Okay good morning everybody. We're gonna get started here. Good morning. This is the Policy Committee on Health Safety and Wellbeing. Today is the 15th session of this committee. We are here in the Healow Chambers at 25 El Plenty Street. And today is September 4th, 2024. The time is 9 a.m. My name is Jen Caguada. I'll be chairing this committee today in the Hilo Chambers. We have with us Council Members Liloi, Perkowitz, Inaba, Kimball, and Viegas. And over in Kona, I see Council Member Evans. Inaaba, Kimball and Viegas. And over in Kona, I see Councilmember Evans. So we're going to go ahead and get started this morning. Mr. Clerk, we have one item on the agenda. Do we have any testimony for this item? Thank you, Madam Chair. Just confirming that you do not have any testimony. Okay. Then may I please read in the item, Mr. Clerk? Bill 195 amends the Parks and Recreational Facility Schedule, Chapter 15 article 8, Section 15-68.1 of the Hawaii County Code in 1983. 2016 edition as amended by naming the baseball fields at William Billy, Kenoy District Park District Park, the Howard Sonoria baseball fields, and honor of Howard Fernando Sonoria. Introduce Ms. Kirkowitz. Thank you, Megan Emotion, please. Second. I have Emotion to close file on this communication. Oh, sorry. Yeah, on this communication. Oh, on Bill communication oh sorry yeah on this communication oh on bill 195 sorry to forward to counsel with a favorable recommendation by council member Kirkowitz and a second by council member Liloi. Council member Kirkowitz it's your floor. Thank you chair. I just want to take a moment to acknowledge Brandon Bartolome and feel free to come forward if you like. He reached out to me when we were going through the process of renaming Poahua District Park to honor our late great mayor William Billy Canoy. And his Ohana shared with me a really beautiful story about Howard Fernando Sonoria, your grandfather, grandfather, who had such an impact on the youth of Pauha because of his investment in coaching kids T-Ball, girl softball, you know little league teams, baseball, former council chairwoman, Pelline Hale, cointim, Mr. Baseball, because again of his significant contributions. And in kind of digging into a little bit about Mr. Sonoria, I really appreciated about how he was such an advocate for Title IX, really encouraging girls to play sports. And so I wanted to provide you an opportunity, Brandon, on behalf of your O'Hana, to just kind of speak to what we are doing today, which is honoring your grandfather by naming the ball fields at the Billy, Canoei District Park in honor of your grandfather. Oh, thanks for joining us. You can turn on the button there and then just pull that right close to you. Great. First of all, thank you guys for having me here and having the opportunity to share a short story of my grandfather. He been a big pioneer of youth athletics for many of years from the time I was born. And before my auntie, she was born in Manthi Marlene, which is her, her his youngest daughter. And all this son is Fred Sonaria right behind us. But I'm just thankful and grateful that he made a big impact in my life, you know, growing up. I like the Lakers because he watched the Lakers. I like the breeze because he like the breeze. He instilled me on how to be a team player and he got me introduced to T-Ball, baseball. And not only he used to coach, he used to actually create the uniforms for the schools and the literally teams because back then everything was expensive, families couldn't afford a lot of the equipment. So he was the one that basically created everything that they needed to participate and even from picking up the kids and bringing them home after practice. So I remember we used to go riding in the boat, we call it. It was a big, long, climate station wagon and he would pack at least 15, 16 kids in that car. And I mean, nowadays you cannot do that, right? So I just remember them. I was like, you know, the bad boy at the time. But yeah, I just bring fond memories of him because he passed away in 1996, I think. So, but I just grateful and thankful for the opportunity to even have this opportunity to speak in front of you guys, because I didn't know this is what you have to do to name the baseball fields until my auntie, you know, mentioned to me, you to me with councilwoman Haley-Nail. So we're here and thank you. And I get one thing to recommend. I think it's important to, before you do name any other fields or facility. I think it's really important to go into the community and see and talk to the people that was from the district because I think it's important to go into the community and ask and before naming, I think, you know, but thank you, thank you for all that you guys do. Appreciate it. Thank you. Do you want to take a moment to just introduce the Ohana that are here today? Okay, so I got my uncle Lento Sonaria Yeah, and then I got my auntie Marlene Yeah, my auntie Sandy and Eddie Yokoyama but Eddie Okama was the one of the PR and the PNR directors at the community center. Georgia Shita was his boss. We