Advertiser Staff and News Services
MAUI
Rental housing project sold
KAHULUI, Maui — Hale Mahaolu has purchased the 122-unit Luana Gardens affordable rental housing project in Kahului from Maui County for $6.9 million.
The county’s General Fund will realize an extra $1 million from the deal, according to Finance Director Wesley Lo.
Hale Mahaolu, a nonprofit agency that has managed Luana Gardens since it opened in 1983, will maintain the project as affordable housing and continue the Head Start program there.
First Hawaiian Bank applied for a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle’s Affordable Housing Program on behalf of Hale Mahaolu and received $1.1 million to help the agency purchase the project. The grant was one of the largest the FHLB of Seattle has ever granted to one agency.
Hale Mahaolu Executive Director Roy Katsuda said his organization plans to work with Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. to open an Early Child Care Center within two years.
BIG ISLAND
Power goes out again on Big Isle
HILO, Hawai‘i — A brief power outage Sunday afternoon affected 10,020 Hawai‘i Electric Light Co. customers in Puna, North Kona, Hamakua and part of Hilo.
A generator shut down at 1:35 p.m. at the new Hamakua Energy Partners’ power plant in Haina, which has been the cause of five blackouts in less than a month.
Service was restored about seven minutes later.
HELCO President Warren Lee has blamed the recurring outages on the usual startup problems associated with a new generator.
He said the 60-megawatt plant has been subject to computer difficulties and personnel problems.
Coordinator of UH program named
KEALAKEKUA, Hawai‘i — James Lightner has been appointed coordinator of the new Hospitality Training Institute being launched by the University of Hawai‘i’s West Hawai‘i Center.
Hawai‘i Community College Provost Sandra Sakaguchi said Lightener will be responsible for establishing courses in various aspects of the hospitality industry, from culinary arts to hotel management.
Lightener came to Hawai‘i as a Coast Guard officer in 1961 and for the past decade has been in the private sector in Kona.
Among the first community-based programs the institute will offer is "Building Productive Teams for Hospitality Managers," to be held Feb. 2 in Kona and Feb. 23 in Hilo.
Call (808) 974-7531.
KAUA‘I
Kaua‘i beach gets more sand
KUKUI‘ULA, Kaua‘i — Alexander & Baldwin’s Kukui‘ula Development Co. has placed 500 cubic yards of sand to expand the beach between the small boat harbor and Lawa‘i Road at Kukui‘ula.
Kukui‘ula Vice President Tom Shigemoto said the firm is working with the state to get buoys installed that will mark the boundaries of the swimming area, separating them from the adjacent boating area.
The sand was brought from the dunes and flatlands of Mana, where it was removed to expand the wetlands at the state’s Kawai‘ele Bird Sanctuary.
The beach work was financed by Kukui‘ula Development as a way to ease the population pressure on Po‘ip¬ beaches from the firm’s resort and residential development.
It was a requirement of the Kaua‘i County Council when the panel approved zoning measures for the project.
Kukui‘ula Development is funding a continuing water quality monitoring program in the bay, Shigemoto said.
MAUI
Hokule‘a Maui stops planned
LAHAINA, Maui — The voyaging canoe Hokule‘a will visit Maui County over the next couple of months in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
The double-hulled canoe, built to study the migration patterns of early Polynesians, will be at Manele Bay on Lana‘i Jan. 26, sailing to Lahaina the next day.
While at Lahaina Harbor from Jan. 29-Feb. 10, public tours of the vessel will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays, with related exhibits on display at the Old Lahaina Courthouse.
On Feb. 11, it will arrive at the Kihei Canoe Club site across from Suda Store on South Kihei Road. From Feb. 12-25, H¯k¬le‘a will be docked at Ma‘alaea Harbor, with public tours offered from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays with exhibits at Ma‘alaea Harbor Village.
Hokule‘a will be in Kaunakakai, Moloka‘i, until March 18, when it will sail to Hana, Maui.
It will be open for tours March 19-24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays at Hana Bay, before returning to O‘ahu.
Call (808) 661-3790.
Education official changing hats
WAILUKU, Maui — The state Department of Education’s top school administrator in Maui County has announced he is resigning to take another job within the department.
Paul Brown, Maui District superintendent since 1998, will become director of the new Alternative Dispute Resolution Office, which will be based on Maui and serve the entire state.
Appointed to his post by state Superintendent Paul LeMahieu, Brown will remain as district superintendent until a replacement is hired. That is expected to happen as early as mid-February.
[back to top] |
