City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/11/12 Community Meeting on Waialae Avenue Improvements

COMMUNITY MEETING ON Waialae AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS   (Wed., April 11, 2012) − The City Department of Transportation Services will hold a community meeting to discuss potential roadway improvements to Waialae Avenue, including the addition of bicycle lanes. The meeting will be on Thursday, April 19, 2012, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Kaimuki Community Park, 3521 Waialae Avenue.   In addition, the State of Hawaii Department of Health is sponsoring a presentation by Dan Burden, a national expert on complete and livable streets. He will talk about how other communities have made positive changes in designing transportation corridors for all modes of travel.   -30-     Media Contact: Chris Sayers, DTS Bicycle Coordinator, 768-8335, csayers@honolulu.gov

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/10/12 Parking Advisory for Blaisdell Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                            April 10, 2012   PARKING ADVISORY FOR BLAISDELL CENTER   (Tue., April 10, 2012)—The public is advised that parking at the Blaisdell Center lot on Monday,April 16, will be limited to the Hawaii Market Business-to-Business Expo attendees only.  There will be no daily or monthly parking on that day.  Signs have been posted at the parking lot entrances and exits since March 30, 2012.                For more information, please contact Diamond Parking at 592-7275.     -30-

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/10/12 HART CEO Promises More Transparency

HART CEO PROMISES MORE TRANSPARENCY   (Tue., April 10, 2012) − Daniel Grabauskas, the new executive director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), today pledged greater transparency for the Honolulu rail transit project.   "Transparency and a culture of openness are among my top goals," Grabauskas said. "This is the largest public works project in Hawaii's history and taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent. We will consistently provide accurate information and increase the amount of information we make available to the public. We intend to show that we are good stewards of your tax dollars."   As part of Grabauskas' transparency effort, HART will post on its website the full Administrative Record for the public to view and examine. These documents will also be searchable, he said. It includes more than 14,000 documents totaling more than 150,000 pages.   "As the official source of project information, we want to ensure that the public has access to this entire document. In making this available online, the message is that we welcome the public's review," Grabauskas said.   In addition, HART will upload additional project documents, designs, correspondence with the Federal Transit Administration and existing agreements with various agencies related to rail construction work.   As HART's new chief executive, Grabauskas runs the agency responsible for the construction, operation and maintenance of the $5.2 billion rail project. The HART board of directors selected him as the new CEO/executive director in March.   The 20-mile Oahu rail transit system running from East Kapolei to Ala Moana is expected to open in 2019. For updates on construction work days and times and more details about the project, visit the project website at www.honolulutransit.org or contact our hotline at 566-2299.   -30-   Media Contact: Jeanne Belding (808) 768-6145, cell: (808) 489-2530.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/09/12 City to Host Smartphone "Amazing Race" for Geeks

CITY TO HOST SMARTPHONE "AMAZING RACE" FOR GEEKS   (Mon., April 9, 2012)—The City Department of Information Technology (DIT) is hosting "Geeks on DaBus," a city-wide version of The Amazing Race to test new bus applications for mobile devices on Thursday, April 12.               Geeks carrying their mobile devices can join Mayor Peter Carlisle to share their experience on a ride from anywhere on the island to The Greenhouse Innovation Hub at 685 Auahi Street in Kakaako.                "This is an opportunity for the public to tell us about their experience riding TheBus and evaluating our new applications," Carlisle said. "We plan to have fun but more importantly, we'll get to see how well these applications track bus locations, estimated times of arrival, and route experience."               "We're hoping those who are tech savvy and other interested parties will document their trips and provide feedback—including photography—concerning DaBus app performance," said Forest Frizzell, Deputy Director of DIT.               Those who arrive by noon at The Greenhouse in Kakaako, can enjoy a free lunch, Frizzell said. He added riders can join the event from anywhere on the island, at any time, and meet at the Greenhouse. Mayor Carlisle will participate by riding a bus to Kakaako from a location near Honolulu Hale.               Those participating in the event can use applications, including DaBus, which can be downloaded for Apple devices from the App Store. For other devices, Internet applications include Allb.us and Hea.TheBus.org.  All of these free apps and more can be downloaded on the City's transparency website at http://can-do.honolulu.gov/. Registration for Geeks on DaBus is required in advance for catering purposes, sign up online at http://dabushnl.eventbrite.com/               Frizzell said he hopes participants will form teams and share their experiences using the hashtag: #DaBusHNL. Lunch at the Greenhouse will also include a meeting with app developers Andy Yip and Jane Zeng, and members of the Oahu Transit Service, including President and General Manager Roger Morton. City employees will answer questions about TheBus and the performance of the new Internet applications.                                                                     -30-   Media contact: Forest Frizzell, Department of Information Technology, 768-7806.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/09/12 Honolulu Zoo Accreditation Renewed

