City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 03/02/12 Art Exhibits at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale

ART EXHIBITS AT HONOLULU HALE AND KAPOLEI HALE   (Fri., March 2, 2012) −  The following exhibits will be on display at Honolulu Hale and Kapolei Hale.  The shows are presented through the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts in partnership with local arts, cultural and educational organizations.  All exhibits are free and open to the public.  Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Honolulu Hale is located at 530 South King Street and Kapolei Hale is at 1000 Uluohia Street.   Splendors of Ikebana March 6 - 9, Honolulu Hale Courtyard.  Ikebana demonstration, March 7, 10 a.m.               A variety of beautiful ikebana flower arrangements by members of Ikebana International's Honolulu Chapter 56, that express the beauty of nature through this traditional Japanese art form.  On Wednesday, March 7, at 10 a.m., Diana Salansky of the Ikenobo School will create an arrangement demonstrating the use of materials and design methods.  For information go to: http://www.ikebana-hawaii.org/.   OOPS Club (Original Oil Painting Pals) and New Beginning Artists March 6 - 29, Honolulu Hale Lane Gallery and 3rd Floor Gallery.  Reception on Tuesday, March 6, 5 p.m.   Makua Ali'i Senior Center's veteran and budding artists will display their paintings.  The painters range in age from 55 to 95 years old.  For information contact Makua Alii Senior Center at 973-7258.   Ka Lei Makamae o Waianae March 5 - 29, Kapolei Hale.  Reception on Thursday, March 15, 5 p.m.   The exhibit of art and writing by fourth graders of Leihoku Elementary School reflects lessons learned from the Ka Lei Makamae o Waianae (the precious lei of Waianae) project.  The Ka Lei Makamae o Waianae educational program provided the fourth graders with classroom, field trip, and land restoration activities.  Papahana Kuaola, a nonprofit organization offers this educational program featuring environmental restoration and economic sustainability integrated with a focus on Native Hawaiian knowledge and practices.  For information go to: www.papahanakuaola.com/.   -30- Media contact: the Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts at 768-6622.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 3/2/2012 Mayor Carlisle Signs Sister-City Pact With Nagoaka, Japan

MAYOR CARLISLE SIGNS SISTER-CITY PACT WITH NAGAOKA, JAPAN   (Fri., March 2, 2012)—Mayor Peter Carlisle and Nagaoka, Japan Mayor Tamio Mori today signed an agreement establishing a sister-city relationship between the two communities.   "Nagaoka is a beautiful city, and we're very proud to finalize this relationship and bring our people closer together," Carlisle said. "This is a wonderful way to encourage cultural exchanges and promote international peace and understanding."   Mayor Carlisle visited Nagaoka last year and witnessed the city's spectacular annual Grand Fireworks Festival. Nagaoka began holding the festival after World War II ended in 1945, to serve as a memorial and symbolize a desire for world peace. Nagaoka was heavily bombed by U.S. forces during the war, and the fireworks festival helped support the city's reconstruction.   Mayor Mori has encouraged peace-oriented exchanges with Honolulu in recognition of the cities' wartime experiences. Nagaoka was also the birthplace of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Yamamoto had earlier cautioned his superiors against war with the United States.   A delegation from Nagaoka attended the Hawaii Sister-Cities Summit in Honolulu last year in preparation for establishing the new relationship with Honolulu.   The mayors signed the sister-city agreement today in Mission Memorial Auditorium, exchanged gifts and enjoyed performances by the Royal Hawaiian Band Glee Club.   Nagaoka is Honolulu's 28th sister-city, joining Baguio, Philippines; Baku, Azerbaijan; Mumbai, India; Bruyeres, France; Caracas, Venezuela; Cebu, Philippines; Chengdu, China; Funchal, Madeira, Portugal; Haikou, China; Hiroshima, Japan; Hue, Vietnam; Incheon, Korea; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Laoag City, Philippines; Manila, Philippines; Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands; Mombasa, Kenya; Naha, Okinawa, Japan; Qinghuangdao, China; Rabat, Morocco; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Seoul, Korea; Sintra, Portugal; Tokyo, Japan; Uwajima, Japan; Vigan, Philippines; and Zhongshan, China.   -30-   Media contact: Louise Kim McCoy, Mayor's Office, 768-7798.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 03/02/12 Kalihi Satellite City Hall At Dillingham Closed

