No 12 Nuʻuanu-Punchbowl Neighborhood Board Regular Meeting October 2026
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12 Nuuanu-Punchbowl Neighborhood Board Meeting – October 21, 2026
Call to Order, Speaking Rules, and Quorum
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. The chair reviewed the meeting’s speaking limits: approximately five minutes for status and official reports, two minutes or less for board-member comments, two minutes for residents presenting community concerns, and ten minutes for scheduled presentations or agenda items. Six members were initially present, below the eight members required for quorum, so the board began by hearing reports without taking formal action. Member Sylvia Young later joined, and staff confirmed that the board had reached quorum. The chair noted that Member Patrick Smith had advised that he would be late because he was attending a Papakōlea community meeting.
Honolulu Police Department District 1 Report
Sergeant Brian Secure reported September 2026 statistics for the District 1 Punchbowl area. Motor vehicle thefts increased to four from one in August, while burglaries declined from two to zero. General thefts decreased from five to three, unauthorized entry into motor vehicles, or car break-ins, declined from two to zero, and assaults decreased from five to three. There were no reported sexual assaults, graffiti cases, or drug cases in September, compared with one sexual assault and two drug cases in August. Motor vehicle collisions declined from 26 to 22. Total calls for service increased slightly, from 532 in August to 536 in September. No board or public questions were raised.
Honolulu Police Department District 5 Report
Sergeant Robert King reported for District 5 Sector 4, which includes the area east of Likelike Highway and the portion of the Pali corridor above the freeway to the tunnels. September recorded no aggravated assaults, robberies, or sexual assaults or rapes. Auto thefts increased from one in August to two in September, burglaries declined from two to one, and simple assaults remained at two. General thefts increased from four to five, while car break-ins decreased from four to two. Total calls for service fell from 923 in August to 835 in September.
The discussion focused on coordination between District 5 community policing, District 1, and neighborhood security watch groups in upper and lower Nuʻuanu. Member Paula Kurashige asked how separate community-policing and neighborhood-watch groups could coordinate for larger events, particularly Halloween activities planned for October 31, including a possible morning dog parade and evening neighborhood watch patrols. Sergeant King explained that Pali Highway above the freeway, including Wood Street, falls within District 5 and that Officer Ng is the appropriate community-policing contact. Patrol officers handle immediate concerns and conduct checks of parks after the 10:00 p.m. closure, while the community-policing team addresses neighborhood-watch coordination and longer-term community issues. He agreed to notify Officer Ng and ask whether the two neighborhood security groups could work together for Halloween and other large events. Residents were reminded to call 911 for matters requiring immediate patrol response, whether emergency or non-emergency.
Neighborhood Security Watch
Member Kurashige reported that the neighborhood had generally been fortunate and that residents were continuing to watch their surroundings. There had been unusual incidents involving people arriving by truck and entering private yards, but she had heard of no further related problems during the previous two weeks. She credited residents’ vigilance and the neighborhood watch for the relatively favorable police statistics. No questions were raised.
Board of Water Supply Improvements and Main Breaks
Board of Water Supply representative Jimmy Llanos provided an update on the Dowsett/Puʻewa water system improvements project. Approval from the State Historic Preservation Division had been received, with the approval letter dated September 5, 2025. The project design for service laterals was revised to improve corrosion protection and reduce the likelihood of leaks and main breaks while avoiding major changes to the cathodic protection system. Certain pipe fittings originally specified for that system are no longer approved by the Board of Water Supply and must be replaced through a change order. The agency obtained technical confirmation from suppliers, manufacturers, and design consultants before proceeding. The contractor is awaiting construction materials, and work is expected to begin in January 2027, barring unforeseen circumstances.
The agency’s formal report listed one September main break: an eight-inch pipe at 20 Dowsett Avenue on September 2. Member Kurashige said a separate leak had been found beneath her property and extending toward the street after she had previously reported unexplained noises. She asked that this incident be checked and added to the agency’s records if it qualified as another main break. Llanos agreed to relay the information to the appropriate team. Members also requested that future references to Dowsett specify upper, middle, or lower Dowsett because the road’s horseshoe configuration can make locations difficult to identify.
