Hawaii County Council Policy Committee Meeting on Bill 148 - April 21, 2026
Hawaii County Council Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being Meeting - April 21, 2026
The Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being (7th Session) met on April 21, 2026 at 10:21 a.m. at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center. The sole agenda item was Bill 148, which designates a future park space in Waimea as Laʻelaʻe Park and adds it to the county’s parks schedule and alcohol prohibition ordinance. No public testimony was received. The committee voted unanimously to forward the bill to the full Council with a favorable recommendation.
Discussion Items
- Bill 148 (Designation of Laʻelaʻe Park): Council Member James Hustace, the introducer, presented the bill. He explained that the park is located on the west side of Waimea near Waikaca Bridge, between the Waimea transfer station and the Sandalwood subdivision. The property was formerly state-owned and is now county-owned. It will serve as a future park space with potential connection to the Waimea Stream Trail and other recreational facilities. Hustace noted that the name “Laʻelaʻe Park” was chosen in consultation with Kumu Micah Kamohoali‘i, referencing the nearby Puʻu Laʻelaʻe. He shared the moʻolelo (story) of the area: the god Makua Kuamana and goddess Vao, who gave birth to the ruling chiefs of Waimea at Puʻu Laʻelaʻe. The bill adds the park to the Parks and Recreational Facility Schedule (Chapter 15, Article 8, Section 15-68.1) and to Section 14-1 of the County Code, which prohibits alcohol consumption at any time.
Key Outcomes
- Motion and Vote: Council Member Hustace moved to forward Bill 148 to the full Council with a favorable recommendation, seconded by Council Member Michelle Galimba. The motion passed with 6 ayes (Council Members Onishi, Hustace, Galimba, Kimball, Kierkiewicz, and one additional member who arrived later – likely Kagiwada, though not explicitly named in the transcript). Council Member Holeka Goro Inaba was excused. Council Members Matt Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder and Rebecca Villegas were absent. No votes were opposed. The meeting adjourned at 10:25 a.m.
Meeting Transcript
Do we have more members in Hilo? Me and Council Kirkowitz are here. Jen just kept that for a minute. Okay. In Kona, we're ready. Yep. Okay, good morning. Welcome to the policy committee on health, safety, and well-being. This is seventh session. We're at the West Hawaii Civic Center. Today's April 21st, 2026, and the time is 1021 a.m. Mr. Clerk, is there any testimony? Oh, sorry. Go ahead. Introducing the membership. So in Hilo, we have Miss Kimbo, Ms. Kirkowitz, in in Kona, we have Mr. Hustis, Ms. Galimba, and myself, Fresh L'Nishi. And joining us soon will be Mr. Connelly Kleinfelder and Miss Viegis and Miss Kagiwara. Go ahead, Mr. Clerk. Thank you so much. You can confirm we don't have any testifyers for your committee, so I'll just proceed with the uh singular item on the agenda. Okay. Bill 148 designates tabs map key 66-001-010 as La'Ela'e Park and a man's chapter 15, Article 8, Section 15-68.1, and a men's chapter 14, Article 1, Section 14-1 of the Hawaii County Code, 1983, 2016 edition as amended relating to parks and recreational facilities as La Ilay Park located in Waimea to the parks and recreational facility schedule and to section 14-1 of the county code, which prohibits the consumption of alcohol at any time. Introduced by Councilmember Houstis. Mr. Houston. Chair, motion to forward Bill 148 to Council with a favorable recommendation. Okay, motion by Mr. Houston, second by Miss Kalimba. Mr. Houston. Thank you, Chair. Grateful to present this to the council for consideration. This has been kind of an ongoing process in identifying if a name for a future park space on the west side of Waimea. It's a space that was uh state property that is now county property, and it sits near Wayaka Bridge on the west side of Waimea between the Waimea transfer station and the Sandalwood subdivision. So there's a green space there that acts kind of as like a buffer. It would be a future park space, an opportunity to connect to the Waimea Stream Trail, and we'll also provide other recreational facilities in that area away from the kind of the known parks within the Waimea community. So in working with a number of community members and particularly with Kumu Micah Kamoho Ali, identifying this park space uh given its location in Waimea as La Ilai Park, signifying the Pu'u that sits directly north of this park space as Pu La Ilai. So this would be that namesake of the area. And there's a beautiful piece and snippet in the bill itself pointing to the Moolelo of the area about the Kuwa or god Makua Kuamana, who lived in the Koala Mountains and pursued Vao, who is a goddess of the waters of Kohak Kohau. And while pregnant, Vao often chose to climb Pu La'Elai to birth her children, and her attendants would roll stones down that hill to delineate the area as Kapu, where the Maka Ainana and the Kawa were forbidden from entering that space during that birthing process. And so in these Moolelo, the children of Maku Kuamana and Val would later become the ruling Alii of Waimea, the chiefs of Waimea. And then for these reasons, Pu La'Ela is often referred as the Kapali Kapu O Nawalii O Waimea or the Sacred Hill of the Chiefs of Waimea. So for that namesake and Pu La'Ela'i, we decided with with in concert with Kumomaika to name this space as La Ila Park. So that will be a future park space in the Waimea that look forward to working with parks and recreation to identify the needs in that area.
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