HONOLULU ZOO ACCREDITATION RENEWED (Mon., April 9, 2012)—Mayor Peter Carlisle today announced that the Honolulu Zoo's accreditation has been renewed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the nation's leading accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums. The AZA accredits only institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation, and science. This accreditation renewal affirms that the Honolulu Zoo is meeting, if not exceeding, those standards. The Honolulu Zoo is located on 42 acres in Kapiolani Park and has more than 1,000 animals. Its mission is to inspire the stewardship of our living world by providing meaningful experiences to our guests. The zoo hosts more than 600,000 visitors each year. While the Honolulu Zoo never lost its accreditation, the AZA tabled or put it on hold last year based on the outcome of its regular five-year accreditation inspection and review. However, through the support provided by Mayor Carlisle and the Department of Enterprise Services, the zoo addressed issues identified by the accreditation team. Over the past year, the zoo was able to fill vacant personnel positions, complete repairs and upgrade animal exhibits.             "The Honolulu Zoo is one of our city's treasures," Carlisle said. "It's very important to keep the animals healthy, happy and thriving. These latest upgrades and improvements will help our zoo remain a vibrant, world-class facility so our residents and visitors can continue to enjoy its animal collection."             One major improvement was the new elephant exhibit. "This new home for our elephants is nine times larger than the previous exhibit and has two 50,000 gallon swimming pools, which the elephants are thoroughly enjoying," said Honolulu Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo.             The new elephant enclosure sits on 1.5 acres of land and also features a holding area behind the exhibit that measures more than 7,000 square feet. The zoo recently renovated its lion enclosure and acquired two new lions.             The AZA conducted a follow-up accreditation inspection in January of 2012. The exit interview report by the inspection team stated, "An absolutely amazing volume of significant work has been accomplished in the past year."             The Honolulu Zoo is grateful for the support of Mayor Carlisle, the City Council and the collaborative efforts of many City departments that resulted in the renewal of its AZA accreditation.   -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 / 04/09/12 City Smartphone Apps and Online Registration Use Increasing

CITY SMARTPHONE APPS AND ONLINE REGISTRATION USE INCREASING   (Mon., April 9, 2012)—The City Department of Information Technology (DIT) partnered with local developers to enhance public service by providing key information to campers, bus riders, and those interested in reporting problems to the City and the public is making good use of the new services.               "We are pleased that the public has embraced the City's newest online services as well as other services such as the NIXLE notification system and our Facebook and Twitter accounts," said Mayor Peter Carlisle.               The successful online camping registration program allows campers, who formerly had to wait in line for hours—and sometimes days—before camp registration deadlines, to now register online for campsites. More than 1,300 users have already taken advantage of the new registration system.               The City has also added a unique feature for smartphones that provides users with access to information about bus schedules, routes, and locations. This novel approach to transportation offers riders immediate information regarding bus and bus stop locations and problems in the system.            "This application is highly successful," said Forest Frizzell, Deputy Director of DIT. "It allows us to put information quickly in the hands of riders. It was developed in partnership with a member of our community and highlights our effort to leverage technology to keep the public informed."               In another example of using technology to disseminate important information, the Honolulu Tsunami Evacuation Zones application allows residents and visitors to quickly determine the need to evacuate during a tsunami warning. "We learned after the Japan tsunami scare that due to the high adoption rate of cell phones versus land lines, many people no longer use traditional phone books," Frizzell said.  "In the past, that's where people got emergency information so we are now adapting to how people prefer to consume information."               Honolulu 311, a smartphone app for reporting City issues, has garnered extraordinary adoption and penetration into the social media network. The number of users has exploded. "We are finding that this low cost system enables us to quickly locate problems," Carlisle said. "We are now looking at additional applications of this powerful tool that currently allows users to report issues like abandoned vehicles, broken street lights, or illegal dump sites."         In the two months since its debut, more than 900 reports have been submitted to the City using Honolulu 311. All of these free apps and more can be downloaded on the City's transparency website at http://can-do.honolulu.gov/.                                                                     -30-   Media contact: Forest Frizzell, Department of Information Technology, 768-7806.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 04/09/12 Lane Closures for Archaeological Survey Work in Urban Honolulu

TRAFFIC ADVISORY: LANE CLOSURES FOR ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY WORK IN URBAN HONOLULU   (Mon., April 9, 2012) − The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) wants to inform drivers that archaeological survey work continues next week in the urban Honolulu area for the rail transit project. Motorists are advised of lane closures related to the survey work being conducted in the Kalihi, downtown Honolulu, and Kakaako areas.   Work will require lane closures during non-peak traffic hours, including possible night work in approved areas. For the safety of both the work crews and motorists, the public is advised to proceed with caution through these areas. Drivers should anticipate possible traffic delays or use alternate routes during work hours.   Work for the week of Monday, April 9 will take place at the following locations: ·       Dillingham Boulevard between Mokauea Street and Kalihi Street from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. ·       Kamehameha Highway between Middle Street and Puuhale Road from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7:30 p.m. to 3 a.m.   Motorists are advised to drive with caution and provide a safe distance between themselves and the construction workers and vehicles.   The City is conducting the archaeological survey work along the urban Honolulu section of the Honolulu rail transit route to identify potential archaeological, historical and cultural resources. The archaeological work will aid rail project staff in their design of the elevated rail guideway.   Trenching work will take place at various locations along the Honolulu rail route between Middle Street in Kalihi and Ala Moana Center. Contractors Cultural Surveys Hawaii Inc. and Royal Contracting Co. are conducting the fieldwork.   The survey work will be completed before rail construction begins in the urban Honolulu area, as specified under the rail project's programmatic agreement relating to cultural and historic resources. For updates on construction work days and times, visit the project website at www.honolulutransit.org or contact our hotline at 566-2299.   - 30-   Media Contact: Scott Ishikawa, (808) 768-6172, cell: (808) 227-2350.