Water Service During Power Outages
The Board of Water Supply advised residents that electrical outages limit its ability to pump groundwater into reservoirs. During an outage, the water already stored in reservoirs is the only immediate supply available to the community. Residents were asked to use water only for essential needs such as drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene and to avoid washing vehicles, watering yards, or filling pools. Conservation should continue after electrical service returns so pumps can replenish reservoirs. Water pressure and service may recover slowly following a prolonged outage or widespread damage. Updates are available through the Board of Water Supply website and official social-media channels.
Honolulu Fire Department Report and Wildfire Assessments
No Honolulu Fire Department representative attended, so a board member read the department’s submitted report. The department is partnering with the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization on a Wildfire Home Assessment Program for private residential properties, including homes without homeowners’ associations. The assessment evaluates the wildfire risks of individual homes and lots and gives homeowners a roadmap for improving wildfire readiness. Assessments are free to Hawaiʻi homeowners while grant funding remains available and can be requested through the Hawaiʻi Wildfire Management Organization’s homeowner-assessment webpage.
September statistics showed no structure, wildland or brush, nuisance, or cooking fires in the neighborhood. Four fire alarms were activated, but none involved an actual fire. The department responded to 38 medical calls and one hazardous-materials incident. There were no motor vehicle-pedestrian incidents, motor vehicle collision calls, mountain rescues, or ocean rescues. The department clarified that nuisance fires include rubbish fires outside a structure or vehicle.
The monthly safety message addressed seasonal decorations and holiday activities. Residents were encouraged to use electrical decorations, appliances, and devices certified by nationally recognized testing laboratories, follow manufacturers’ instructions, remain present and alert while cooking indoors or outdoors, and keep combustible materials away from heat or flame. Drivers and pedestrians were urged to remain especially vigilant between dusk and dawn. During comments, Member Kurashige also urged homeowners to review official property records, saying her own paperwork incorrectly listed five additional bedrooms and five additional bathrooms. She requested help identifying the correct city department to correct the record and avoid possible excess property taxes.
Election of Board Secretary and Board Participation
With quorum established, the board revisited the election of officers. Officers had been elected the previous month, but the secretary position remained vacant. No board member or member of the public volunteered. The chair said the item would remain on future agendas until the position is filled and encouraged current members and interested residents to consider serving. The board also continued to seek residents willing to fill several vacant seats, which would help it maintain quorum and conduct business more reliably.
Mayor’s Office Updates
The mayor’s representative highlighted the expansion of the city’s Crisis Outreach Response and Engagement program to provide homeless-crisis response across Oʻahu, the selection of two new Honolulu Police Department deputy chiefs, city assistance in response to calls from Kauaʻi, progress in Oʻahu’s Kona low recovery, and upgrades to the Honolulu Zoo’s penguin and hippopotamus exhibits. Residents were reminded that the November 3 general election would be conducted primarily by mail and that ballots began being mailed to active registered voters on October 16.
The city reported that repair of the Pacific Heights Road sidewalk drainage area would be scheduled by the Department of Facility Maintenance as staffing and resources became available, but no firm timeline was provided. A tree growing from or around a utility pole on Pali Highway near Wood Street and the Dowsett Avenue bus stop was determined by the State Department of Transportation to be associated with a Hawaiian Electric utility pole. Hawaiian Electric was identified as responsible for addressing it, and the Public Utilities Commission could be contacted if the utility did not respond. The mayor’s office agreed to help follow up rather than leaving the reporting burden solely to residents.
Wood Street and Pali Highway Visibility
A previous concern involved overgrown hedges on private property at Wood Street and Pali Highway that blocked the view of drivers turning left onto Pali Highway and also affected pedestrians using the sidewalk. The Department of Planning and Permitting advised that it does not regulate hedges located entirely on private property, while that portion of Pali Highway is under State Department of Transportation jurisdiction. Future concerns involving overgrowth in the state right-of-way may be directed to State DOT at 808-587-2150.
