Town Meeting To Take Deep Dive into

Waimea’s ‘Critical Infrastructure’ 

Thursday, September 5, 2024 - 5:30-7:15PM

@ New Community Center (former Mamane Bakery) - Hybrid!

HICDC's planned 43-lot subdivision in the Ouli land division on which self help homes will be built by owner occupants.

PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES - 2024:

• Thurs., Oct. 17 - WCA Candidate Forum - 5:30-7:30PM - Kahilu Town Hall - All invited.

• Wed., Nov. 13 - WCA's Annual Mahalo First Responders Dinner - 5-7:30PM - Kahilu Town Hall - All invited.

• Sat., Dec. 7 - Waimea Twilight Christmas Parade - 6-7:30PM - Waimea Park to Kalani Schutte District Park - All invited including Santa!

For a Waimea Twilight Christmas Parade application, rules and other details, go to: www.WaimeaTown.org/parade.

More Coming Events

Please click on images to expand for easier reading.

Paniolo Festival - Sat.-Sun., Sept. 21-22, 2024

We are all invited to participate – as parade spectators – OR – by entering a unit in the parade for your school, faith group, club, business, ranch or farm. Or...become a vendor - arts, crafts or food. For more details: www.AlohaFestivalsIslandofHawaii.com. There is no charge to enter and it’s a meaningful way to support and nurture Waimea’s heritage while also helping perpetuate cultural practices and values. This is our KULEANA!  

• South Kohala Traffic Safety Committee Meeting - 5-6PM, Tues., September 10, 2024 - Hybrid meeting at Tutu's House. All welcome.

• 2024 is the inaugural year for Hawai'i to designate September as "Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month." Enactment of this coincides with the globally recognized World Suicide Prevention Day - observed each year on Sept. 10. Please watch for more throughout September.

• The County of Hawai‘i has added opportunities for public input on the General Plan 2045 Comprehensive Review. The Final Recommended Draft is available, including the Policy Rationale and Land Use Map Methodology Report. Public comments are due by Thursday, Sept. 26, after which the draft plan and comments will be submitted to the Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions for further review. Planning Commission public hearings will begin in November 2024, with County Council hearings expected in April 2025. 

General Plan 2045 Community Meetings:

• Tues, Sept. 17 - 5PM - Rodney Yano Memorial Hall, Captain Cook
• Thurs, Sept 19 - 5PM - Kaʻū District Gym Multi-Purpose Rm, Pāhala
• Mon, Sept. 23 - 5PM - Kūhio Hale, Waimea
• Tues, Oct. 1 - 4:30PM - Old Judiciary Building, Kapaʻau
• Thurs, Oct. 3 - 5PM - Pāhoa Community Center
• Mon, Oct 9 - 5PM - Kulaʻimano Community Center, Pepeʻekeo

Please take 10 minutes to respond to this survey, which will help the County update Hazard Mitigation Plans for our island. More community opportunities to provide input expected later this year.

Are You Ready?

We are our own best first responders and during September, which is National Preparedness Month, here's a good way to become better prepared for your own family's safety as well as for your neighborhood, school, faith group, club, etc!

Hawai'i Community Foundation Awards Over $400K from the Richard Smart Fund to 18 Programs Supporting Waimea

Series of community conversations helped prioritize needs in support of a thriving Waimea

On Thurs., Aug. 29, 2024, Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) announced the award of $415,770 from the Richard Smart Fund to 18 programs supporting culture, education, health, and safety in Waimea.

Community organizations and residents participated in a series of conversations throughout 2023 that helped to advise the Richard Smart Fund and HCF on the top priorities and greatest needs of community members.

The late Richard Palmer Kaleioku Smart established the Richard Smart Fund at HCF when he created the Parker Ranch Foundation Trust to support healthcare, educational, and charitable giving for the Waimea community on Hawai'i Island. From 2001 to 2023, HCF distributed over $7.7 million to nonprofit organizations serving Waimea.

“These grants from the Richard Smart Fund are the result of Waimea community members describing the future they want for Waimea, a future where all of the residents of the community understand and embody their kuleana for each other and the ʻāina,” said HCF director of donor relations for Hawai‘i Island Diane Chadwick.

“The funding also aligns with HCF’s long-term strategy to elevate community voices and position Hawai‘i as a model for local and global civic responsibility and collaborative policy development.”

Click here to read more including a list of the 18 recipients.