City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 07/27/12 Mayor Carlisle: Road Maintenance Improvements Underway

MAYOR CARLISLE: ROAD MAINTENANCE IMPROVEMENTS UNDERWAY (Wed., June 27, 2012)—Mayor Peter Carlisle today joined the Department of Facility Maintenance and leaders of the Hawaii Asphalt Pavement Industry to demonstrate several pavement preservation methods the City will evaluate as part of its effort to improve road conditions. "Our goal is to maximize efficiency and protect our roadways to help stop potholes and other problems before they even start," Carlisle said. "One way to do that is to better protect roads that are in good shape. We will also continue to rehabilitate and reconstruct our poorer roads, and we hope to achieve a substantial improvement in roadway conditions." The City is preparing to launch a new pavement preservation program at the start of the new fiscal year that begins July 1. The treatment types demonstrated today at Salt Lake District Park include crack sealing, which prevents water from reaching the road base and is a foundation of all other treatments; fog seal, a rejuvenating topical treatment to retard oxidation; seal coat, which uses emulsion and sand to cover edges of minor cracks and stabilize the wearing surface to reduce road degradation; and slurry seal, a heavy layer that creates a new wearing surface to minimize damage to the road base. Increased emphasis on pavement preservation is a cost-effective national trend, endorsed by the Federal Highway Administration. The key is to apply the right treatment on the right surface at the right time, said Dr. Westley Chun, Director of the Department of Facility Maintenance. "We're pleased to partner with the Hawaii Asphalt Pavement Industry and their members to facilitate a demonstration of the various treatments that are under consideration as part of a comprehensive pavement preservation program," Chun said. The test areas in Salt Lake District Park will be monitored to evaluate how the treatments perform under local weather conditions, including Hawaii's high level of ultra-violet radiation. The City will then identify specific streets that are appropriate for treatment.  -30-  Media contact: Johnny Brannon, Mayor's Office, 768-5767.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/27/12 Mayor's Celebration Parade Salutes the Military

MAYOR'S 2ND ANNUAL CELEBRATION PARADE SALUTES THE MILITARY   (Wed., June 27, 2012) − Mayor Peter Carlisle invites everyone to Waikiki on Sunday, July 1 to honor our military veterans and service members at the Mayor's 2nd Annual Celebration Parade and Sunset on the Beach.   The parade begins at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Saratoga Road and proceeds down Kalakaua Avenue to Kapiolani Park. Kalakaua Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic at 5:30 p.m. The parade will be followed by a Sunset on the Beach celebration at Kuhio Beach featuring the movie Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton.   The parade will showcase veterans and service members. Mayor Carlisle wants to especially honor and welcome home the many service men and women who have returned from tours of duty in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere abroad.  All branches of the U.S. military will be represented with marching units and bands in the parade.  More than 50 units are participating in the parade with a special appearance by the 150-member Mississippi Lions All-Star Band.   Sunset on the Beach at Kuhio Beach continues the tribute to the military following the parade with themed entertainment and a blockbuster movie.  Festivities begin at 7 p.m. with a peformance by the Royal Hawaiian Band and Glee Club. The feature film screens at 8 p.m. Food booths will be available. The event is sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu, Waikiki Improvement Association, Aston Hotels and Resorts, and Cox Radio.   -30-   Media contact: Kaleve Iosefa, Mayor's Office of Culture and the Arts, 768-6622.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/27/12 Independence Day Holiday Schedule

INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY SCHEDULE   (Wed., June 27, 2012) — City government offices will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day, a federal holiday.   Emergency ambulance, fire, lifeguard and police services will be available. Municipal golf courses, parks, botanical gardens and the Honolulu Zoo will be open. Refuse will be collected. Landfills and refuse convenience centers will be open. City buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. The People's Open Markets will be closed. Blaisdell Center box office will be closed. Satellite City Halls and Driver License offices will be closed. On-street parking will be free, except for the meters on Kalakaua Avenue along Queen Kapiolani Park. Parking will be permitted in those tow-away zones that allow parking on holidays. Traffic lanes will not be coned. Motorists are reminded that parking in municipal lots with meters will not be free.   -30-

