Money for court, harbor upgrades added to budget
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Two big-ticket items that were in jeopardy — a Kapolei court complex and harbor improvements for the Superferry — will get money in the state's budget, House and Senate negotiators decided last night.
The $95 million court complex in Kapolei will house Family Court, which is now in downtown Honolulu, along with a juvenile detention center and Wai'anae District Court. Chief Justice Ronald Moon has told lawmakers that if the money was not approved, the courts could lose the rights to 13.6 acres of land donated by Campbell Estate for the Kapolei complex.
The House had stripped money for the complex out of the budget because some lawmakers wanted to spread the cost over several years, but the money was restored by the Senate. House and Senate lawmakers working in conference committee agreed late last night to add the money to the budget.
Lawmakers also agreed to spend $40 million over two years on state harbor improvements that backers of Hawai'i Superferry insist are necessary for the project to go forward. The Senate had deleted money for the improvements in its version of the budget, but House and Senate negotiators decided that the money should be restored.
Environmental groups have sued to try to force Superferry developers to do an environmental impact statement for the project, which would move passengers and cars between the islands by 2007. John Garibaldi, Hawai'i Superferry's chief executive, has said that an environmental impact statement could take up to a year and would effectively kill the project.
Lawmakers and staff for the finance committees have been working for the past week on the state's $9 billion budget, with the outcome of other legislation, from tax relief to extra money for charter schools, hanging in the balance. Negotiations are nearly finished, so people will learn in a few days what made the final cut.
State Sen. Brian Taniguchi, D-10th (Manoa, McCully), chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said lawmakers will now balance all of the competing requests for money, including money for tax relief.
"It's really thin, our margin," Taniguchi said.
Lawmakers who represent the Leeward coast were relieved yesterday that the $95 million for the Kapolei court complex was approved. The complex could help Kapolei evolve as a second city and ease the crowding at downtown courts.
"It's part of bringing services and jobs out to the new city," said state Sen. Brian Kanno, D-19th (Kapolei, Makakilo, Waikele).
State Rep. Mark Moses, R-40th (Makakilo, Kapolei, Royal Kunia), said "it's a tremendous development."
"It's something that's desperately needed," Moses said.
Campbell Estate plans to donate the land provided that a construction contract for the complex is signed by the end of 2006.
Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