KALIHI SATELLITE CITY HALL AT DILLINGHAM CLOSED   (Fri., March 2, 2012)—The Kalihi-Kapalama Satellite City Hall at City Square, 1199 Dillingham Boulevard, is closed today for the safety of employees and customers because of transient nuisance odors from construction activity in the vicinity of the office. The Department of Customer Services is working with City Square's building management to resolve this problem.    Satellite City Hall customers are asked to go to other nearby locations at Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center.  There are also satellite offices in Kailua, Kapolei, Wahiawa, Waianae, and Windward City Shopping Center.   The Driver License office at City Square is not affected and remains open for business.      -30-   Media contact: Gail Haraguchi, Customer Services Department Director at 768-3392.

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You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 03/01/12 Mayor Carlisle: No Property Tax Rate Increases

MAYOR CARLISLE: NO PROPERTY TAX RATE INCREASES   (Thurs., Mar. 1, 2012)—Mayor Peter Carlisle today unveiled a carefully balanced spending plan for the coming fiscal year that focuses on core City services and responsible savings, and includes no property tax rate increases.   "This plan keeps the City moving forward and helps prepare for the future," Carlisle said. "We need to spend wisely on the services our residents depend on, make sure our infrastructure is well-maintained, decrease our debt, and save money for rainy days."   The $1.953 billion proposed operating budget for 2013 is only 1.5 percent higher than the current year's budget, despite significant increases in the price of fuel and electricity. The new budget holds the line on salary costs by continuing an across-the-board labor cost reduction of five percent within each City agency.   The new budget also builds on efforts initiated for the current year to slow the growth of general debt service. The City took advantage of low interest rates and bond refunding opportunities to generate savings that will lower the City's debt service by $7 million in the new fiscal year.   The proposed budget adds $20 million to the Fiscal Stability Fund, to begin a multi-year effort to fund the reserve at the optimum level of eight percent of annual General Fund and Highway Fund operating expenditures, and help protect Honolulu's excellent bond ratings.   "Saving for a rainy day is not only good policy, it is the right thing to do," Carlisle said. "We need to steadily grow our reserves and keep our finances strong for future generations. The commitment to savings will also help preserve our excellent bond ratings, which helps save even more money."   The proposed Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget of $577 million represents a 5.5 percent increase over the current year to fund city projects, including $295 million for projects that will improve the City's wastewater system and comply with a federal consent decree. Significantly, the portion of the CIP budget representing new general and highway projects to be funded with general debt financing is $153 million, down from a five-year average of $234 million. This is a 35 percent decrease from the five-year average, and 17 percent less than the $185 million budgeted for the current year.   The CIP budget also reduces bond funding by shifting approximately $13 million from bond to cash funding for items including major equipment, reconstruction of sidewalks, bus rehabilitation, and certain land expenses. This will eliminate over $9 million in finance charges. The movement from bond to cash funding is an effort to better match the useful life of bond-financed equipment to the life of the bonds. This will prevent the City from paying debt service for 25 years for items with a useful life of 12 years or less.   -30-   Media contact: Louise Kim McCoy, Mayor's Office, 768-7798.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 03/01/12 Daniel Grabauskas Named HART Executive Director

