DHS Offers $11K/Month for TVRs to House Lahaina Victims
PBS Wokesters Look Out for Hawaii’s ‘Local Menstruators’
Miske properties targeted for forfeiture by the government
Ilind: …The government intends to seek the forfeiture of more than $4 million of property belonging to former Honolulu business owner, who is accused of controlling a racketeering organization behind the facade of his several businesses. If Miske and his three remaining co-defendants are convicted, the government is seeking to seize his luxury home in Portlock and a small home in Enchanted Lake, five vintage cars (including a 1951 VW) along with a 2017 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, artwork and other items, all owned by Miske or his companies….
The total value appears to be upwards of $11 million….
PDF: Bill of Particulars for Forfeiture of Property
read … Miske properties targeted for forfeiture by the government | i L i n d
No Joke: 2043 is new Target date for Completion of New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District
KHON: … Decades. That’s how long the state said the New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District (NASED) will take to build. One official said the stadium should be done in about five years…
(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)
… but the rest of the project will take many more to complete….
The year 2043, that’s the estimated time of completion for the NASED according Chris Kinimaka, the public works administrator for the department of accounting and general services, that is handling the contract for the project….
“We are looking to have the stadium available for the start of the UH 2028 football season,” she explained.
(IQ Test: Are you laughing harder?)
The NASED project has already faced numerous hurdles, but Kinimaka said once the request for proposal officially goes out this month, they should have a developer chosen and master plan completed by December 2025.
“That means that with the contract being signed in 2025, we’re looking around late 2025 or 2026 for the stadium to be demolished.”
(IQ Test: Are you laughing harder?)
According to Kinimaka, the main requirement is the 25,000 seat stadium….
read … The New Aloha Stadium Entertainment District will take decades to complete
Tax Hikes Coming: Green, Legislators Vaporize $3.5B--want more
CB: … Just 13 months ago the state was so flush with tax revenue and federal pandemic funding that outgoing Gov. David Ige’s administration projected the general fund would have a record-setting cash surplus of more than $3.9 billion when this fiscal year ends on June 30.
But new data provided to bond investors late last month shows that situation has dramatically changed.
The Green administration is projecting a much smaller surplus of less than $607 million on June 30. The disclosure also indicates the surplus will decline even further in the following year, to less than $385 million by June 30, 2025.….
(CLUE: Not because of Lahaina fires.)
Green said he will again press lawmakers for a proposed “green fee” that would be levied on tourists to raise additional money, and said he also wants to push ahead with his proposal for a child care tax credit.
The governor made an unsuccessful pitch for the green fee during the legislative session this year, and Green said he may advocate next session for an increase in the state hotel room tax. He sees both of those ideas as strategies to raise money the state can use to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Green is expected to officially present his proposed supplemental budget to the public and state lawmakers by Dec. 18, and will submit his package of proposed legislation for this year when he makes his second state of the state address on Jan. 22.
read … Remember Last Year’s State Budget Surplus? Well, Wave Goodbye
Lahaina: “It’s gonna take six months to a year to remove the debris”
HNN: … With contracts ending with several Maui hotels to house survivors through the Red Cross’ emergency non-congregate shelter program, FEMA is in the process of trying to lock down long-term housing options.
Fenton says over 1,300 people are currently in need of direct housing with another 300 still in the application process.
Just last week, Gov. Josh Green and Maui Mayor Richard Bissen proposed incentives for rental owners to make their units available for evacuees and FEMA is hopeful that’s a solution as agencies prepare for the next step of debris removal for Lahaina properties.
“It’s gonna take six months to a year to remove the debris,” Fenton said.
“It’s gonna take longer to rebuild, until we rebuild those properties that were lost, we need to create the space and a stable safe housing solution for those that have lost everything.”
The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the completion of phase one debris removal for Lahaina and Upcountry and the next step involves clearing of individual properties, which requires owners to sign right of entry forms to allow contractors to operate.
Fenton says less than a thousand right of entry forms have been received out of more than 3,700 impacted units….
read … With key deadline approaching, FEMA seeks long-term housing for Maui evacuees
State, feds offer $75M to reopen Halawa Shaft
SA: … The Halawa Shaft, one of Oahu’s major sources of fresh drinking water, was permanently shut down following massive leaks of jet fuel at the Navy’s Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage in 2021.
