Cemetery descendants ask DHHL for broader consultation and vetting of Nanakuli Cemetery grant proposal

A Nanakuli homestead beneficiary told the DHHL commission she supports preserving Nanakuli Cemetery but said she and other descendants were not consulted on a grant proposal that seeks roughly $1.625 million in federal funding.

"This cemetery is not simply a project site. It is a sacred place connected to generations of our families," Germaine Meyers said. She told commissioners that the Nanakuli Hawaiian Homestead Association does not represent every descendant and asked DHHL to conduct broader outreach before approving a grant application. Meyers said the proposal acknowledges incomplete burial records and calls for additional archaeological assessment prior to development.

Meyers also raised questions about the applicant. She said DCCA records show a prior nonprofit named Bill Team50 had been administratively dissolved and that a for‑profit entity, Built Team50 LLC, was organized earlier in the year. The proposal she reviewed included an $81,250 consulting fee. Meyers asked whether DHHL had independently vetted the organization’s qualifications, financial assumptions and long‑term sustainability projections before supporting the grant.

DHHL commissioners and staff heard the request; no departmental decision was announced at the meeting. Meyers asked staff to ensure descendants and families with loved ones buried at the cemetery are meaningfully consulted, and to require cultural, archaeological and burial reviews before any project moves forward.