OHA trustees approve limited May 14 site visit to PMRF at Barking Sands

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees voted to add and approve a limited meeting to permit a May 14, 2026 site visit to the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) at Barking Sands on Kauai.

Board staff told trustees that PMRF is a federally controlled installation with access limited by federal security requirements, including presentation of government-issued identification at the gate. Because the Office of Information Practices (OIP) guidance generally prohibits requiring IDs for attendance at regular public meetings under the Sunshine Law, the trustees said they needed to treat the on-site inspection as a limited meeting under HRS §92-31 and related provisions.

Trustee Dan Auna moved to add the item to the May 6 agenda and to approve holding the May 14 limited meeting if OIP concurrence is obtained. The board conducted a recorded roll-call vote and identified the following votes in favor: Trustee Auna; Trustee Akaka; Trustee Aina; Trustee Alapa; Trustee Hulu Lindsay; Trustee Souza; and Trustee W. Trustee Galutaria and Chair Cahel were excused. The motion passed with seven affirmative votes — meeting the two-thirds threshold the board said was required.

Approval authorizes staff to request OIP concurrence, request a waiver of the requirement to video-record under the cited statutory provisions when appropriate, file the limited meeting notice and agenda, and take other steps necessary to hold the limited meeting in compliance with the Sunshine Law. Trustees emphasized the meeting will not be held unless OIP concurrence is obtained first.

The board opened the newly added item to public testimony but received no oral comments on the site visit at the time of the meeting.