyama, Chief Operating
Officer, H2 Technologies, Bill Brooks, President of Energy Specialists Hawaii,
Representative Cindy Evans and Representative Denny Coffman.
Program Highlights 2007-2008
September- Meeting Topic: West Hawaii Healthcare. Speakers included Josh Green,
State Representative and Chairman of House Health Committee Additional speakers
are Councilmember Brenda Ford, Bruce Makarewicz, Director of the West Hawaii
Community Health Center, Wally Lau,, the Neighborhood Place, and Wilbor Boyd,
Curves Fitness .
October- Meeting Topic: Flood Control Law Reform Speakers included: Councilmember Brenda Ford, Director of Public Works Bruce McClure, USDA Conservationalist Jeff Knowles, Steve Herbert, Professional Engineer, and David Edgar, Holualoa farmer. Councilmember Angel Pilago provided a Council update.
November-Meeting Topic: New West Hawaii Community College. Speakers included:
John Morton, President of University of Hawaii Community Colleges, Andy Smith,
Governor Lingle’s liaison, Cindy Evans, State Representative from District
7, Dr. Walter Kunitake, former Director of West Hawaii Community College,
Jim Lightner, Food Services Manager, Roger Harris, Palamanui Planning Director,
Lionel Kutner, Community Leader, and Rick Vidgen, Governor’s Advisory
Board. Councilmember Brenda Ford will provided a Council update.
December- Meeting Topic: Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelters. Speakers included: Tobi Taniguchi, United Way KTA, Bo Kahui, Hawaiian Homelands. Noni Kunz, Kona Historical Society, Barbara Kossow, Transitional Housing, Rex Jitchaku, Waikoloa Affordable Housing. Angel Pilago provided a County Council Update
February- Meeting Topic: The old Kona Airport Park Plan. Speakers included: Maryanne Maigret, DLNR, archaeologist, Elaine Watai, Kealakehe Neighborhood Watch, Betty DeRoy, Friends of Fitness, Jerry Halverson, Kai'opua Canoe Club, Tim Rude, West Hawaii Inline Hockey, Pat Engelhard, Director of Hawaii County Parks with Deac de Camp, Maintenance Div. Superintendent for West Hawaii, Bobby Command, volleyball, Kelly Drysdale and Sandy Caldwell, Kona Community Tennis Center, Jesse Wheeler, Bill Hensley, Chris Senn -Skateboard Park, and Pavilion Restoration- Fred Housel for Community Enterprises. Councilmember Angel Pilago provided a Council update
April- Meeting Topic: Beautification Projects in Kona. Speakers included: Mark Moses, Veteran Services Director for the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, David Carlson, Richard Higher and Carla Mack of the West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery Association, Debbie Baker, Executive Director of the Kailua Village Business Improvement District, Garrett Webb, Hawaii Island Landscape Association and Noa Lincoln of the Amy Greenwell Gardens.
May- Meeting Topic: Hawaii County Mayoral Candidates. Speakers included: District 8 Councilmember Angel Pilago, State Senator Lorraine Inouye, District 4 Councilmember Stacy Higa, Attorney Billy Kenoi, Community Outreach Coordinator Sam Masilamoney, Minister and Activist Roger Christie, and Retired General Contractor Jasper Moore. The Chairman of the Kona Community Development Plan Steering Committee, Ken Melrose, will make a special announcement about upcoming public meetings on the Kona Community Development Plan.
Program Highlights 2006-2007
September- Speakers included West Hawaii Community Health Center-Richard
Taaffe; Jeff Sacher spoke on the Super Ferry and its environmental impacts. Debbie
Hecht from the Hawaii Island Land Trust updated citizens on the 2% initiative
and Council persons Virginia Isbell and Angel Pilago gave Council updates.
October- Candidates running for public office included-Cindy Evans, Virginia Isbell, Brenda Ford, Pete Hoffman, Charles Hosley, and Mark Littorin spoke on behalf of the Kohala Center
December – Key Speaker was Mayor Harry Kim. Also included
were Healthy Start Executive Director-Stone Wolfsong; Gretchen Lawler from
Arc of Kona. Flag presentation, by Pack 26 of the Boy Scouts of America.
February- Doctors presented their viewpoints on why they are leaving Kona.
In the discussion was Dr. Wesley Sugai; Dr. Carol Brown, Dr. Barry Blum, Dr.
Robert Laird and Director of the Kona Community Hospital was Jon Lattimer.
April- Topics evolved around agricultural issues. Speakers included Nancy Pisicchio, Kona County Farm Bureau; Bob Cooper of The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory; Glenn Fukumoto and Virginia Easton-Smith of the University Cooperative Extension Service and Reverend Dennis Shields.
May- Meeting Topic: Kona Community Development Plan. Speakers
included Chris Yuen, Hawaii County Planning Director, Councilman Angel Pilago,
Attorney Mark Van Pernis, Community Educator Charles Flaherty, and Beth Methau,
Habitat For Humanity.
Meeting sponsored by Island Chevrolet.
Program Highlights 2005-2006
September- Councilpersons Angel Pilago, Virginia Isbell spoke on County
Legislation affecting Kona. Doug Parker told of a vision for a Park along Alii
Dr.
October- The Kona Home Depot Manager, Jack Holshue talked about business volume. Kealakehe Regional Park committee members discussed hope for land use. State Representative Josh Green spoke. Rev. Shields spoke about new technology available to harness ocean energy.
November-Mel Fujino from the County of Hawaii Prosecuting Attorneys office spoke. Two audience participants volunteer on a regular basis to help with processing back logs. Steve McPeek from the County Research and Development spoke about the opening of a new office in Kona and encouraged participants to call.
December- Louise Winn from County of Hawaii spoke on creating a disaster preparedness program for Kona. Attorney Mark Van Pernis spoke on Kona, Yesterday and Tomorrow.
January- Ocean and Reef Health Dr. Bill Walsh from the State Dept. of Land and Natural Resources gave us an update on the health of our ocean, Jack’s Dive Shop through speaker Carolyn talked about a non profit program setting moorings that are environmentally friendly.
February- Council updates, Habitat for Humanity- Gail Mundt addressed upcoming projects. Chrystal Yamasaki, from Wes Thomas and Associates talked about being the first woman licensed as a surveyor.
March- Wal-Mart manager John McBride discussed remodeling and West Hawaii Today Editior-in -Chief Reed Flickinger spoke on community issues, as well as Doug Parker on his dream of park updates.
April- County of Hawaii Traffic Director Chief for the Department of Public Works spoke on traffic issues affecting our community; Mahina DeSilva from Hawaii Island Food Bank spoke of upcoming food collection drive; Beau Campos from Kai O Pua talked about canoe paddling.
May- West Hawaii Mediation Service, Board Director Chuck Mize offered mediation services; County Deputy Director Barbara Kossow spoke on area updates and Kulana Huli Honua director, Mikahala Roy talked about being Hawaiian and necessity of keeping cultural places away from development.
Kona Town meetings are presented by Community Enterprises, a non-partisan,
non-profit organization,
to provide vital information on community concerns to Kona citizens.