That's good news to Julie Dugan of Hawai'i Job Corps in Waimanalo, which provides career training for young adults. She said the center helps clients in the classroom, with job training and even practice driving.

Having to drive to town to schedule a test and wait in long lines has cut down on services that the Job Corps can provide, Dugan said, and increased costs, too.

"We've had some students who had to turn down a job

because of it," she said. By this time last year, Dugan said, the center had helped at least 75 people get their licenses, while it has been able to assist only 60 this year.

The old office — the only one in Windward O'ahu — closed June 24, 2004, when parts of the Kane'ohe police station shut down for renovation. Last fall, the city — under former Mayor Jeremy Harris — said the office would not reopen, and the police took over the space.

The previous location was not ideal — sandwiched between the police station, the library and a busy park — but residents came to rely on the convenience of not having to take a trip through the tunnels for a test.

Drivers can renew licenses and get duplicates at the Satellite City Hall in the Windward Mall, but no testing is done there.

Dela Cruz, whose district stretches from Wahiawa and the North Shore around Kahuku and down the Windward Coast to Kahalu'u, said residents shouldn't have to drive to Wahiawa or Kalihi — the nearest testing stations — to take a driver's test.

"The Windward community has made it loud and clear that this branch is a need-to-have facility," Dela Cruz said.

City spokesman Bill Brennan said $484,887 has been set aside for a new office with eight employees, but no target opening date has been set.

"We are looking for a new location," he said. Because it's a service that only the city provides, Hannemann considers it a priority, Brennan said.

"We can make it more convenient for residents to do this in their own neighborhood," he said. Among the locations being considered is the Windward Mall, he said.

Glenn Ida, a Kane'ohe resident since 1986, said closing the Windward office has made the lines even longer at the other offices, so he would welcome the service.

"It's a matter of convenience. it saves time," Ida said.

Patty Yamashiro-Hironaka, resident and businesswoman, said she has heard complaints from teenagers about the hassles of driving to town for the test. And she has heard parents saying they haven't had the time to take the teens to an office farther away.

"That's something we need here," she said.