[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6501880,"mediaKeyId","5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63","parentId",5708113,"title","Aloha Animal Alliance urges countywide, data-driven cat-management strategy and help-desk pilot","audioSeconds",2541,"startMs",3688000,"endMs",6229000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63&start=3688&end=6229","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63/thumbnail_3688000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6501880/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Aloha-Animal-Alliance-urges-countywide-data-driven-cat-management-strategy-and-help-desk-pilot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6501880-9659fecb556bbcb8b21da3da2881e6a1/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486919&Signature=XwDGtrcv5lw82OkRvd-8cXucusbvNM6gMzHEp0ybM8AD1ptFP7TZ0CUzrL0mkGdgYEJSYZPB2caGFrz33PzLEn3EIb2o0WS0r53OKutVCaGPv4GO-x2hz6RXMtZSIBo5IuRo-2i3vsWySvGIhnkZhxFxYpsgTXXtKHoH3gIixrQ0DZpx4KZdZSXEqRJ1Rjk6YFtEOWvJ~54T-6ols2vL-10uLMv8cC7HOrbXNPpFly333rGah9BTcF4QC14fcE6-dUOFN3iymLJkE38JZ7Hxa4MXY9JdAr1tUnwDObggXODBBpc~f5m9LJkDr0S05WATIN4PLCJsTjumUsc77e5AIA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hawaii County","date","2025-09-02T14:30:00Z","article","HILO, Hawaii — Aloha Animal Alliance presented a multi-pronged plan to the Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee on Sept. 2 that aims to reduce community-cat populations through expanded access to spay/neuter services, a centralized help desk, caretaker certification, data tracking and targeted trap-neuter-return-management (TNVRM).

Lauren Turnbull Fu, co-founder and president of Aloha Animal Alliance, told the committee the group invested in durable field infrastructure, training and a software system to track sterilization and follow-up. \"We invested in durable tools, traps, trail cams, microchip scanners and medical supplies,\" she said, and described a focus on tracking and verification so the county and nonprofits can see results over time.

The Alliance recommended reallocating existing island-wide animal-related spending—estimated in the presentation at about $10 million annually among public and private actors—toward four pillars: access to care, reduced shelter intake, community engagement and a comprehensive information hub. The group proposed a countywide program that would prioritize targeted sterilization (sterilize a colony to roughly 85–90% before moving on), expand low-cost clinics, operate a help desk to direct households to services, and reserve impoundment as a last resort.

Several public testifiers supported humane, community-based approaches. Sylvia Dolina of Aloha Animal Advocates said a cat-management program would \"train, certify, and regulate\" volunteer efforts to produce consistent results. Sheila Brown and William Brown described local trap-neuter-return work and said sustained follow-up and transport or low-cost options for owners are needed to reduce abandonment and dumping.

Council members and Alliance presenters discussed trust-building, Bill 51 (which affects feeding on county properties) and the need to coordinate with the Department of Land and Natural Resources on sensitive wildlife areas. Alliance leaders said a program that combines outreach, predictable low-cost sterilization and a data system would allow animal-control resources to focus on field responses and shelter operations.

The committee voted to close File 447 after the presentation; council members also encouraged continued collaboration with county administration, animal-control agencies and community feeders.

What's next: Alliance leaders said they will continue outreach, expand spay-and-neuter clinic capacity and make their software and training materials available for the county to consider as part of next year's budget and program planning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hawaii County - Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Aloha Animal Alliance asked the county Sept. 2 to back a countywide, data-driven program to manage community cats that emphasizes low-cost sterilization, caretaker training, a help desk and targeted trap-neuter-return management.","taxTitle","Hawaii County, Hawaii","taxId",12825,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6501884,"Hawaii County public works presents new standard operating procedures for highways division after audit",2915,2890000,5805000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63&start=2890&end=5805","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63/thumbnail_2890000.jpg","/articles/6501884/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Hawaii-County-public-works-presents-new-standard-operating-procedures-for-highways-division-after-audit","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6501884-6956dc994bfb5af3038f23379e00f01f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486919&Signature=N7ZBSBEud64JQ1gFbiCPciNrEdPRHpYaTlLRAb3~AlEvnbItOJq8ehV0TjR5AOxgx4h71XWrboiHhrCTWc0KVY9-i4QAl1uIIqa-N1BTUuZ8P5OJl2ICRPzBeq-kxR6uZsXe4A1rokseYTzXWvJVTXpd28oX~TEH5Ud5-zQsYbskgjVz9CyMvj5XzFRDw4lMkZI1w3X3ptu7eBJivxNDxU~T9z7LXNno9ICUihtwO5ItbdnftBnGN7KFbZ1jvGP4WKJPFBubi3l-VnJvEKVatNiAwgoRD2l-ACOe6KbWNTkq~x3RztXLEBNGAwlJQAvIub1DtGm~WLxypijpMdzSjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","HILO, Hawaii — Hawaii County Public Works presented a new Standard Operating Procedures manual for the highways division on Sept. 2, telling the Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee the package expands existing guidance to 50 SOPs and aims to improve consistency, documentation and asset management across six districts.