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/26/12 City and Hawaiian Electric Reach New H-Power Purchase Agreement

City and Hawaiian Electric reach new H-POWER purchase agreement (Tues., June 26, 2012)---Hawaiian Electric Company and the City & County of Honolulu have reached a revised and expanded power purchase agreement for the utility to buy electricity generated by the H-POWER plant in Campbell Industrial Park.  The contract is now before the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission for review, with input from the Division of Consumer Advocacy. The original power purchase agreement was signed in 1986 and the 46-megawatt H-POWER plant has been generating electricity since 1990 with a two boiler, solid waste-to-energy plant. Starting construction in 2009, H-POWER has added a third boiler, combustion train and associated air pollution control equipment, turbine generator, cooling equipment and electrical interconnection equipment that will increase total capacity to 73 megawatts. H-POWER provides firm renewable power, aiding Hawaii's drive to reduce dependence on imported oil for energy. The expansion allows the City's Department of Environmental Services to divert more trash from Oahu's landfill. It will help Hawaiian Electric meet its renewable energy goals. The new contract modifies and extends terms of the original contract and includes the expanded capacity for the next 20 years.    "I am pleased with the results of the recently completed power purchase agreement with Hawaiian Electric Company," Mayor Peter Carlisle said. "The renewable energy produced is a huge step towards being one of the better sustainable cities in America." "On an island with limited possibilities for disposal of waste and a necessity to get off imported oil for generation, waste-to-energy is an ideal solution," said Scott Seu, Hawaiian Electric vice president for energy resources. "We have worked well with the City & County and Covanta, the company that operates the H-POWER plant for more than 20 years and we are pleased we will continue to do so." Hawaiian Electric will pay H-POWER six cents to 16 cents per kilowatt-hour, depending on time of day and total power provided, plus 5 cents per kWh capacity payment for electricity during peak hours from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.  The price is linked to an external price index. H-POWER is paid the non-escalating capacity fee because it provides firm power when it is needed.      The contract price is lower than Hawaiian Electric's current avoided cost for power. Hawaiian Electric takes no mark up or profit on energy purchased from vendors like H-POWER. Covanta Honolulu operates the Honolulu Program of Waste Energy Recovery (H-POWER) plant for the City.  H-POWER combusts garbage at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit and turns it into inert ash. The boiler produces steam that drives a turbine generator. The facility has been able to process up to 2,160 tons of MSW per day, and the expansion will add 900 tons per day with a total of more than 800,000 tons of MSW per year.    -30-

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/26/12 City's H-Power Plant Wins Top Award

CITY'S H-POWER PLANT WINS TOP AWARD   (Tues., June 26, 2012) – Mayor Peter Carlisle today announced that the City's H-POWER waste-to-energy plant received the Facility Recognition Award at the 20th North American Waste-to-Energy Conference, and an expansion of the facility will soon be operational.            "H-POWER was a wise investment for the City and is helping keep opala out of our landfill while providing a reliable source of electricity," Carlisle said. "It's great to have these efforts recognized by experts in the field."            The plant has been in service since 1990 and is operated for the City by Covanta Honolulu. It utilizes two refuse-derived fuel processing trains that each combust approximately 300,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually. The expansion project, often referred to as the third boiler, will handle an additional 300,000 tons per year.            With the expansion, H-POWER will produce eight percent of Oahu's power – enough to power 75,000 homes – while diverting nearly 80 percent of the island's non-recyclable household opala from the landfill.            H-POWER also recovers approximately 20,000 tons of ferrous (steel) and non-ferrous (aluminum alloy) metal for recycling each year.            The award, presented by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), recognizes contributions by solid waste processing facilities for both combustion and material recovery. The Facility Recognition Award is the conference's highest honor.   -30-    Media Contact:  Markus Owens, ENV Communications Officer, 768-3454

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/22/12 Carlisle Announces Completion of Chinatown History Project

