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Hawaii Small Business in Facts and Figures
Hawaii Global Warming Commission Suggests Abandoning Waikiki
HNN: …At risk: Nothing less than Hawaii’s visitor-based economy, its watersheds, its environmental diversity, its cultural resources. One recent study said under the worst-case scenario for sea level rise — 10 to 12 feet by 2100 — Hawaii would rank second in the nation for the percentage of its population affected by rising seas: 189,000 people.
Another recent analysis put the number of Hawaii homes flooded with a 6-foot rise in global sea levels at about 37,000 — or nearly 1 in 10 residential properties in the state.
And in public presentations, the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission, which is compiling a report to the Legislature in December, estimated that more than 20,000 residents would be displaced with a 3.2-foot rise in sea levels.
The economic losses to property in that scenario: More than $19 billion.
(And yet I have not a single taker for my generous offer to buy out their Hawaii oceanfront real estate for 10% of assessed value—cash. NOBODY believes in global warming.)
In short, the threat is staggering, state scientists and planners agree….
There’s also a pilot project underway in Lahaina to determine if planned retreat is feasible in Hawaii. The state-funded project is focusing on a single, 10-story timeshare that’s been grappling with beach erosion for years. Today, waves are lapping up against the concrete building and washing into the building’s underground parking lot.
(Its true. Beach erosion NEVER happened before Al Gore. We have consensus on this.)
The lessons learned from the pilot could prove invaluable to Waikiki and other coastal communities.
(Translation: They will stop replenishing the beach at Waikiki.)
read … Hawaii 'behind' in planning for unprecedented threats of climate change, state officials say
HART Could Cause Power Surges in Waipahu, Ewa
KHON: …Officials from HART and contractor Ansaldo will be flipping the switch from the train’s power generating facility in Waipahu.
Testing is scheduled to run from around 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Roughly 1,600 Hawaiian Electric customers have been notified of the possibility of power surges during the testing….
When the trains start rolling, they will be tested for their acceleration up to 55 mph, and then for their braking ability under varying conditions.
Operators will be on board during that time, but once the system is complete, the trains will be fully automated and driver-less…..
read … Electrocution
$205M Smart Meter Program Designed Entirely to Help Solar Schemers Make More Money
SA: …the proposed rollout calls for “strategic” rather than systemwide distribution.
HECO intends to target smart meters for neighborhoods where there are high numbers of rooftop solar energy systems. Also, they would be installed at the homes of customers who want to participate in new programs such as demand response, which encourages using electricity when more renewable energy is on the grid; or time-of-use, a program that charges three different rates throughout the day instead of one flat rate….
read … Rate Hike Coming
Will Kalihi Redevelopment Push Out Current Residents And Businesses?
CB: …a state report has been released that envisions future development in the district focusing on state-owned land in Kalihi between Middle Street and Iwilei, including the 16 acres that the Oahu Community Correctional Center currently sits on.
But some people fear that any redevelopment that isn’t focused on affordable housing and commercial space could drive current residents and businesses out of the area, a scenario that has unfolded as condominium towers have come to dominate nearby Kakaako….
read … Will Kalihi Redevelopment Push Out Current Residents And Businesses?
Caldwell Finds Way to Jam up Traffic even more in Kailua
KHON: The plan is to create a bicycle boulevard connecting Keolu Drive to Kailua Road, the route would wind its way through neighborhood streets, and could include as many as two mini traffic circles or roundabouts at neighborhood intersections, speed humps, and increased bike signage.
read … Keep Kailua Jammed
Council to Hold Hearing on Fire Sprinklers
CB: …There are 358 residential high-rise condominium properties, as well as hundreds of other residential structures over 75 feet tall that do not have fire sprinkler systems, according to the Honolulu Fire Department. Any high-rise built in Honolulu before 1974 was not required to retrofit for fire sprinklers….
The City Council’s Executive Matters Committee recently deferred action on Bill 69, a measure that would require the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system in all residential high-rises in Honolulu over the next five years, to give all relevant stakeholders time to evaluate an array of options.
We asked Council Chair Ron Menor to convene a community meeting on Saturday, Sept. 16, from 10 a.m. until noon at the city’s Mission Memorial Auditorium.
The public is encouraged to attend and participate in the discussion.
The additional time means we’ll be able to receive an update to the findings of a comprehensive 2005 study by the Residential Fire Safety Advisory Committee that investigated the issue of retrofitting Honolulu high-rises built before 1974 with automatic fire sprinkler systems….
read … Sprinklers
45 Homeless in Waipahu Refuse Housing After Decades on Streets
KHON: …Following a sweep of homeless encampments in Waipahu in May that saw the typical return of tents and tarps, 18 agencies last week offered services at Hawaii’s Plantation Village in an effort to get nearby homeless people one step closer to seeking help.
“Realistically, we’re not going to house anybody today,” said Phil Acosta, executive director of the non-profit ALEA Bridge organization that’s working to reduce homelessness. “Just making an initial contact — that would be a win for us.”…
In a January head count of the island’s homeless, the Ewa area that includes Waipahu saw a 14.4 percent increase in its homeless population — to 193 people from 170 people in 2016.
About 40 or so homeless people are believed to live directly around Hawaii’s Plantation Village. Last week’s efforts by outreach workers attracted 45 people. The homeless were assisted by various groups and organizations, which included the Department of Education, state public health nurses, Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and state and city employment programs.
All of the homeless people there who spoke to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser said they’ve been living off the grid for years, sometimes decades…..
There are many others who did not show up and have no intention of seeking help, Phil Acosta said.
“Several are resistant to coming in and engaging us,” he said.
Those who did attend were offered a range of services including free food, clothes, health care, reading glasses, access to government benefits and help acquiring government identification, which is necessary to get a job or housing.
Sai Late, 62, gladly accepted a pair of reading glasses from Project Vision Hawaii workers but said he has no intention of leaving his roving encampment around the re-creation of Hawaii’s plantation era.
Asked where he sleeps, Late pointed to various spots on the outskirts of Hawaii’s Plantation Village and said, “I love this place. I don’t need housing, thank you very much.”….
Larry Toro, who’s in charge of ground maintenance for the village, every morning scours the area around the administration building looking for human feces, urine and signs of vandalism.
He alleged that homeless people who live around the 20 replicas of plantation-era buildings regularly steal taro and bananas.
Toro said the weekend before he broke up a fight in front of the administration building that involved an umbrella and a replica pistol that one homeless person threw at another.
“It would be nice if they can get some of these people out of here,” Toro said.
Homeless people regularly use the village’s outdoor water spigots and electrical outlets and sometimes leave them vandalized, said Deanna Espinas, the village’s acting executive director.
After the city swept various encampments around the village in May, Espinas said the homeless occupants came right back and problems have persisted.
Asked how often workers find evidence that homeless people have been on the property, Espinas said, “Every day when we open up.”….
read … Decades
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