Signs of new energy stir hope

By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

There's something in the air around Hawai'i, and it's not just Christmas.

On the surface, the news is mostly grim. Tourism is still down, layoff stories appear almost daily in the newspapers and the prospect of further public and private cutbacks remains quite real.

But just beneath the surface, there are signs of new energy; a feeling that the community has begun to wake up.

At the University of Hawai'i, newly installed President Evan Dobelle has blown through like a hurricane. While some are already wondering whether they will see substance behind his brash ideas, there is a sense that he is for real.

For instance, the long-stalled medical school project at Kaka'ako is now moving forward, re-imagined as a combined medical-wellness center with a biomedical research component. A possible project-stalling turf battle with the Cancer Research Center has been settled, leaving all systems go on this important project.

Listen to Dobelle talk and you quickly realize that he is about far more than creating a quality university. He has visions of using the university and its resources as a community builder; a kind of academic Robert Moses, if you will.

While Dobelle pursues his ambitious plans, another educational institution has quietly put into motion plans that will drastically change its role as a change-agent for the community. Kamehameha Schools this past week announced sweeping plans to change its mission and identity in the community. Under the leadership of Hamilton McCubbin, the estate has decided that it will extend its educational reach deep into the Hawaiian community.

In so doing, it will also touch the lives of non-Hawaiians who will benefit from the spinoff of its new programs. McCubbin is quite clear that Kamehameha is up to more than mere teaching; he wants to build up the social capacity of long-neglected communities.

And in very concrete ways, the efforts of UH and Kamehameha Schools are crossing paths in Kaka'ako, where the estate owns large tracts of lands. Master planning is under way to tie in the interests and assets of UH, Kamehameha Schools and the Ward Estate in ways that will benefit the combined whole far more than they could accomplish individually.

Further along, in Waikiki, the sense of energy is palpable. Mayor Jeremy Harris' crowd-pleasing programs such as Brunch on the Beach and the beachside movies have brought local people back to the area. A rash of hotel renovations and rebuilding is under way, capped by the massive and innovative project advanced by the Outrigger Hotel Corp.

Elsewhere, there is new leadership at the venerable Bishop Museum, niche high-tech companies are settling in and a new cruise line operation has set up shop in Honolulu Harbor.

The key point in all this is that it is not being directed from the state Capitol, where we traditionally look for our ideas and leadership. It is an important signal for those who will be seeking office next year: This place is beginning to move and it is their job to either lead, follow or get out of the way.

Jerry Burris is editor of the editorial pages of The Advertiser. You can reach him through letters@honoluluadvertiser.com