Acting Director Neil Azevedo introduced consultant Andrea Brinkley, who led the process to gather staff input, map workflows and align the manual with American Public Works Association best practices. Brinkley said the project produced 50 SOPs (an increase of 40 over prior material) and achieved an over 80% response rate on a staff survey used to identify needs.

Highlights included a work-order workflow that ties labor, equipment and materials to assets; a dedicated SOP on right-of-way vegetation management that balances mowing, mechanical methods and herbicide application with safety protocols and community notification; and sections on emergency operations, stormwater and bridge and trail maintenance. Brinkley said the manual is designed to be a living document and that implementation will include training and posters at base yards.

Acting Director Azevedo and staff members present said the SOPs reflect earlier audit recommendations and that the department will use the manual as a foundation for improved inventory control, inspection scheduling and more consistent district-level practices. Business Manager Kelsey Kalua Luis said the SOPs focus specifically on the highways division and that cross-department project prioritization (for capital improvements or administration-level decisions) remains a broader county-level process.

The committee voted to close the file on Communication 446 after the presentation.

Next steps: The department plans division-wide briefings, training sessions and use of work-order software to document asset conditions and build the data needed to prioritize maintenance and capital projects.","Acting Director Neil Azevedo and consultant Andrea Brinkley presented a 50-SOP manual for the highways division, developed after an audit. The package expands existing procedures to include administration, safety, drainage, vegetation control and work-order workflow to improve consistency and asset tracking.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6501889,"Department of Water Supply outlines emergency repairs, spares and communication steps after North Kohala well failures",2800,80000,2880000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63&start=80&end=2880","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63/thumbnail_80000.jpg","/articles/6501889/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Department-of-Water-Supply-outlines-emergency-repairs-spares-and-communication-steps-after-North-Kohala-well-failures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6501889-8e524a6dcc90ce076fc96cba12afd7d2/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486919&Signature=edcc9CI7SgJmIVxHA-ApGRDCB0IPjTCFOOn2~OD-CzLedwciJXZN2QlngtWzoudnWZMTtt0uTSQWMhCRcZfR2eQprmtGBgDT7YnMefqM-7eCXns77X8psyH33MXpfGYxdDJMpzcpWrodt-6XRYxhXqL641xMo7Xbce0Quv19W55Ois-6VWYOOGkTwVlCPAUq5CDk77MHKujcJa4sQLMjsC~2C7S5W7TPC3MFjEnwlD11zY-FWgxgxNVi1rGqhaTg-USrTyo3zOoCcPyfLyOTKg7KuEseLdO6wy36tE3sreOl0ylxeblWlJSwLoQhCvBrTxKqBwl4JA0-6CCwPHf7tg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","HILO, Hawaii — The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply told the Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee on Sept. 2 that recent pump and motor failures in the North Kohala water system have left sections of the community on \"essential needs only\" water restrictions and required emergency repairs, water hauling and temporary flow restrictions.

DWS Manager Chief Engineer Keith Okamoto acknowledged multiple failures in the North Kohala system, saying Holualoa (Hala'ula) well \"went down shortly after being activated\" and that the department detected bronze shavings consistent with damage to an impeller or similar components. \"Early indications, we saw bronze shavings in some of our control buildings,\" Okamoto said.

DWS said the North Kohala system serves about 1,917 accounts and roughly 5,200 residents. The department activated emergency procurement, used on-island spare pump-and-motor sets and positioned water \"buffalos\" to haul water. \"We utilized emergency procurement to get a contractor on-site as quickly as possible,\" Okamoto said. Chief of Operations Greg Goodell said the department kept staff working around the clock to maintain water deliveries while repair crews replaced deep well columns and pumps.

Officials described the cost, logistics and operational constraints of repairs. They said deep well strings run about 830 feet and are assembled from many 18-to-20-foot pipe columns; DWS estimated a replacement pump-and-motor string for wells of this depth may be in the range of $3,400,000. The department said it keeps on-island spares where feasible and is procuring an additional spare for the Holualoa well.

To reduce interruption risk, DWS said it planned to install transfer switches at booster stations and to maintain spare equipment inventory and rental generator options as contingency. The department also said it would keep two spare pump-and-motor sets for the North Kohala system and battery up critical booster sites in prolonged outages.