Resident Mark Oyama reported that the vegetation had been fully cut back and the visibility problem had been resolved. Board members thanked him, noting that senior walkers, dog walkers, Hawaiʻi Baptist Academy students, and drivers now had a clearer path and improved sight lines. The mayor’s representative was also asked to identify the correct department for correcting inaccurate bedroom and bathroom counts in property records.
City Council Report
Peggy Mirzwa, appearing for Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, reported that the councilmember’s office held an informational briefing with the Department of Planning and Permitting about the permit process, including HNL Build and CivCheck. The office continues to communicate with DPP and support efforts to reduce permit-processing times.
The mayor signed Bill 50, which eliminated an outdated city land-conservation fund and transferred the money into another land fund intended for similar purposes but with a more usable funding structure. The council will consider future uses for those funds. An emergency-preparedness meeting with Representative Jenna Takenouchi was announced for October 22 at 6:00 p.m. at Kawānanakoa Middle School. The council newsletter and preparedness flyer were made available through the board’s Google Drive.
Governor’s Office Materials
No representative from Governor Josh Green’s office attended. The governor’s newsletter had been submitted and was posted on the board’s Google Drive for public review.
Senator Karl Rhoads: Constitutional Amendment and Legislative Update
Senator Karl Rhoads discussed a proposed state constitutional amendment that would give the Senate more time during legislative interims to confirm or reject judicial nominees. He explained that special sessions can be expensive because neighbor-island senators must be brought to Honolulu and the Legislature incurs other session-related costs. The amendment could reduce the need to call a special session to consider only one judicial nominee and could encourage the governor and chief justice to submit nominations before the end of a regular legislative session. He emphasized that, for state constitutional amendments, leaving the question blank is effectively counted against passage, unlike city charter amendments, for which blank votes are not included in the yes-or-no total. Member Young stated that she had voted in favor of the amendment.
Power-Outage Claims and Public Health Guidance
Senator Rhoads advised that customers experiencing losses from an electrical outage may submit a claim to Hawaiian Electric. If the loss, damage, or expense is determined to have resulted from circumstances within the company’s control, compensation may cover the repair cost or the damaged item’s depreciated value, whichever is less. Residents can locate the claims process by searching Hawaiian Electric’s website for “file a claim.”
He also noted that COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus were circulating and that vaccines tailored to current variants were available. He encouraged residents to consider vaccination and said his own updated shots had remained covered by insurance.
Mail Voting and Missing Ballots
Senator Rhoads said voters should already have received their general-election ballots. Anyone who had not received one was directed to contact the county clerk at 808-768-3610 for a replacement; if the original later arrives, it will not also be counted. Residents on Wood Street reported that some households had not received ballots, and the senator offered additional assistance at 808-271-5995 if the county did not resolve the issue.
He warned that postal-service changes could slow some mail delivery and suggested using an official ballot drop box rather than relying on the mail if voters were concerned about timing. Receiving a ballot addressed to another person is not itself illegal, but attempting to vote someone else’s ballot is a Class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He explained that the Department of Health provides death records to the Office of Elections, although reporting delays can result in a ballot being mailed to a recently deceased voter.
Senator Rhoads’ Final Board Report
Senator Rhoads announced that this was his final Nuʻuanu-Punchbowl Neighborhood Board meeting as a senator after representing much of the area for ten years. Board members thanked him for his accessibility, legislative service, and work on neighborhood issues. He said it had been an honor to work with the community and that he was looking forward to travel and time away from office.
Representative Jenna Takenouchi: Medicare Open Enrollment
Representative Jenna Takenouchi announced that Medicare open enrollment began October 15 and would continue through December 7, 2026. She noted that residents may be dealing with changes to HMSA plans and directed people seeking free, confidential guidance to the Hawaiʻi State Health Insurance Assistance Program. Trained SHIP volunteers can explain enrollment, plan choices, and costs at hawaiiship.org or 808-586-7299. Suspected Medicare fraud or questionable calls, mail, or solicitations may be reported to the Senior Medicare Patrol through smphawaii.org or 808-586-7281. AARP Hawaiʻi was also offering in-person and virtual Medicare workshops.
