HILO, Hawaii – Hawaii County officials hope the handling of the homeless at Old Kona Airport can serve as a template for the rest of Hawaii Island.

But first they have to figure out what to do at Old Kona Airport.

Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim updated the Hawaii County Council on the situation, in Kona as well as island-wide, on Tuesday during the first of three Finance Committee meetings on the budget.

The county cancelled a community cleanup of Old Kona Airport that had been scheduled for next week, saying in a media release that a “tentatively-selected” site for the homeless that will be displaced “met with some problems”, so alternative sites are now being pursued.