Council members asked about diagnostics, spare maintenance, and whether the department can predict failures. DWS staff said they conduct forensic tear-downs after failures to determine cause, that spare units are stored crated to avoid corrosion and that the department is exploring improved asset-management metrics and periodic maintenance of stored spares.

The committee closed the file on Communication 445 after the presentation.

What remained unresolved: DWS said it would report back with results of tear-down analyses and noted the need to expand monitoring technologies for downhole equipment; officials said some sensors previously trialed did not reliably survive the downhole environment.

Vote and next steps: The committee agreed to close the file on Communication 445; DWS listed immediate next steps as returning Holualoa to service, procuring spares, installing transfer switches at booster stations and continuing public communication via social media and Everbridge emergency notifications.","DWS told the committee that Holualoa (Hala'ula) and Hawi wells have failed at times this summer, prompting essential-use restrictions, water hauling and use of spare pump-and-motor sets. Officials described repair logistics, spare inventory and planned generator/transfer-switch work to improve resilience.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6501894,"Hawaii County Department of Water Supply launches public online water-availability map",808,844000,1652000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63&start=844&end=1652","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5708113-4c39fd28b89fa3059ee890641fd3ea63/thumbnail_844000.jpg","/articles/6501894/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Hawaii-County-Department-of-Water-Supply-launches-public-online-water-availability-map","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6501894-d4f27fea4ed4c50fa74651a6d1eeefbf/orig.mp4?Expires=1770486919&Signature=hQzrmEcGSuyI68NVx3hd8ajxPVvBCNtcH6EyLWL21cv7WloCOUDIcSzZLGgKbtNFpav0dwkZShuDJKvBmRpcp0dUhEmnOZ0j536UR~VBzjIpLEvM1HdDWUM57s~hMqvYBj8j6-U5dinaklt99sr~gV9pIhRBbnWwCNFG3g6Zlrc6LgATZKyEf~jmmNf45CAV~ver1DQqozMTAf6y50qQkpnOl--mGQlcmCYeaJs8B0ZbwXjugK3o3EU9pFa3d6Ig7CRPnlKMRe0F1ZEDbhzR9pobzL4-KVbtSU3ausZq3FKqi3tOphfCgWmMBGTKy~D6AvvDFG-l6CdFDNAAsymS0w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","HILO, Hawaii — The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply unveiled an online, GIS-based water-availability map on Sept. 2 that displays general water availability by parcel, active water commitments and developer agreements, officials told the Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee.

Deputy Kavika Uyehara said the tool implements direction in Resolution 137-25 and will allow users to search by tax map key (TMK) or address to see an area'wide \"general water availability,\" commitments tied to specific land-use applications, and developer agreements that cover well or other infrastructure development.

The department presented a live view of the interface and explained how the three toggleable map layers work. \"So the next feature that we added to this map ... is the water commitments,\" Uyehara said, demonstrating that commitments appear in blue and include the application, number of units and expiration date. Ryan Quitoriano, who walked committee members through the map, said the display includes a short, parcel-level water-availability guideline dialog and a step-by-step help link.

Why it matters: County Council members said the map gives greater transparency about how many \"water units\" remain in given service areas and how developer agreements and commitments affect availability. Council member Sharon Gilbert asked whether planning used this information for scenario planning and was told that planning did not use the parcel-level map in the general-plan scenarios.

DWS and council members clarified terminology: the department defines 1 water unit as 400 gallons per day; a paid commitment is effectively a credit tied to a land-use application; and developer agreements are used when a development must add a new source or system upgrades (for example, well development) to supply additional units. Officials noted the map shows DWS service areas and will not include areas where DWS does not provide service or where no credits exist.

The department said the mapping tool is a first release and invited the public and other county departments to review it after it goes live. \"We plan to put this live on our DWS website later today,\" Uyehara said, urging users to try the map and provide feedback.

The committee voted to close the file on Communication 444 after the presentation.

What's next: DWS asked for and welcomed suggestions and said staff will maintain and expand the tool over time, including user instructions and possible future integration with outage or system-status layers.","The Department of Water Supply demonstrated an online GIS tool created under Resolution 137-25 that shows general water availability, active water commitments and developer agreements by parcel. Officials said the site will go live later the same day and asked for public feedback as a work in progress.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Aloha Animal Alliance urges countywide, data-driven cat-management strategy and help-desk pilot

Hawaii County public works presents new standard operating procedures for highways division after audit

Department of Water Supply outlines emergency repairs, spares and communication steps after North Kohala well failures

Hawaii County Department of Water Supply launches public online water-availability map