Now the state Department of Health, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, says it could offer up to $75 million to the city to reopen that crucial water source.
The DOH sent Board of Water Supply Manager and Chief Engineer Ernest Lau a letter on Wednesday with information on tapping into the $400 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law….
read … State, feds offer $75M to reopen Halawa Shaft
Hawaii BoE to Evaluate Hayashi Secretly?
CB: … The Hawaii Board of Education is trying to get ahead of the game by laying out a detailed process for Superintendent Keith Hayashi’s next evaluation, due next summer.
There’s just one big problem: The Sunshine Law might be getting in the way.
The BOE’s human resources committee wants the board members to discuss what they think of Hayashi secretly, behind closed doors. And that goes against what the Hawaii Supreme Court has said about conducting evaluations of top state officials in full view of the public.
The statewide school board is scheduled to take up the recommendations from the committee at its meeting on Thursday. The agenda includes a link to the memo from HR committee chair Shanty Asher laying out proposed evaluation criteria and a timeline for the review….
read … The Sunshine Blog: The Hawaii Board Of Education Could Use Some Sunshine
From Bad To Worse: Honolulu Airport Woes To Be Prolonged
BH: … Runway 8L at Honolulu, the airport’s primary runway, returned to the spotlight after last week’s notice of emergency spalling repairs that are now ongoing and causing the diversion of flights to other runways. This happened after comprehensive repairs on 8L that we thought were completed….
The issue with Runway 8L follows a huge repair project that extended from fall 2022 through May 2023.
The runway underwent extensive reconstruction, involving the installation of a 1,000 lineal-foot stretch of Portland cement concrete at the threshold, coupled with 7,500 lineal feet of polymer-modified asphalt….
Tokioka said that the spalling resulted from inclement weather during the runway construction period starting last fall. HDOT disclosed that remediation work is required for 18 concrete panels within the touchdown area where the spalling became apparent. The removal and reconstruction of these panels will be conducted at no cost to the state. BOH confirmed with Tokioka that the repair was primarily funded by federal money anyway, and thus, the fact that Hawaii wasn’t paying for the repairs is largely irrelevant….
DOT said that the removal repairs can proceed even during wet weather, while warning that additional time may be necessary for concrete curing and other construction activities.
BOH: It isn’t clear to us why the construction can be done correctly this time, even in bad weather. That given that last time, such weather resulted in spalling that, in essence, destroyed a part of the newly installed runway concrete….
Tokioka reiterated that the problem was caused by moisture had entered the concrete as a result of rain, causing the spalling and necessitating significant repair.
Are you left wondering how this could have occurred, no matter the weather?
Certainly, rain in other places would present similar issues, yet we have not heard of such problems elsewhere.
read … From Bad To Worse: Honolulu Airport Woes To Be Prolonged - Beat of Hawaii
Study: Hilo had 20.2% decline in brick-and-mortar retailers from 2011 to 2021
HTH: … According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of brick-and-mortar retailers per capita in the “Hilo metro area” decreased 20.2% between 2011 and 2021, the last year for which census data is currently available….
That’s according to a just-released study by the travel credit card industry website Upgraded Points titled “Cities Where Brick-and-Mortar Retail is Declining the Fastest.”
The study compared data for more than 350 metro areas in all 50 states and pegged the per capita decrease in brick-and-mortar retail establishments nationally at -12.6% during that 10-year span, with a loss of about 60,000 retail stores…
The report also found Hilo’s brick-and-mortar retail nosedive was 7.6% more severe than the national average.
As a result, there are just 2.9 brick-and-mortar retail stores for every 1,000 Hilo residents, according to the study….
Hilo ranked No. 16 in the study among “small metros” and 19th in “all metros,” with the number of retail stores plummeting from 657 in 2011 to 574 in 2021….
The report can be viewed at: https://bit.ly/47U1RwU.
read … Study: Hilo had 20.2% decline in brick-and-mortar retailers from 2011 to 2021
How A Hawaii Kai Community Ended Up Owing $38,000 In Delinquent Property Taxes
CB: … Residents want the City and County of Honolulu to take over their private roads, but they have one more stumbling block to overcome…..
read … How A Hawaii Kai Community Ended Up Owing $38,000 In Delinquent Property Taxes
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