have Fred Sanaria in the back. He's the oldest son. Wonderful. Thank you so much for being here for this occasion. This particular bill is going to be a ceremonial bill after Mo Missina, Director of Parks and Recs caught a slight oversight here in naming the Field Space Ball Field. So you wanted to make sure that we were inclusive of all different sorts of ball activities that could happen in that area. So we'll be with your blessing chair. We'd like to wave that to council to keep this bill on track. And it will come forward as the Howard Sonoria ball fields bill. If that's okay with you and the family. Yes, thank you. And then my wife, my years all more. So we all know and love pulling. Thank you for joining us. And just I wanted to say thank you to your grandfather, not here with us today, but certainly looking down and I think appreciating the recognition that he is getting humble, individual that really went the extra mile to make sure that kids were coached so that they could be successful on and off the fields. And there's so many wonderful values of sportsmanship, collaboration, resilience that you get by playing sports. And I know that that was something that he saw to be incredibly valuable that we instill in our youngsters. So just thank you. So glad that your father, great-grandfather was able to share his gifts with the community. Thank you, Chair Eilt. Thank you, Council Member. We're gonna open it up for comments. I just wanted to mention that Council Member Coneyle Eclinephilder has joined us. Anybody want to chime in? Council Member Lee Lohan. Yeah, thank you. And thank you to the O'Hana that's here today. You know, this is kind of a promise Thank you and thank you to the Ohana that's here today. You know, this is kind of a promise that was long incoming. For many years, Polha didn't have recreational facilities and it wasn't until our loved mayor, Billy Kenoy, really pushed to have facilities in Puna. And I say this was a long promising coming, because Helen Heo is actually used to work with her. But it was also at a time where former council member Al Smith, the Puna Rec representative, was pushing very hard for funding, understanding that pillars of the community, like Mr. Sonaria, would become a fixture in that community to remind community that we build on those foundations. And so it really is a nice homecoming for the family and a great honor for me personally to acknowledge that this is a promise being fulfilled. So thank you, Councilmember Kirkwitz and to the family. Congratulations, I'll be in full support. I yield. Councilmember Connellary Kleinfield. Thank you, Chair. It just just want to say Mahalo to the family and then to to the late Mr. Soriano. So say the rate. Yes. Sonoria. Correct. Thank you. Sorry. I played baseball when I was younger. It was one of those kind of key stones in life as far as stepping up and learning a sport and being part of the team. And there's a great value to that. And so him passing that on to the community, passing on to the kids in the community to build adults who take care of the community later in life is just a beautiful thing. So let's be able to support this today and Malo to Ms. Kirkwoods for bringing this forward and to put the name on the field and keep that as a legacy for the family is incredibly important. So Malo for being here today in his honor. And I'm happy to be a part of this. And thank you to the Parks and Rec Department for making this happen as well. Thank you. Are you all chair? Thank you, Councilmember. Anybody else? Anybody over in Kona? Councilmember Evans? No, thank you, chair. Okay, I'll just wrap up by saying I'm also very happy to support this renaming of the our naming of the ballfields and I did really like what I heard Councilmember Kirkwitz say about supporting girls and sports. It wasn't always the case that that was done to the extent that it sounds like coach Sonoria did. So really appreciate that. I didn't play softball as a child, but I did play other sports. And it was really an important part of my upbringing. So really appreciate that and we'll be happy to support. So great to see you all. All those in favor? Oh yes. Go ahead. Again, I'm going to reintroduce a cleaned up version of this bill at Council. Okay. So a new bill will come forward because I because the title of this bill would be incorrect. I need to make sure that everything's in order and have been instructed by the clerk that it's best to withdraw today. Okay. And we'll wait to council the new bill. I see. Okay, so we'll be. I would do. We will thank you. So the bill is withdrawn and we'll be looking at the clean bill up in council though so we don't have to have a delay. So thank you all. I guess we don't need to take a vote. Although you heard I think that there is a lot of support here for this. So when you're gonna finish up this committee and then maybe do you want to take a picture? You want to wait until? Yeah, okay. All right. Great. Thank you. I think for our businesses done for this committee and we will conclude the day at 9.12. Thank you.