April 10, 2019

Kalo Place Mini Park closing for maintenance

Kalo Place Mini Park is scheduled to be closed for nearly 12 weeks for park maintenance.
The closure will begin on Tuesday, April 9, and is scheduled to reopen on Sunday, June 30. The park is normally closed nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The one-acre mini park is located in Mo?ili?ili along Varsity Place on the eastbound side of the H-1 freeway.
The maintenance work scheduled to be performed during this park closure includes, but is not limited to the following: tree trimming; grass maintenance; and additional landscaping and improvements.
The Department of Parks and Recreation appreciates the public's understanding and patience the while this facility is closed for maintenance.
Department of Parks and Recreation
City and County of Honolulu
Nathan Serota: (808) 768-3046
Friday, April 5, 2019

April 10, 2019

Art at the Capitol 2019

State lawmakers opened their offices to art lovers on Friday, April 5, for the annual Art at the Capitol event, which this year celebrated island artists and also the 50th anniversary of the Hawaii State Capitol.

Rep. Dale Kobayashi, his wife Dawn, and friends, with Satoru Abe's "Three Rocks" behind them.

April 3, 2019

New Phone Numbers for City Parks

The City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has changed phone numbers for many park facilities, including the following in my district:

Kanewai Community Park, 2695 Dole St., 768-6724
Manoa Valley District Park, 2721 Kaaipu Ave., 768-6703

"This upgrade has been a positive change, not only for the public, but our dedicated park staff," said DPR Director Michele Nekota. "It will give our staff better connectivity to the public, on a more capable system, while also saving taxpayer money."

Additional benefits to the upgraded service include the ability for park staff to call different area codes, including neighbor island numbers, and improved access to voicemail messages.

All of the new phone numbers may be viewed at several locations within the DPR website, parks. honolulu.gov. You can find the new phone numbers within the "Park Locations" and "Pool Locations" tabs, as well as on the interactive Google Map, which lists and locates all of the developed DPR locations.

For a roughly two-week period following the April 2 transition announcement, the old phone numbers will lead to a voice message informing the caller that the phone number has changed and providing the updated number. Following this interim period the old phone numbers will no longer be valid.

April 1, 2019

Hokulani School Visits

Over 100 Hokulani School students & teachers visited the Capitol this morning, met with Representative Kobayashi, Senator Taniguichi & Lt. Gov. Green, toured the Capitol building - including the House & Senate galleries, the Governor's & Lt. Governor's offices, the Liliuokalani statue, the Iolani Palace banyan trees, the reflecting pond, the Aquarius mural, and the Public Access Room, where they learned more about the legislative process & how they can participate.

We were sad to see them go back to school!


1) The Hokulani group from the 3rd floor	2) Rep. Kobayashi greets Hokulani

3) Answering questions in the House gallery	4) Lt. Gov. Green answering questions

5) Behind the Lt. Gov's desk	6) The whole group together just before heading back to school

March 14, 2019

Potential Road Usage Charge (RUC) to fund upkeep of roadways and bridges

In response to declining fuel tax revenues, The Hawaii State Department of Transportation's (HDOT) is considering alternate ways to generate funding to pay for the maintenance of roadways and bridges across Hawaii. DOT will be holding 14 community meetings across the state, and Oahu will have three dates for members of our communities to submit comments.

Please read below for more information, or read the press release here: http://hidot.hawaii.gov/…/ community-meetings-scheduled-for…/

COMMUNITY MEETINGS SCHEDULED FOR INPUT ON POTENTIAL ROAD USAGE CHARGE FOR HAWAII (Online community presentation also being held April 18, 2019)

HONOLULU – The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will hold 14 community meetings across the state to get public feedback on the concept of a road usage charge (RUC) to fund upkeep of roadways and bridges. Community meetings are currently scheduled for the following dates and times:

OAHU
• Wednesday, March 20 (6 – 8 p.m. at Kapolei High School Cafeteria, Kapolei)
• Tuesday, April 16 (location TBA, check hiruc.org)
• Wednesday, April 17 (location TBA, check hiruc.org)
• Hawaii residents can also provide input and ask questions via an online community meeting on Thursday, April 18. More information about all meetings will be available on the project website www.hiruc.org

• “The reality is fuel tax revenue, which provides a third of state highways funding, continues to decrease as cars become more fuel efficient,” said Ed Sniffen, HDOT deputy director for Highways. “We need to look at a long-term replacement for the gas tax that is sustainable and fair to all road users.”
• In an RUC system, vehicle owners pay for actual miles driven versus a gasoline tax system where owners pay by the amount of fuel their vehicle consumes. Hawaii is one of a dozen states including California and Oregon that is investigating whether the switch to a pay-per-mile-driven charge is feasible and how it might be implemented.
• Hawaii’s study looks at a RUC system as a revenue neutral replacement to the current 16 cents per gallon state fuel tax. As a part of this study, important factors such as sustainability, fairness , information and privacy protection, and other topics will be addressed.
• The scheduled meetings are important to share information with Hawaii residents about road usage charges and gather community feedback.