Little Fire Ant Monitoring
October was recognized as Stop the Ant Month, with residents encouraged to test their yards for little fire ants. Representative Takenouchi noted that an earlier infestation in Pauoa Valley was under control, while work continued in portions of Papakōlea, including the Kalāwahine area nearer Roosevelt High School. Free testing kits contain sticks, a bag, and instructions. Residents place peanut butter on the sticks, leave them in the yard to attract ants, collect the samples, and mail them to the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee. The samples help determine whether little fire ants are present and provide data on the species’ spread. Kits are available through stoptheant.org or from the representative’s office.
Prescription Drug Disposal, Emergency Preparedness, and Park Talk
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day was scheduled for October 24. Unused medications could be dropped off from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the State Capitol’s Beretania Street turnaround near the Father Damien statue for safe disposal. Representative Takenouchi also reiterated that an emergency-preparedness town hall would take place October 22 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Her next informal “park talk” was scheduled for October 26 from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. in the Booth Park recreation room near the pool, allowing residents to discuss neighborhood matters and ask questions.
Nuʻuanu Valley Park Concerns and Community Maintenance
Representative Takenouchi summarized a recent park talk at Nuʻuanu Valley Park attended by approximately 15 to 20 residents. Discussion included Hawaiian Electric outages in Nuʻuanu Valley, a proposal to build a cap park over the freeway, and interest among residents in conducting community-based maintenance at Nuʻuanu Valley Park. She was working to connect interested residents with the city’s Adopt-a-Park program, although work outside park boundaries could face government liability restrictions.
Member Kurashige reported complaints about flea bites at Nuʻuanu Valley Park and asked whether there was a testing program comparable to little fire ant surveillance. Representative Takenouchi was unaware of a state flea-testing program but agreed to alert the city Department of Parks and Recreation. Concerns were also raised about people feeding cats in the park, the movement or disappearance of sterilized cats, and the possibility of using collars to identify cared-for animals.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Federal Reports
No representative from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs attended. The chair observed that reports from federally elected officials had previously appeared on board agendas but had been removed at some point. Without objection, the board agreed that future agendas should again include a section for Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation.
Papakōlea Community Update
A Papakōlea community meeting was being held at the same time as the neighborhood board meeting. Member Patrick Smith attended that meeting and had not returned in time to provide a report. The chair planned to ask him to present any relevant updates at the next board meeting.
Oʻahu Metropolitan Planning Organization
The board’s representative to the Oʻahu Metropolitan Planning Organization Citizens Advisory Committee reported that the latest meeting covered transportation-demand management, traffic-signal optimization, travel modeling, transit ridership, and parking policy. Residential parking permits were discussed using Kalihi as an example. Under such a program, residents or visitors pay for permits allowing limited on-street parking, while the city may offer incentives such as bus passes to encourage participation in broader transportation-demand initiatives. The representative demonstrated the Oʻahu MPO website, where residents can access committee agendas, meeting materials, presentations, transportation studies, and information on federally funded projects.
Congressman Ed Case’s Office
Kenna Higa, a member of Congressman Ed Case’s Washington, D.C., staff and a resident of the neighborhood board district, provided an update. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Case was involved in funding the federal government. The committee had approved all 12 fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills, with nine still awaiting full congressional consideration. Fiscal year 2026 federal funding was expected to continue through December 11 while Congress was in recess.
Congressman Case was also working on bipartisan efforts to reform partisan gerrymandering and address transnational crime in the Indo-Pacific. His office had closed applications for military service academy nominations and was reviewing and interviewing candidates. Applications remained open for the Congressional App Challenge. Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation continued to support Governor Green’s request for federal storm-recovery assistance. Residents needing help with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security, passports, or other federal agencies were invited to call the district office at 808-650-6688 or visit case.house.gov. The congressman’s quarterly neighborhood newsletter was to be shared with the board.
