HONOLULU - U.S. Army Garrison-Hawaii command representatives and environmental officials met with the State Historic Preservation Division, Office of Hawaiian Affairs and National Parks Service representatives for the first time in 2011, Feb. 16, to review and discuss future programs for the protection of historic properties.
The Army and SHPD officially extended and amended a Jan. 30, 2004, programmatic agreement, or PA, which outlines historical and archaeological programs and oversight guidelines relating to the transformation of the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Dec. 29, 2010.
The amendment continues programs outlined in the original agreement and will remain in effect until Dec. 31, 2015. The latest meeting was held to solicit comments to the proposed PA amendments to resolve shortcomings that have been identified during the past seven years.
Twenty-eight projects made up the original SBCT transformation PA. Since 2004, 13 have been completed, two have been cancelled, three are still in progress and 10 are still pending.
The projects include a wide range of construction and modernization, including new and upgraded training facilities, road construction, vehicle wash facilities, ammunition storage, infrastructure and airfield upgrades.
Sites for the SBCT transformation upgrades include Schofield Barracks, Pohakuloa Training Area, Wheeler Army Airfield and areas that connect Schofield Barracks to Dillingham Airfield and Helemano Military Reservation. Seventeen of the original 28 projects pertain to Schofield Barracks, and the other 11 projects are with the Big Island's PTA.
Each construction project has cultural resources teams that monitor for ground disturbance, consisting of one archaeologist and one cultural monitor. The agreement provides monitoring oversight; one to five teams monitor a cultural project throughout the construction.
"We will continue the important work of preserving sites and artifacts of historical significance, and (we) remain committed to working closely with a variety of local community organizations, while also never losing site of our primary mission - to ensure we have the best-trained Soldiers in the world," said Col. Douglas Mulbury, commander, USAG-HI.
A PTA meeting and review concerning the SBCT programmatic agreement is scheduled at PTA headquarters, March 25.
"Through these meetings, we maintain continuity with the goal of serving the original intentions of the programs," Mulbury said.
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