DANIEL GRABAUSKAS NAMED HART EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR   (Thursday, March 1, 2012) — The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation's board of directors today selected Daniel Grabauskas as the agency's CEO/executive director to oversee the Honolulu rail transit project.   Grabauskas will begin his new role in mid-April heading the agency responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the $5.2 billion rail project. The HART board of directors voted unanimously on the selection after taking public testimony at its board meeting today at Mission Memorial Annex.   "I am humbled to be selected as HART executive director and I am fully committed to helping bring this project to reality," Grabauskas said. "I want to thank the HART board for its support and I look forward to working with the HART staff as we continue moving forward."   Grabauskas' three-year HART contract includes an annual base salary of $245,000, a $36,000 a year housing allowance and a transportation allowance of $6,000 a year. The proposal also includes the potential for a $35,000 annual performance bonus.   Grabauskas is currently chairman and senior strategic adviser of the Bronner Center for Transportation Management, Grabauskas formerly served as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). As chief executive officer of MBTA, Grabauskas had oversight of a 6,100-employee operation, with an annual operating budget of $1.4 billion and an annual capital budget of more than $500 million, with operations in 175 municipalities throughout eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. His work also included completion of several capital expansion projects, including an 18-mile commuter rail line.   Grabauskas also served as Secretary of Transportation for the state of Massachusetts, with oversight of a $1.4-billion annual administrative budget and an annual capital budget of more than $1.8 billion. In that cabinet-level role, Grabauskas had oversight of MBTA, highways and municipal airports.   The HART board's selection process began in November 2011 and involved 150 people being contacted as part of the search.   "Dan Grabauskas has shown himself to be a proven leader in the transit industry and we are very excited to see him come aboard at this time," said Keslie Hui, chairman of the HART board's Human Resources Committee. "After an extensive screening process, the board concluded that Mr. Grabauskas was the one for the job: he is an honorable public servant, passionate about public transportation in general and our project in particular, and he is fully committed to using his considerable knowledge, skills and experience to delivering rail to the people of Honolulu, on time, and within budget."   -30-   Media Contact: Scott Ishikawa, (808) 768-6172; cell: (808) 227-2350

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 02/29/12 State to Implement New Hawaii Driver License Requirements Beginning March 5

(From the State Department of Transportation)   STATE TO IMPLEMENT NEW HAWAII DRIVER LICENSE REQUIREMENTS BEGINNING MONDAY, MARCH 5   HONOLULU – New requirements for individuals who want to renew, reinstate and apply for a Hawaii state driver's license or learner's permits will take effect on Monday, March 5, 2012. Individuals will have to provide proof of their legal name, birth date, Social Security Number and legal presence in the United States at all county Motor Vehicle, Licensing and Permits Division offices.   The following are examples of documents that will prove everything but a Social Security Number: An original or certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a state Department of Health or equivalent agency in the individual's state of birth A valid, un-expired U.S. passport A valid, un-expired permanent resident card issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Form I-551 A certificate of naturalization issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Form N-550 A certificate of citizenship issued by the DHS, Form N-560 A valid foreign passport with Visa and Form I-94, issued by Customs and Border Protection, DHS               The following are examples of the documents that will provide proof of an individual's Social Security Number: A valid social security card A Medicare ID card (Suffix A, M, T and TA only – indicates Social Security Number for the person named on the card) Wage and Tax Statement Form W-2 or 1 099R, provided the Social Security Number is printed on the document, original or certified copy SSA-1099 form, from a previous year, original or certified copy   Additional requirements may apply. For instance, married women who have changed their last names must also provide a valid or certified copy of their marriage licenses.   A full list of all potential documents, new requirements and frequently asked questions can be found at hawaii.gov/dot. Links to the site are also available on all four county websites.   The new requirements are mandated by the Legal Presence Act in accordance with Act 38 of the 2010 state legislative session.   In conjunction with implementation of the Legal Presence Act, all counties will begin issuing 60-day temporary licenses. Upon completion of all document verifications, a plastic license will be mailed within two weeks unless issues come up during processing.   ###   Media Contact:  State Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Meisenzahl at 587-2160 (office), 265-5239 (cellular) or via e-mail at Daniel.T.Meisenzahl@hawaii.gov.

