Hawaii-2018-SR107-Introduced

WHEREAS, born in Kalihi just south of the Hawaiian fishing village of Miloli‘i in 1942, Gilbert Kahele was raised in Miloli‘i and attended Hilo High School, graduating in 1960; and

WHEREAS, Gilbert Kahele would then serve his country in the United States Marine Corps, receiving an honorable discharge as a Corporal (Marine non-commissioned officer); and

WHEREAS, Gilbert Kahele received an Associate's degree as a refrigeration mechanic from Laney College in Northern California; and

WHEREAS, after graduation, Gilbert Kahele returned to Hawai‘i and worked for the federal government, first on O‘ahu and then on the island of Hawai‘i at the United States Army Garrison Hawai‘i Pōhakuloa Training Area; and

WHEREAS, in 1980, Gilbert Kahele co-founded and served as President of Pa‘a Pono Miloli‘i, a community-based organization whose purpose was to preserve and protect the cultural, historical, environmental, and archaeological life and heritage within the ahupua‘a of Pāpā, Ho‘ōpūloa, Miloli‘i, Omoka‘a, Kalihi, Honomalino, Okoe, and Kapu‘a; and

WHEREAS, Pa‘a Pono Miloli‘i's core mission is to improve the quality of life for the residents of the "Last Hawaiian Fishing Village in the State of Hawai‘i"; and

WHEREAS, as President of Pa‘a Pono Miloli‘i, Gilbert Kahele's first major effort was to create a master plan for the community that focused on supporting residents to secure land rights and build safe affordable homes in the village; and

WHEREAS, in 1984, working directly with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and legislative and executive branches of the State of Hawai‘i, Gilbert Kahele was instrumental in passing a law which provided homes to the descendants of the 1926 Ho‘ōpūloa lava flow from Mauna Loa that destroyed the fishing village of Ho‘ōpūloa; and

WHEREAS, for twenty-five years, Gilbert Kahele worked at Pōhakuloa Training Area and would spend countless days at the then named Mauna Kea State Recreation Area advocating for its maintenance, repair, and upkeep; and

WHEREAS, through the years, due to lack of adequate funding and neglect, the Mauna Kea State Recreation Area fell into a total state of disrepair, as the cabins were closed, bathrooms were not working, and the United States of America and State of Hawai‘i flags stopped flying; and

WHEREAS, after twenty-eight years of service, Gilbert Kahele subsequently retired from his civilian position as Director of the Public Works Division at Pōhakuloa Training Area in 2000; and

WHEREAS, Gilbert Kahele worked to support those underrepresented in the political realm as a member of the Hawai‘i State Senate for District 1, advocating tirelessly for affordable housing, Hawaii's underprivileged rural children, Hawaiian homestead lands, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Tourism and International Affairs, Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Higher Education and the Arts, and Member of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor; and

WHEREAS, in 2011, working collaboratively with former Governor Neil Abercrombie, former State Senator Malama Solomon, and former Hawai‘i County Mayor William Kenoi, Gilbert Kahele championed the effort to transfer management and maintenance of Mauna Kea State Recreation Area to the County of Hawai‘i; and

WHEREAS, now known as the Mauna Kea Recreation Area, this area is identified as tax map key 4-4-16:03 and is approximately 20.5 acres; and

WHEREAS, Gilbert Kahele always envisioned that the Mauna Kea Recreation Area would be a special place in the center, or "piko", of the island when families could gather, children could play, people could meet to conduct business, and visitors could experience the serenity and beauty of Mauna Kea; and

WHEREAS, Gilbert Kahele also advocated for clean and operating restrooms, remodeled cabins, a community kitchen, and a future restaurant, as well as a gas station and convenience store for island residents and visitors traversing across the island via the Daniel K. Inouye Saddle Road Highway; and

WHEREAS, it is imperative that the State of Hawai‘i recognize and honor its most distinguished public servants in a tangible, permanent manner that is a constant reminder of their sacrifice, dedication, and service; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, that the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources is requested to rename the Mauna Kea Recreation Area in the County of Hawai‘i as the "Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area"; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Land and Natural Resources and Department of Transportation are requested to erect and maintain the appropriate signage for the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the renaming and designation of the Mauna Kea Recreation Area as the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area do not adversely impact any state or federal funding for the recreation area; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Director of Transportation, Administrator of the Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Chair of the Hawai‘i County Council, Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i, and Director of the County of Hawai‘i Parks and Recreation.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Gilbert Kahele; Mauna Kea State Recreation Area; Renaming

THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	107
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII