Work restarts at fish auction site
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Preliminary construction work is finally under way for the United Fishing Agency's new fish auction facility, one of two anchor tenants at the state's long-stalled commercial fishing village at Honolulu Harbor's Pier 38.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
A Shinto blessing held at the construction site yesterday was attended not just by United Fishing officials and Gov. Linda Lingle, but by representatives from Pacific Ocean Producers, the second major tenant.
The Rev. Daiya Amano of the Izumo Taishakyo Mission performs a Shinto purification ceremony as part of the dedication of the Fishing Village at Honolulu Harbor, future home of the state's only fish auction.
United Fishing Agency general manager Frank Goto and president Akira Otani look over the site of the future home of their company.
The blessing marked a new chapter for a project that had been championed by former Gov. Ben Cayetano as Hawai'i's version of San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf or Seattle's Pike Place Fish Market. Designed as a tourist magnet and working showcase for Hawai'i's fishing industry, the 16.5-acre site was originally expected to be finished in late 2000. A multipurpose building was completed when the entire project was put on hold more than two years ago because of concerns about potentially explosive methane in the soil below.
The state is expected to spend $1.4 million to remove contaminated soil and take other measures to ensure the methane concerns are addressed. Scott Ishikawa, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation which is overseeing development of the complex, said the cleanup work will run through about mid-spring at the site of the multipurpose building as well as on the soil where the Pacific Ocean Producers project will be.
All segments of the $17 million project are expected to be open for business next summer.
United Fishing Agency manager Frank Goto said the new auction facility cover 18,000 square feet, more than triple the 5,000-square-foot facility at Kewalo Basin where anglers and fish dealers have crammed in the wee hours every weekday morning for more than three decades.
The new location for the state's only fish auction, which moves more than 80 percent of Hawai'i's fresh fish, will mean fresher seafood for island consumers, Goto said. Many of the larger commercial anglers dock at Honolulu Harbor and the daily catches must now be trucked to Kewalo. The new site will allow fishing vessels to "offload almost directly into the facility," he said.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Pacific Ocean Producers, the largest fishing vessel handler in the state, is building a facility that will accommodate both commercial and recreational fishers. A 20,000-square-feet shop will sell everything from boat generators and pipe fittings to rods and reels. There will also be 4,000-square-feet of administrative space and a 3,000-square-foot restaurant.
Gov. Linda Lingle attended yesterday's Shinto blessing at the construction site.
The 32,000-square-feet multiuse building will provide commercial space for fishing-related companies. Ishikawa said the DOT expects to seek lessees once the contamination project is completed.
Lingle, who had accused the Cayetano administration of mishandling the project, yesterday praised her predecessor for his innovative idea, then complimented her own staff for taking it further.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
