Permit opens parking lot for Hawaii Kai carnival

The city has issued a permit to E.K. Fernandez Shows for use of a parking site for the Hawaii Kai Community Carnival.

The Department of Transportation Services issued the conditional permit Monday for the Hawaii Kai Park and Ride to provide parking for the carnival, Friday to Sunday and March 21-23.

Some community members raised concerns about parking, traffic and pedestrian safety in opposing use of the site for the carnival.

Transportation Services Director Michael Formby said the permit was issued under several conditions that include limiting use of the makai parking lot to after 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Use of the mauka parking lot is limited to after 7 p.m. Friday, after 3 p.m. Saturday and all day Sunday. There are about 130 stalls in the lot.

Other conditions under the permit include requiring the company to have special-duty officers to manage traffic flow at the parking site and to restore the lot to its original condition.

Formby said E.K. Fernandez is also required to attend the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting in late March or April to respond to any inquiries from the community about the event.

The carnival will be held on a strip of preservation-zoned land between Hawaii Kai Drive and Keahole Street along the highway.

Officials with E.K. Fernandez Shows could not be reached for comment.

State Rep. Gene Ward (R, Kalama Valley-Queen’s Gate-Hawaii Kai) and state Sen. Sam Slom (R, Diamond Head-Kahala-Hawaii Kai) are sponsoring a town hall meeting slated for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Oahu Club, 6800 Hawaii Kai Drive, for Hawaii residents to ask questions of the event’s organizer, Rich Miano, E.K. Fernandez Shows, landowner Kame­ha­meha Schools and police.

Elizabeth Reilly, vice president of the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, said she supports a carnival but is taking a wait-and-see approach on whether the location is ideal for the event.

Lack of much advance notification to the community of the upcoming carnival disappointed some. Event organizers had ample time to reach out to the community, she said.

The event is being held as a fundraiser for Hawaii Speed and Quickness, a nonprofit organization that holds sports training clinics for youth ages 5 and up. Miano, the group’s president and Kaiser High’s football coach, said the organization plans to make a donation to the football team for new equipment.

Hawaii Speed and Quickness holds sports clinic classes at Kaiser High’s gym.

According to the organization’s IRS Form 990 tax return for 2011, the nonprofit generated about $520,000 in contributions — about $482,000 from government grants and $38,000 from other nonprofit groups or public contributions. Total revenue was $551,699.

That year, Miano earned about $34,000 through Hawaii Speed and Quickness, and his wife, Lori, the vice president, $69,000.

The nonprofit has filed annual state and federal tax filings, but has not submitted those returns to the state Attorney General’s office since 2009. Charitable organizations that solicit public donations are required to register with the attorney general’s office and provide annual tax returns. 

Deputy Attorney General Kathryn Kanemori said the organization submitted its tax return in 2008 but failed to provide returns for subsequent years. 

She pointed out Hawaii Speed may qualify for a grant exemption where charitable organizations are not required to register online or submit annual reports.

Kanemori said the office plans to contact Hawaii Speed this week to inquire about tax reports dating back to 2009.

Lori Miano said there was an oversight concerning the reports. "We’re currently making sure that’s taken care of," she said.

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Correction: Hawaii Speed and Quickness has filed state and federal tax returns, but since 2009 has not submitted those returns to the state Attorney General’s office as required by law. An earlier version of this story implied that the organization had not filed its tax returns since 2009. Also, the Oahu Club is at 6800 Hawaii Kai Drive. An earlier version had a different address.