Hawaiian Electric Storm Response and Vegetation Management
Hawaiian Electric representative Kurt Tsui confirmed that the utility would return at the next board meeting to address recent storm-related outages and the company’s response. He also agreed to follow up on the tree growing into or around the utility pole near Pali Highway and Wood Street.
Residents raised concerns about tree trimming above the Pelikani area, including Kaohinani, Nialopua, and Puapaka. They said crews had cut around some trees rather than reducing dangerous upper growth, and that trimmed debris had remained along or blown into the roadway. Member Larry Smith described very tall trees extending over Pelikani as extremely dangerous because they could fall across the road. Hawaiian Electric agreed to refer the concerns to its vegetation-management team and obtain more detailed location and contact information where necessary.
Drain Grates and Hawaiian Ducks
The board revisited requests to alter or replace storm-drain grates so ducks and ducklings cannot enter them. Although the agenda referenced ʻĀlewa Avenue, residents said the issue also affects Wood Street and portions of Dowsett Avenue wherever similar grates are installed. A prior city response indicated that the city might not have jurisdiction. Member Kurashige said the concern involved possible Hawaiian ducks and questioned whether conclusions about the birds’ genetic purity had been made without DNA testing. No new formal action was taken, but the matter remained one for follow-up with city or state agencies.
Punchbowl Cesspool Project
The chair reported no new information on the Punchbowl cesspool project. No members offered additional comments or proposed action.
On-Leash Dogs at Nuʻuanu Valley Park
The board continued considering whether to recommend that the Department of Parks and Recreation permit leashed dogs at Nuʻuanu Valley Park. At the previous meeting, six members supported the recommendation and two opposed it, but because eight affirmative votes were required, the proposal did not pass. The department requested recommendations by December, and because the board does not meet in December, the November meeting would be the final practical opportunity for formal action.
Resident Mike Ellis said the board had previously considered the matter, possibly in May 2025, and had unanimously opposed turning the passive-use park into a dog park. He described ongoing concerns about dog owners entering with leashes and later allowing dogs to run loose, waste left in the park, and possible links to flea problems. Member Kurashige said nearby residents should be consulted before any decision and cited fleas, cats, ants, and sanitation concerns as reasons for further review.
Ellis volunteered to survey residents living immediately around the park and report the results. The chair explained that any survey conducted as formal board work would require an authorized permitted interaction group under Sunshine Law procedures. However, Ellis could survey neighbors independently as a private resident and provide the results to the board, preferably through a board member. No motion was made to establish a permitted interaction group. The chair kept the issue on the agenda for one more month to allow additional public feedback and possible action in November.
Board Vacancies
The board reported four vacant seats in Subdistrict 1, covering Punchbowl and Papakōlea, and one vacancy in Subdistrict 2, covering Pacific Heights and Pauoa Valley. No nominations or volunteers came forward. The chair emphasized that filling the vacancies would make it easier to establish and maintain quorum.
Approval of September Minutes
No corrections or objections were raised regarding the draft minutes of the September 15 meeting. The board approved the minutes without objection.
Stream Committee Meeting and Community Announcements
Member Kurashige announced that the Nuʻuanu streams committee would meet in November. Streamside property owners and anyone concerned about local streams were encouraged to attend. Two federal government representatives were expected to participate. The meeting was discussed in the context of streambank erosion and costly private repairs, including an earlier reference to a Wood Street-area resident reportedly facing approximately $80,000 or more in stream repairs.
The board also announced the death of Shannon Wilson. Her funeral was scheduled for October 26 at 11:00 a.m. at the cemetery on Nuʻuanu Avenue.
Next Meeting and Adjournment
The next regular meeting was announced for Tuesday, November 17, 2026, at 7:00 p.m., with participation available in person at Kapuʻāiwa Hale and online through the Webex link in the agenda. With no further announcements or business, the chair adjourned the October meeting.