BUSINESS BRIEFS
Honolulu home prices high for middle managers
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Honolulu's home prices are about twice the national average when looking at residences that would appeal to middle management executives, according to a new study by Coldwell Banker.
The survey of 317 U.S. housing markets found the average price for a four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath home with a family room and two-car garage was $843,750. That compared with the U.S. average of $422,343 for the 2,200-square-foot homes.
The most expensive market was Beverly Hills, Calif., where a middle-management residence averaged $2.2 million. The least expensive was Killeen, Texas, where the residences were priced at $136,725.
FRESH PAPAYA PRODUCTION RISES
Hawai'i fresh papaya production in August rose 9 percent to an estimated 2.4 million pounds compared with the same month a year earlier.
Year-to-date sales for the first eight months of 2007 rose 5 percent to 17.8 million pounds, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
BUILDING EARNS ENERGY STAR
Another state office building has been awarded Energy Star status by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
To qualify, buildings must show superior energy efficiency and must be verified to meet indoor environmental standards. The newest building on the list is the Hilo State Office building on the Big Island.
Other Energy Star buildings are the State Office Tower, Kapolei Office Building and the Abner Paki Hale Courthouse in Kane'ohe.
PUTTING PATIENTS ON RIGHT COURSE
Kahi Mohala Behavioral Health has been awarded two $5,000 grants to build a new Reality Oriented Physical Experimental Services course at its 'Ewa facility.
The grants were presented by Friends of Hawai'i Charities and The Schuler Family Foundation. The Kahi Mohala course is a series of wood beams, pulleys and ropes that is intended to build problem-solving skills and teach cooperation.
The existing course is scheduled to be torn down.
AUNTIE GENOA AT BEACH WALK
The new Waikiki free concert series presented by Outrigger Enterprise Group at Beach Walk will host renowned island singer Auntie Genoa Keawe from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Outrigger's Na Mele No Na Pua concerts are held monthly on the last Saturday of each month on the Grand Lanai of the Embassy Suites-Waikiki Beach Walk hotel.
Each concert is free and open to the public as seating allows.