About HiRUC
• The Hawaii Road Usage Charge Demonstration is a three-year project to investigate the use of a per-mile fee to fund upkeep of roads and bridges instead of a system where drivers pay at the pump. The demonstration will allow Hawaii drivers to experience what a road usage charge (RUC) system could be like and provide their feedback, opinions, questions, and concerns to Hawaii Department of Transportation. More information is available on the website at www.hiruc.org

March 4, 2019

University of Hawaii Foodbank Food Drive

The Hawaii Foodbank has kicked off its Annual State Employees Food Drive, which runs through May 17, 2019. The issue of hunger continues to be a major challenge facing our community, affecting those most vulnerable among us, and the University of Hawaii ohana is not immune from this issue.

Several UH campuses have opened student food banks, and UH continues to support the community ohana through participation in the State Food Drive.

This year, the Foodbank's goal is to raise 80,000 pounds of food and $150,000. The top five most wanted items are monetary contributions, canned meats/tuna, canned meals, canned vegetables/fruit and rice.

In 2018, UH employees donated almost 7,000 pounds of food and more than $39,000 in cash for the Hawaii Foodbank, making UH one of the largest contributors among all state offices.

We look forward to continuing the university's long tradition of support for the Hawaii Foodbank.

Please take a moment to consider making a contribution to assist those who are most in need.

More information about this year's Food Drive can be found at:
http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/op/fooddrive

February 11, 2019

March 2019 Blood Drives in District 23

One in seven people entering the hospital in Hawaii will need blood, but only about 2% actually donate. Spring into action and save lives in your community by signing up to donate blood.

Listed below are the upcoming blood drives in (or near) District 23 this March. Please note: drives are subject to change. To schedule an appointment or check on drive information, call 848-4770 or visit BBH.org.

The general requirements to be a blood donor are simple:
• Be in good health
• Be 18 years of age or older (16-17 year old donors with signed Blood Bank of Hawaii parent/legal guardian consent)
• Weigh 110 pounds or more (Additional height/weight requirements apply for female donors 16-18 years old)
• Bring photo ID with date of birth

DATE - LOCATION - TIME
Tue 03/05/19 - Mid-Pacific Institute Technology Center, Seminar Room - 7am-3:30pm
Tue 03/05/19 - UH Manoa Campus Center, Executive Dining Room - 9am-3:30pm
Tue 03/12/19 - UH Manoa Campus Center, Ballroom CC301 - 9am-3:30pm
Wed 03/13/19 - Roosevelt High School, Library - 8am-2:30pm

Pop-Up Donor Centers
UH Manoa Campus Center - Tuesdays, 8am-3pm

February 11, 2019

Visit from Roosevelt High School Students

February 11, 2019

Freshmen Representatives with Speaker Saiki

February 11, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon

February 11, 2019

Opening Day Photos

February 7, 2019

Manoa board calls for pause in Ala Wai Flood Control Project

By Allison Schaefers, Honolulu Star Advertiser, February 7, 2019

The Manoa Neighborhood Board unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday calling for a halt on an Ala Wai Canal flood control project to give stakeholders an opportunity to give feedback on a plan to add detention and catchment basins to the upper reaches of Manoa, Palolo and Makiki.
The board is expected to be the first of many neighborhood boards to weigh in on the project, which recently came under community fire after it became evident that it was moving forward before all stakeholders had been afforded a chance to comment.
Full article

February 4, 2019

Repaving of Manoa Streets Scheduled to Begin Mid-February

A city contractor is scheduled to begin an extensive repaving project in the Manoa Valley area tentatively starting on Monday, Feb. 11 (see project map and list of streets below). The work is expected to take up to 365 days.
The allowable work hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Mondays through Fridays (with possible weekend work). Motorists are advised to observe and obey all traffic controls, posted signs and special duty police officers, and proceed with caution through the construction area. Drivers should anticipate delays due to detours, lane and/or road closures, and allow extra travel time while driving through the work areas.
The project includes, but is not limited to: cold planing; resurfacing and reconstruction of asphalt concrete pavements; adjustment of utility manhole and handhole frames and covers; installation of pavement markings and vehicle loop detectors; reconstruction of existing concrete curbs and/or gutters; removal of existing gutter and replacement with asphalt treated concrete base; construction of asphalt concrete bus pads; tree removals as required by a certified arborist; tree root pruning and canopy trimming; and installation of new underdrains.
Contractor Maui Kupono Builders LLC is responsible to coordinate local traffic, including access to homes by residents, deliveries, trash collection and emergency services. On-street parking will be prohibited during working hours.
Please observe the dates and times on posted roadway signs as illegally parked vehicles may be towed if necessary at the owner's expense. For questions or concerns, please contact Maui Kupono Builders LLC at (808) 369-1800 or Construction Management & Engineering LLC at (808) 829-1902.
Akaka Place, Alani Drive, Emekona Place, Hipawai Place, Huelani Drive, Hulu Place, Kahaloa Drive, Kahawai Street, Kahewai Place, Kahiwa Place, Keahi Place, Komaia Place, Kumukoa Street, Kumu Street, Lono Place, Loulu Place, Loulu Street, Lower Road, O'ahu Avenue, Old East Manoa Rd, One Street, Pakanu Street, Pawale Place, Pawaina Street, Pinao Street, Pinao Place, Pu'u Nanea Place , Rainbow Drive, Sonoma Street, Waipuna Rise, Woodlawn Drive, and Woolsey Road.