CARLISLE ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF CHINATOWN HISTORY PROJECT (Fri., June 22, 2012)—Mayor Peter Carlisle today announced the successful completion of a unique City effort that helps visitors understand and appreciate the vibrant history and heritage of Honolulu's Chinatown. The Chinatown Heritage Tourism Infrastructure project included detailed historical research, the installation of bronze plaques on 16 historic Chinatown buildings, the creation of attractive color brochures for walking tours of historic sites, and the development of four interactive informational kiosk exhibits that showcase different Chinatown eras with videos, timelines, historic photos and maps. "Chinatown is one of Honolulu's most interesting and exciting neighborhoods, with fascinating stories to share," Carlisle said. "We're helping to preserve that history by making it more accessible to everyone." The project was implemented by the Mayor's Office of Economic Development in partnership with the Honolulu Culture and Arts District Association, and was a collaborative effort that included historians, researchers, graduate students, area residents and local businesses and artists. In 2006, the White House designated Chinatown a Preserve America Community Neighborhood, making Honolulu eligible for federal historic preservation support. The Chinatown Heritage Tourism Infrastructure project is a direct result of that designation. The project's goals are to develop heritage tourism infrastructure that showcases Chinatown's historic periods, helps visitors understand how existing Chinatown businesses are connected to the neighborhood's history and culture, and helps maintain Chinatown's character and identity through heritage interpretation tools such as exhibits and informational materials. Information about this project and Chinatown history is posted on the Honolulu Culture and Arts District Association website, www.hcadhawaii.org and on a dedicated project website, www.chinatownhonolulu.org -30-   Media contact: Johnny Brannon, Mayor's Office, 768-5767.

City and County of Honolulu News

You are here:  Main / Customer Services / Public Communications Division / 2012 / 06/22/12 Ala Moana Park Competes for $100,000 as "America's Favorite Park"

ALA MOANA REGIONAL PARK COMPETES FOR $100,000 AS "AMERICA'S FAVORITE PARK"   (Fri., June 22, 2012)—Mayor Peter B. Carlisle recently accepted a $10,000 grant from Coca-Cola to improve Ala Moana Regional Park and rally the community to vote for the park to win $100,000 and the title of "America's favorite park." Grants are provided to help restore, rebuild, or enhance activity areas in parks where people can play and be active.               "Ala Moana is among our most popular and celebrated parks," said Mayor Carlisle. "It is utilized by paddlers, beach goers, swimmers, tri-athletes, runners, picnickers, and other active residents and visitors. It is also the venue for some of our biggest community events, such as the upcoming Fourth of July celebration. If we can get all of the people that come to the park on that holiday to check in and vote for Ala Moana, we will win this competition and get more money to make this park even better."               Coca-Cola is hosting this contest for the third year and offers the park with the most votes a $100,000 recreation grant from the Coca-Cola Live Positively initiative. Second and third place parks receive $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, and a fourth place winner drawn at random from the remaining 25 parks wins a $15,000 grant. The national contest is currently underway and continues until Sunday, July 15, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.               If Ala Moana Regional Park receives additional grant money, improvement possibilities include work on sewer lines at the comfort stations, sprinkler upgrades, sand replacement, and general beautification.               There are two ways to generate votes in the contest:   1) Unlimited single votes can be cast at www.Livepositively.com/parks. Search "Ala Moana Regional Park," and vote by clicking away. The direct link to the Ala Moana Regional Park page is: http://m.livepositively.com/park_details.jsp?parkId=4f3c0826e4b036beb9454cff   2) Generate 100 votes at a time by first downloading Foursquare to your mobile device, then visiting LivePositively.com/parks to link it to the website. Once you accept the permissions, you are ready to vote from the park.  Foursquare is a social networking mobile application that allows users to post their location at a venue ("check-in"). If you are near or at Ala Moana Regional Park, "check-ins" at this location are possible every 15 minutes. This is the most efficient way to produce votes.                High resolution pictures from the check presentation at Ala Moana Regional Park are available at the City and County of Honolulu Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/honolulugov/sets/72157630229637406/                                                                       -30-   Media contact: Jim Fulton, 768-6928.