Five Ideas to Put Aloha Stadium Plan on Right Track
Good news, bad news at Legislature’s halfway mark
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Building Vs. Buying: Which Is Cheaper in The Aloha State?
Your Property Tax Hike at Work--253% Pay Hike for Tommy Waters?
CB: … A city commission appointed by elected officials is proposing big salary increases for Honolulu’s top 51 elected and appointed city officials, including the mayor, the City Council, department heads and their deputies.
If approved, Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s salary could jump almost $32,000, climbing from $186,432 to $218,256. Managing Director Mike Formby’s salary would similarly rise by nearly $30,000 to $208,759.
That’s if the commission granted a 17% hike, one of three proposals on the table now.
The second would give 12.56% increases and a $5,000 lump sum and the third would give just a 12.56% increase.
The hikes for City Council members, however, would be even more dramatic. Council Chair Tommy Waters now earns $76,969 a year, for what has been characterized as a part-time job.
If the job is established as more appropriately a full-time post and the salary change was approved, his pay would more than double, to $194,992. (That’s a 253% pay hike) The other council members’ pay could climb to $185,017.
The decision is in the hands of the Honolulu Salary Commission, a seven-member panel who are nominated to their posts by the mayor and the City Council.
Many city residents have been startled by double-digit property tax increases (now they know where the money is going) ….
read … Big Pay Hikes On The Horizon For City Leaders
Plenty Of Legislators Support Term Limits. So Why Won't They Let The Public Vote On Them?
CB: … term limit measures are proposed every session, and they never make it out of the initial committee they’re referred to. In fact they don’t even get committee votes before being squashed by the chairs. That happened again this year….
read … Plenty Of Legislators Support Term Limits. So Why Won't They Let The Public Vote On Them?
New stadium sees more political games than sports events
Shapiro: … the new governor has been wavering in recent weeks.
In late February he appeared on the Honolulu Star- Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” livestream program and upped the likely cost of the P3 plan to $500 million, and suggested there were differences between the House and Senate on how to proceed….
In their own appearance on “Spotlight Hawaii,” House Speaker Scott Saiki and Senate President Ron Kouchi admonished Green to build a stadium within the $350 million already appropriated by the Legislature….
The governor then told Honolulu Civil Beat he was dropping the public-private partnership favored by key legislators and proceeding along the lines Ige proposed — except the design-build contract he’d put out would also include the winning bidder maintaining and managing the new stadium.
Developing the surrounding lands would be put off into the future, and would be geared more toward affordable housing than an entertainment district….
Green warned the stadium under his plan would be “smaller than some people want, but at least it will get built.”
It drew protests from Sen. Glenn Wakai, a primary sponsor of the P3 when the Legislature concocted it in 2019, who said he doubts $350 million would buy more than 20,000 seats.
Back in 2019, before Wakai and his fellow legislators changed the plan multiple times, he promised a 35,000-seat stadium that would cost taxpayers $300 million and open in time for this year’s UH football season….
Green’s latest plan makes sense for its simplicity but can’t really be judged until we see his details and whatever blowback comes from the Legislature over dropping the P3, which lawmakers like because it takes care of development interests that donate generously to their campaigns.
One thing seems clear: A stadium seating only 20,000 or a little more isn’t worth $350 million when the 17,000-seat Ching Field on the UH campus could be expanded to that capacity for a fraction of the cost….
read … New stadium sees more political games than sports events
Stadium? UH Wise to Invest in TC Ching
Borreca: … From 1926 to 1975 we made do with Moiliili’s old, wooden Honolulu Stadium, which held 25,000. Despite old-timers’ fond recollections about the “Termite Palace,” the best thing about Honolulu Stadium was that it actually existed, was used and was not condemned. Today’s Aloha Stadium exists, isn’t used and is condemned….
If Green is of one mind about building a new stadium, the 76-member Legislature has at least that many opinions about building a new facility.
This is why the University of Hawaii is wise to continue work on expansion of the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, to more than 15,000 seats for the 2023 football season. Although it is a small increase, the expansion is expected to cost an extra $30 million — but will allow for the apparent essential of allowing UH to play football….
read … Enough talk, talk, talk about new stadium; build it
Maui’s Kulanihakoi High School is empty and stuck in bureaucratic limbo
SA: … Deus is among 34 ninth graders who were told they would be part of the inaugural class at Kulanihakoi this school year. He had hoped to play soccer or wrestle at the school so he can try to earn college scholarships. But three-fourths of the school year has now passed with the campus unable to open, and Deus is concerned that his loss of a year in sanctioned sports could ruin his chances.
“It’s stressful not being able to be at the new campus, and it’s frustrating because the new school is already built and it’s just sitting there collecting dust,” he said. “Not having these opportunities is limiting our potential.”
Deus and the 33 other intended Kulanihakoi students instead are stuck about a mile away in three cramped portables with limited offerings at Lokelani Intermediate School.
In the meantime, government and community leaders continue to argue about how to get past more than a decade of bureaucratic missteps that have left Kihei with a long-delayed high school that has cost taxpayers $180 million so far but can’t be used, including a $16 million traffic roundabout that failed to meet the state Land Use Commission’s pedestrian-safety requirements to open the school.
The key holdup: The commission since 2013 has required the school project to include a “grade-separated crossing” — a pedestrian overpass or underpass — for students to safely get across busy Piilani Highway — but the state Department of Education so far hasn’t built it….
Due in large part to a decade of admitted mistakes by DOE in complying with the LUC’s requirement, students likely will have to wait at least until next school year — or possibly as long as three to six more years — to walk through Kulanihakoi’s doors…
SA: Why does roadwork take so much time?
(CLUE: It took 4.5 yrs to build the Golden Gate Bridge.)
read … Maui’s Kulanihakoi High School is empty and stuck in bureaucratic limbo
After Years, Waianae Homeless Camp has only an A-Frame and a plan
KITV: … A year ago KITV4 visited the houseless community of Pu'uhonua O Waianae, as the first model A-frame home was constructed.
The next step, is constructing critical infrastructure for a 20 acre parcel, that the community acquired under its non-profit. KITV4 spoke with Twinkle Borge, James Pakele and Pia Bear about how far the community has come, and the road ahead into the future….
I believe we had more than a handful of people here thinking that we was just serving them a pipe dream. Three years later, you know, we bought one property."
James: "We're putting in the... it's a sewer line and a water line. Originally when we came here, I was like, oh, you know, we got to run this septic system or whatever because you saw the dip, you know, the dip that goes through? These guys, G70, they're civil engineers, and they did all the civil stuff pro-bono, a lot of civil work.
And you know, it was their engineers that said, he can connect to the city sewer, you know. Okay- so they did the whole design."…
read … Houseless Community Breaks Ground on Infrastructure for New Village
Miske Case: Judge To Decide If Defense Attorney’s Removal Should Stand
CB: … Federal Judge Derrick K. Watson is expected to issue a decision soon on whether attorney Thomas Otake will be permanently disqualified from representing accused racketeering boss Michael J. Miske Jr.
Watson’s ruling will cap an intense two-month legal battle between prosecutors and Miske’s defense team over government attempts to disqualify both lead attorneys because of alleged conflicts of interest, all being played out as the trial looms just six months ahead.
Otake, an experienced top-tier defense lawyer, was at least temporarily terminated as Miske’s lead trial attorney on Feb. 9 by order of Magistrate Judge Kenneth Mansfield….
ILind: Ruling expected soon on remaining conflict of interest allegations against Miske defense attorney
read … Miske Case: Judge To Decide If Defense Attorney’s Removal Should Stand
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