MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM 75¢
TROUBLES BY THE TRUCKLOAD
SEPTAGE DUMPING CONDITIONS IRK WEST HAWAII WASTE HAULERS
KAILUA-KONA — With more
than 300 people in Hawaii County
who are either blind or have low
vision, a group of local volunteers
is making sure residents know that
vision impairment doesn’t mean an
impaired lifestyle.
NEW LISTING
“There’s ways to keep living the life
you want,” said Sally Hammond, president
of the West Hawaii chapter of
the National Federation of the Blind.
There were 324 Hawaii County
residents on the state blind register
in 2017, according to state statistics.
Of those, 276 were considered
blind, while the remaining 48
are considered visually impaired.
KUAKINI HEIGHTS—4BED/3BATH
To help others in the community
and their family, the West Hawaii
chapter of the National Federation
of the Blind will host a resource
fair at Hale Halawai packed with
exhibitors to connect area residents
with resources available within the
community.
KAILUA-KONA — Friction
between county officials and West
Hawaii septage haulers has been
mounting for months as pumpers
contend policies at the Kealakehe
Waste Water Treatment Facility are
onerous and costing them money.
Complaints range from disposal
regulations to a general lack of
access including a 24-hour appointment
notice policy and what they
describe as frequent unresponsiveness
to their requests to utilize the
only dumping site on the leeward
side of Hawaii Island.
“If we can’t dump, we can’t pump,”
said William Wilton, who runs CW
Pumping.
Randy Miguel, owner of ABC
Cesspool and Septic Pumping, said
he’s reached the point of considering
the sale of his company.
“I’ve had it with this whole system
— it’s affecting the general public,”
said Miguel, adding he’s concerned
access issues could lead desperate
haulers, or customers they’re unable
to serve, to resort to illegal dumping.
“It could happen. If somebody
cannot dispose of a load … where
are they going to take it? That’s
going to shut them out of business.”
Bill Kucharski, director of the
Hawaii County Department of
Environmental Management,
acknowledged a staffing shortage
has led to some legitimate frustrations
among the handful of operators
in the niche but crucial septic
and cesspool pumping industry.
However, Kucharski largely
disagreed with pumpers’ characterizations
of how the WWTF at
Kealakehe has been managed.
“The (County of Hawaii) does
not have unlimited personnel or
funding,” said Kucharski, adding
those who oversee the dumping also
work in the field and that attracting
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INSIDE
CENTENNIAL
CELEBRATION
Waimea’s royal
Hawaiian society
celebrates
100 years
NHN, 5B
▼
MAKING
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Furniture store
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Business, 7A
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HI 84 LO 73 WEATHER, PAGE 6A
VOL. 50, NO. 99 20 PAGES
BY MAX DIBLE
WEST HAWAII TODAY
mdible@westhawaiitoday.com
Bill Wilton of CW Pumping pumps a septic tank.
LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
“If somebody cannot dispose
of a load … where are they
going to take it? That’s going
to shut them out of business.”
RANDY MIGUEL
OWNER, ABC CESSPOOL AND
SEPTIC PUMPING
SEE WASTE PAGE 6A
Officer dead
in apparent
murder/
suicide
BODIES FOUND
IN MOUNTAIN
VIEW SUNDAY
AFTERNOON
BY WEST HAWAII TODAY STAFF
Hawaii Island
police are investigating
the death of a man
and woman at a residence
in upper Puna.
Around 3:25 p.m.
on Sunday, police
responded to a home
in the Pacific Paradise
Gardens subdivision
in Mountain View.
Officers found the
bodies of a male and
female in the residence.
One of the
dead is a police officer.
Detectives with
the Area I Criminal
Investigation Section
are continuing this
investigation, classified
as a murder and
suicide. An autopsy
will be conducted this
week to determine the
exact cause of deaths.
No names are being
disclosed at this time
pending official identification
and notification
of next of kin.
Anyone who may
have information
about this incident
is asked to call the
Police Department’s
non-emergency line at
935-3311 or Detective
Jesse Kerr at 961-
2379 or jesse.kerr@
hawaiicounty.gov.
Dennis Francis, left, president of OPI and president and publisher of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser,
presented a $20,000 check to Laura Varney, center, CEO of Hospice of Kona. On the right is David
Kennedy, chief revenue officer for OPI. WEST HAWAII TODAY
Oahu Publications Inc., the parent
company of West Hawaii Today,
presented a $20,000 check to
Hospice of Kona as part of OPI’s
Subscriber Donation Program.
The program, started in 2011, has
provided nearly $1 million to local
nonprofit organizations. It has won
a national award in the newspaper
industry and has been copied by
many papers across the country.
Dennis Francis, president of
OPI and president and publisher
of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser,
gave the check to Laura Varney,
CEO of Hospice of Kona.
“We thank our generous
subscribers for their continuing
willingness to help nonprofits
and charities in communities in
which we live,” Francis said.
OPI also gave a $25,000
donation to Hawaii Care Choices
in Hilo. See page 5A for a photo
of that check presentation.
Kealakekua
Bay master
planning
meeting set
BY WEST HAWAII TODAY STAFF
KAILUA-KONA
— The Department
of Land and Natural
Resources Division of
State Parks and planner
Belt Collins Hawaii
will hold a community
meeting on the
recently released draft
environmental impact
statement for the
Kealakekua Bay State
Historical Park Master
Plan.
The plan addresses
the priority issues of
parking and access to
the bay in the Napoopoo
section of the park, as
well as toilet facilities,
and the protection
and interpretation of
archaeological sites in
the Kaawaloa section.
People are invited
to discuss the DEIS
from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
on Saturday at the
Konawaena Elementary
School cafeteria.
View the DEIS
online at https://bit.
ly/2pHsEtp. Comments
are due by April 23.
Big giving, Big Island
OPI DONATES $20K TO HOSPICE KONA
BY WEST HAWAII TODAY STAFF
‘Keep
living the
life you
want’
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND EVENT CONNECTS RESIDENTS WITH RESOURCES
BY CAMERON MICULKA
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com
SEE BLIND PAGE 6A
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