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You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 02/29/12 Major Sewer Projects in March

SEWER PROJECTS DURING MARCH   (Wed., Feb. 29, 2012) – The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services has eight major sewer projects in March that may impact roadways and traffic on Oahu.            The projects include:   Ø       Beachwalk Wastewater Pump Station to Ala Moana Park Sewer Phase 1, Force Main System – Installation of a new sewer line along Ala Moana Boulevard (between Atkinson Drive and Ala Wai Canal), and along Ala Wai Boulevard (between Kalakaua Avenue to the dead end of Ala Wai Boulevard).  Ø       Houghtailing Street Area Sewer Rehabilitation – Sewer rehabilitation work in Kamehameha Heights area on various streets within the area bordered by North School Street, Kokea Street, Kamalii Street, Aulii Street, Ilima Drive, Makanani Drive and Kapalama Drive. Ø       Kalakaua Avenue Sewer Rehabilitation – Open-cut trench digging replacing 1,500 lineal feet of 6- and 8-inch sewer pipe along Kalakaua Avenue between Philip Street and Kapiolani Boulevard. Ø       Makaha Interceptor Sewer Rehabilitation/Replacement – Sewer rehabilitation work along Farrington Highway between Ala Hema Street and Leihoku Street and along Pokai Bay Street. Ø       Saint Louis Heights Sewer Rehabilitation – Sewer rehabilitation work on various streets with the area bordered by Bertram Street, Kaminaka Drive, Saint Louis Drive and Dole Street. Ø       Sewer Manhole and Pipe Rehabilitation at Various Locations Phase 2 – Sewer rehabilitation work along Nimitz Highway between Pacific Street and Sumner Street. Ø       Waikiki Sewer Rehabilitation – Sewer rehabilitation work along Kuhio Avenue between Kuamoo Street and Kaiulani Avenue. Ø       Wilhelmina Rise Sewer Rehabilitation – Sewer rehabilitation work in Wilhelmina Rise area on various streets within the area bordered by Paula Drive, Lurline Drive, Wilhelmina Rise, Keanu Street and Claudine Street.            Approximately 122 projects are underway focused on Oahu's wastewater treatment plants, pump stations and collection system. These projects are part of $533 million of ongoing wastewater projects, including planning, designing, construction, project management and equipment project phases.     -30-   Contact:  Markus Owens, Public Communications Officer, ENV 768-3454                        Follow us on Twitter @hnl_env

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You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 02/28/12 Honolulu Police Department Announces Driver Checkpoints

Honolulu Police Department Announces Driver Checkpoints (Tue., February 28, 2012)—The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) will be conducting impaired driver checkpoints on Oahu throughout the months of March and April.  The checkpoints will be set up at unannounced times and locations from Thursday, March 1, through Monday, April 30, 2012, including (but not limited to) Spring Break and the Kuhio Day and Easter weekends.  The checkpoints are part of the department's ongoing efforts to reduce the number of collisions on our roadways. The HPD is reminding the public not to drink and drive and that the legal drinking age is 21.  Promoting intoxicating liquor to a person under the age of 21 is a misdemeanor punishable of up to one year imprisonment. As of February 24, 2012, 12 people have been killed in 12 traffic collisions on Oahu so far this year.  Speed, alcohol, and/or drugs were factors in at least 8 of those crashes.  During the same period in 2011, nine people were killed in eight vehicle collisions; of those, six collisions had speed, alcohol, and/or drugs as contributing factors. Honolulu police officers have been conducting impaired driver checkpoints every week throughout the year as part of the federal "52/12" sobriety checkpoint program.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 02/27/12 Fort Street Mall Satellite City Hall to Close for Renovations

FORT STREET MALL SATELLITE CITY HALL TO CLOSE FOR RENOVATIONS   (Mon., February 27, 2012) — The Fort Street Mall Satellite City Hall, located at 1000 Fort Street in Downtown Honolulu, will close from Monday, March 5, 2012, for renovations.  The office is expected to reopen in May 2012.   Customers are encouraged to conduct business online, via mail, or at other satellite city hall locations during the closure.  The nearest alternate locations are Ala Moana Center and Dillingham Boulevard.  A complete list of satellite city halls can be found at www.honolulu.gov/csd/satellite/.     -30-     Media Contact:  Gail Haraguchi, Director, Department of Customer Services, at 768-3392.