1959: Martin Luther King Jr Salutes Hawaii Statehood
Navy Has Underground Fuel Tanks on Kauai, Too
TGI: … The Pacific Missile Range Facility is home to one of two field-constructed tank sites operated by the U.S. Navy in Hawai‘i.
The other is Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility on O‘ahu, where a series of leaks has prompted public outcry and a state order requiring the Navy to drain the FCTs, which was upheld by the state Department of Health last week.
Both the Red Hill and PMRF tanks were built in the early 1940s, and dispense fuel for missions. But the facilities’ similarities effectively end there, with size being the most-obvious difference between the two.
“Maximum capacity of each tank is 51,000 gallons, however, the tanks are not filled to capacity,” PMRF spokesperson Tom Clements told The Garden Island. “PMRF manages an overall total of fuel on hand, using the tanks to hold various quantities not to exceed our own established total.”
Five out of nine underground, cathodically-protected steel FCTs are in active use at Barking Sands. All hold aviation fuel.
Red Hill has 20, 12.5-million-gallon, bare-steel tanks encased in concrete, of which 18 are operational.
Variances in proximity to drinking water and methods of fuel distribution also separate the Navy’s Kaua‘i and O‘ahu installations.
The local missile range’s tanks are not located above drinking water, while Red Hill’s were placed 100 feet above an O‘ahu aquifer.
“In addition, there are no fuel-transmission lines outside of the (PMRF) tank facility,” Clements said. “Fuel is transported to the flight line by truck.”
These trucks top-off a relatively small fleet: three turboprop planes and two helicopters belonging to PMRF, and any visiting aircraft….
In contrast, the O‘ahu FCTs dispense fuel through three underground, 2.5 mile-long pipelines that terminate at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
A 2016 report to the state Legislature found no current or historical fuel releases associated with the Kaua‘i FCTs.
Most recently, the Navy reported PMRF continues to pass release-detection evaluations, at the October 2021 meeting of the Hawai‘i Fuel Tank Advisory Committee….
All other Navy FCTs in Hawai‘i have been closed for decades, with the exception of Red Hill.
“There is no firm date yet,” Clements concluded. “But the process has begun.”…
IM: Red Hill – One of Three Military Fuel Storage Annexes
USN: FIELD CONSTRUCTED TANKS -- 2017
read … PMRF field-constructed tank on way to decommissioning
Legislature: Wooden Stockade to Keep Public Out
CB: … ever since March 19, 2020, when state Sen. Clarence Nishihara tested positive for Covid-19 after a return to the islands from Las Vegas, the Capitol has been largely off-limits to the public and media — even as Capitol denizens continued doing the people’s business inside the people’s building.
On Wednesday Senate and House leaders said the closure would continue indefinitely due to the recent rise in Covid cases….
in case you are wondering about the tall wooden barriers that nearly circle the building — the Rotunda is still open on both the Father Damien and Queen Liliuokalani statue sides — they were initially erected to protect the public from the $3.15 million construction on damaged metal “tiles” that are suspended above the reflecting pools from the ground and second floors.
But Tony Benabese, special assistant to the comptroller for the Department of Accounting and General Services, said in an email last week that the work was completed Dec. 17.
“DAGS was requested by the Legislature to keep the barriers in place,” Benabese said. “The barriers continue to provide protection for the drained pool with the added benefit of increased security for the State Capitol.”
Security is important, especially after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Rightly so, the Department of Public Safety has an office and sheriff’s deputies working from the chamber level.
But it could give the appearance that the high barriers are there to discourage the public from going to the Capitol, almost as if to protect the lawmakers from the people who put them in office….
SA: Legislature locks down for 3rd time
read … It’s Time To Reopen The Hawaii State Capitol
SHOPO Leader Wants Faster Progress In Finding A New Honolulu Police Chief
CB: … If the commission had “any concern for the police department” then it would have selected a new chief within a month or two after Ballard’s departure, said Robert Cavaco, who was sworn in as the new leader of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers on Jan. 1.
“For the last seven months, our department has been on a boat out in the middle of the ocean without a sail,” Cavaco said in a telephone interview. He insisted the criticism was “not a pot shot” at interim Police Chief Rade Vanic’s leadership but said union members “would like to know what direction we’re going in.” …
“The police commission is comprised of attorneys and well-educated business CEOs, so you have very bright individuals there who know how to run businesses and organizations,” Cavaco said. “I do not know why they need to hire a consulting firm to make the selection of the chief of police for the department. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Cavaco added that the union does not have any preference on whether the next police chief should come from within the department or from the mainland. “We just want the best candidate,” he said….
Alivado said the police commission has been satisfied by the way Vanic has presided over the department.
“I think our confidence and the leadership that Interim Chief Vanic has been able to provide has been optimal,” Alivado said. “The commission has been very pleased with his performance and in him communicating not only to the public, but to the internal members of the department as well.”…
read … SHOPO Leader Wants Faster Progress In Finding A New Honolulu Police Chief
Rate Commission seeks public input on Bus, Handi-Van fares
SA: … City Transportation Services Director Roger Morton and the Rate Commission have been actively considering these proposals over the past six months and are now seeking public input prior to a vote on its recommendations, scheduled for Feb. 8. Final decisions are the prerogative of the City Council.
Input can be given at Rate Commission meetings on Jan. 24 and Feb. 8. Meetings are held in the Mission Memorial Auditorium near Honolulu Hale, and you may attend by WebEx; or, send written testimony to ratecomm@honolulu.gov or email it to hchee@honolulu.gov. Your voice is important and we are eager to hear from you. (For more on the proposals outlined below, see online at 808ne.ws/3q3k33Y.)…
read … Rate Commission seeks public input on Bus, Handi-Van fares
Hele-On riders offered free Bikeshare use
HTH: …Following Hawaii County Mass Transit Agency’s recent push for a fare-free bus system, passengers can now add HIBIKE Bikeshare to their passes at no cost.
As of Jan. 5, Hele-On bus passengers have free access to all HIBIKE kiosks in both Hilo and Kona. Passengers who request an access code from bus drivers will receive a card with the printed code.….
the free code is good for 30 minutes. After that, Bikeshare riders will need to recheck the bike into a kiosk and then reenter the access code for another free 30 minutes….
read … Hele-On riders offered free Bikeshare use
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