News Release from Honolulu Council Member Tom Berg 9-13-11

NEXT COUNCIL MEETING

The City Council will meet this Friday, September 16. Here is the [AGENDA]

Of importance is [BILL 5]. I voted NO on this bill in committee and will vote NO on the measure again this Friday at the full Council hearing. This bill proposes to make all commercial activity at our beach parks (excluding Hanauma Bay) illegal on Sundays. If the bill passes, small businesses would suffer- from teaching scuba diving and surfing, to banning movie productions, weddings ... including prohibiting tour buses from parking in the parking lots.

RAIL FIASCO CONTINUES

The City continues to push for the noisiest steel wheel on steel rail endeavor no matter how antiquated and overpriced. The City's rail project stands to be the most expensive rail project in the nation. Many rail supporters attended our last TOWN HALL meeting that was held on August 31 at Kapolei Hale and these folks advocated for Monorail and MagLev rail technology- which is about half the price, quieter, and superior to the heavy rail being pushed on us. A sample of the two hour long meeting that featured presentations on Monorail and Maglev is captured in a YouTube for your review. [RAIL VIDEO]

I voted NO to [Resolution 11-227] that if adopted, would authorize millions of our tax dollars to promote art in the rail stations. Since I was the only NO vote in committee and the measure is expected to pass this Friday, I am offering a Floor Draft to amend the resolution to allow the art to be “artistic” KIOSKS instead - where small businesses would be permitted to have decorated booths to generate money for the City rather than draining funds. My suggestion is to pave the way for kiosks to adorn the rail stations (like the airport concessionaire stands) that would utilize space at the rail stations to boost our economy and create JOBS. The City cannot even maintain the landscaping strip on Kapolei Parkway from the OR&L Co. railroad tracks to the DHHL building. So just exactly how can we expect “art” to be maintained in the rail stations?

The effort to terminate Ansaldo from fleecing us is another one of my fights- [RESO 11-248]. The company, Ansaldo, was awarded $1.4 billion to build the rail cars in California. A losing bidder, Bombardier, can build the rail cars here creating JOBS on Oahu and do it for $250 million less than Ansaldo. I have numerous resolutions to save us $250 million and infuse JOBS right here for us but it appears the Mayor, City Council and HART are content with spending more money than necessary and have no desire to create jobs as promised. Follow the money.

NIGHT FISHING BEACH ACCESS

Please consider supporting our fishing community- whereby for some, the ocean is their only refrigerator and access to city beach park parking lots after 10pm is desired in the Nanakuli area. [Resolution 11-239] could be adopted this Friday. As with all agenda items being heard this Friday, September 16, you can send in your testimony [AGENDA] now.

Councilman Tom Berg | Honolulu Hale | 530 S. King Street | Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
TEL: (808) 768-5001 | WEB: councilmanberg.com | E-MAIL: tberg@honolulu.gov