Legislator wants police station for East Honolulu

By Karen Blakeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

The city should dump plans for a landscaped, tree-lined, "traffic calming" median and pursue plans for a new police station in East Honolulu, a state legislator said yesterday.

Rep. William "Bud" Stonebraker held a news conference to garner support for the proposed police station, which has been under consideration for 12 years.

Bids for the station came in above the budgeted $4.9 million set aside last year, and the money was returned to the city budget. The city had spent $900,000 on plans for the station, which was to have been completed by early 2005.

Meanwhile, money for a median strip on Lunalilo Road was approved. An engineering team was hired for $200,000 and the bill for the complete project is estimated at $1.5 million.

Stonebraker, R-17th (Hawai'i Kai, Kalama Valley), said community support for the median project, which is to act as a traffic calming measure, is minimal. Support for the station, including unanimous support of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board, is high, he said.

"Its not too late for the mayor to do the right thing," Stonebraker said. "We sincerely hope the mayor reconsiders these plans for everyone's benefit."

Carol Costa, the mayor's spokeswoman, said yesterday that she did not see why the two issues should be connected. The money for the station was gone in December, she said. The money for the median project is there.

"The administration supports both projects," she said. "There are loads of people who support that (median) project," including Outdoor Circle members.

Money for the police station, she said, may be budgeted later.