Posted on: Friday, January 14, 2005
HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Hannemann appoints three
Advertiser Staff and News Reports
Mayor Mufi Hannemann yesterday announced two appointments to his staff and one to the city Charter Commission.
Hannemann named James Pacopac to the 13-member commission, which considers changes to the charter that voters could be asked to approve.
Pacopac is the legislative liaison and business development officer for the Pacific Resources Partnership, a program of the Hawai'i Carpenters Union and more than 200 contractors.
Hannemann named Joyce Oliveira as his executive assistant and liaison to the City Council, the top position in the mayor's office.
She is the senior adviser to Councilman Romy Cachola, and held the same position with former Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim.
Hannemann also named Paul Yonamine to be his senior adviser.
Yonamine is the executive vice president for Asia and the Pacific for BearingPoint Inc., and is heading a review of city budgets and operations.
Thieves raided a Girl Scout camp on the Big Island during the holidays, stealing equipment and knocking out the camp's power and telephone systems, according to a Girl Scout statement released yesterday. The first break-in occurred before Thanksgiving, and the thieves took 10 solar panels and eight batteries. The second incident was reported to police on Dec. 18, 2004. In that incident, thieves took the remaining solar panels, a trace inverter, a control panel and a meter, knocking out the camp's power. The estimated replacement cost for the power and telephone systems is $20,000. Anyone with information about the thefts is asked to call the Girl Scout's East Hawaii Service Center at (808) 966-9376, Girl Scout Headquarters on O'ahu at (808) 595-8400, or the Hawai'i County Police at (808) 935-3311.
HANAPEPE, Kaua'i — Kaua'i County officials have closed down the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge after discovering that the wooden footbridge was damaged by a weekend storm.
It hasn't been determined when the landmark footbridge over the Hanapepe River will reopen, officials said in a news release yesterday.
A portion of the bridge has completely split apart from the end support at the town side of the bridge, said Al Afos of the county Roads Division.
The county is assessing the damage from Saturday night's storm and will likely consult a structural engineer.
"The Hanapepe Swinging Bridge is a historic, useful and unique gem for Kaua'i," said Ladye Martin, deputy county engineer. "It is important that access to the Swinging Bridge is permitted again as soon as it is safe to do so."
Campbell High School's aquaculture program and Maritime Academy each received checks of $7,500 last night from the Haseko Training Fund, which is administered by the Hawaî'i Community Foundation.
The checks were presented to Eric Whiteman of the aquaculture program and Cmdr. John Hutchison of the Maritime Academy by Sharene Saito Tam of Haseko at the 'Ewa Neighborhood Board meeting.
The grants are the first issued from the Haseko Training Fund.
A copy of the draft environmental assessment prepared by Hawai'i Pacific Engineers Inc. for the Waimalu sewer rehabilitation project is available for public review at the 'Aiea Public Library.
The $15.5 million construction project, expected to begin in late 2005 at the earliest, calls for the installation of replacement sewer lines and other sewer repair work to relieve clogging/sewage spill problems, capacity limitations and structural deficiencies in Waimalu.
The project area is bounded to the south by Kamehameha Highway, extends about a half-mile mauka of the H-1 Freeway and Moanalua Road and bounded to the west by Waimalu Stream.
The work will include a new trunk sewer crossing Kamehameha Highway at Hekaha Street.
Work will be done in off-peak hours. The project is expected to take 18-24 months.
Hawai'i Pacific Engineers is accepting comments on the draft environmental assessment until Jan. 24 at rabe@hawaiipacificengineers.com or Roy Abe c/o Hawaii Pacific Engineers, 1132 Bishop St., Suite 1003, Honolulu, Hi., 96813. For information, call Abe (522-7425) or Sung Ho Lai of the city's Wastewater Division (527-5398).
The 'Aiea-Pearl City Town Meeting on Feb. 23 at Pearl Ridge Elementary School cafeteria will discuss on-going and upcoming state Department of Transportation projects, such as the extension of the morning Nimitz Highway zipper lane. The meeting is from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
Clay Aiken, the "American Idol" favorite, will perform during a benefit dinner, "Hawai'i Voices for Change," Feb. 25 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.
The event is a fund-raiser for The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which Aiken co-founded in 2003 with parent and disability activist Diane Bubel, whose son Mike has autism.
Registration and a silent auction begin at 6 p.m.
Tickets are $250 and $175, with tables of 10 available for premium sponsors — $15,000 for Platinum, $10,000 for Gold and $5,000 for Silver.
Stephen Potts Thompson is event co-chairman. For reservations call 521-2328.
Sen. Clayton Hee, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku), will chair an informational briefing on the University of Hawai'i's progress toward building a West O'ahu campus in Kapolei.
The briefing is from 10 a.m.- noon tomorrow in the first-floor conference room of Kapolei Hale, 1000 Ulu'Ohia St.
UH, the Department of Education and developers will all make presentations.
Girl Scout camp hit by thieves
Storm-damaged bridge closed
Haseko fund awards checks
Data available on sewer project
DOT projects to be discusssed
'Idol' Clay Aiken to be in Waikiki
Meeting on UH Kapolei campus
