Panel to review Puna road recommendations

The Hawaii County Council formed an ad hoc committee to review recommendations made last year for improving road connections between Puna subdivisions.

The committee will include:

• Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan.

• Puna Councilman Danny Paleka.

• Ka‘u Councilwoman Maile David.

• Hilo Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi.

• Puna Community Development Plan Chairperson Patti Pinto and connectivity subcommittee chairperson Marlene Hapai.

Ilagan, who brought the proposal forward Tuesday, said the new committee’s role will be to fine tune recommendations made by the PCDP subcommittee and help find funding sources.

The committee will provide the full council with a report, but he said he wasn’t sure how long that would take.

“I’m not looking to prolong this process,” Ilagan said.

Hamakua Councilwoman Valerie Poindexter, who chairs the council’s Committee on Public Works and Parks and Recreation, gave her consent to the ad hoc committee’s formation.