LIHUE — Six bills are scheduled for public hearing at the Kauai County Council meeting Wednesday, giving taxpayers the chance to voice their opinions on proposals related to affordable housing, sewage system infrastructure repair, fire department staffing and a new helicopter hangar in at the Lihue Airport.
Bill 2726 looks to be essentially a housekeeping item required for the county to accept the transfer of $13 million from a state government fund in the form of a loan the council approved in October to pay for the first phase of development at the future site of an affordable housing project in Eleele.
The Lima Ola Workforce Housing Development will be constructed on a county-owned 75-acre parcel of land located above the intersection of Halewili Road and the main highway. The county intends to turn the land into a residential neighborhood that will eventually contain 550 homes, most of which will be rented and sold at fixed rates to people who meet low-income requirements.
Completion of the entire Lima Ola project is probably still two decades away, but phase one is expected to be complete by November 2020, according to documents prepared by the county housing agency in its request for the $13 million loan.
The two-year, 13-million-dollar construction project will basically lay the groundwork for the housing development. Phase one includes grading the land, and installing roads, sidewalks, drainage systems and public sewer, water and electrical utilities.
Three of the bills — 2727, 2729 and 2730 — are all related to funding sewage system renovations and improvements. Bill 2727 proposes transferring $1 million within the public works budget to spend on fixing the Wailua sewer pump station, upgrading the Lihue collection system and ensuring compliance with federal water pollution standards.
Bills 2729 and 30 are for transferring about a half million dollars unallocated county funds into the sewer trust fund to pay for renovations at the Wailua wastewater treatment plant.
Bill 2731 was proposed at the request of Kauai Fire Department officials who requested $186,000 to fund three positions in the department’s Ocean Safety Bureau to provide security for crowds at Anini Beach Park on the north shore.
Bill 2728 is requesting the transfer of $825,000 from two accounts — one labeled “Black Pot Improvements” and the other “Kaana Building Initiatives” — to be spent on the construction of a helicopter hangar in Kilauea.Portions of the funds from this bill also go toward another project, the Kilauea/Kolo Road Improvements project.
Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro, who introduced all of the bills by request of the Administration, up for public hearing on Wednesday, did not respond to requests for comment.
“…a helicopter hangar in Kilauea.”???
Where? At the PV airport? I thought the state was in charge of air transportation sites.
If not there, where? On Zuckerberg’s property?
For whom? Police Dept? Fire Dept? Lifeguards?
If the proposed hanger is not for public departments, why are taxpayers funding said hanger?
We only need essential helicopter traffic, not noisy tourist or wealthy resident traffic.
Come on, TGI, do some digging and tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Aloha Kakou,
Bill #2781 for $186,000.00 sounds like a good safety plan, as people have drowned at Anini. But the Lifeguards would only be there during their regular work hours and some people need saving before and after hours. Besides lifeguards need wages and benefits year after year burdening the taxpayers year after year.
Many beaches on the ocean, at rivers and lakes, utilize a 24 hour safety plan. And because Anini is a typically low surf and inside the lagoon, a 24 hour safety plan may well work on a large north-south roped off area with floatation devices or buoys with handles to hold onto when in distress. And the person in distress could self rescue themself by pulling themself back to the beach along the ropeline.
The 24 hour a day Water Safety Plan would include a large north to south roped off area with the rope being held up by large floatation devices, or buoys to support a person in distress with handles on them for extra safety, using a fat ocean resistant type rope. The floatation devices could have a solar light on them and a flag so that a person in distress could shake the device to bring attention to themself for rescue.
The rope could be anchored at both ends very well on the beach…the semi circle positioning of the rope could in itself, and with proper signage, inform people of where to safely swim as well as saying stay away from the rope and floatation devices unless one is in distress so as not to prompt a false alarm of rescue need.
As well the rope could overlap with its own opening at the opening in the reef that the boats use as a channel, and the boaters would have a much easier time locating the channel as now it is a very difficult task in the afternoon with the sun reflecting on the water and also at night trying to navigate the channel in the dark.
This Roped Off Safety Plan would be a perpetual free Water Safety Plan after installation, if done properly with ocean quality rope and materials.
This Water Safety Plan could be used at a few other beaches on Kaua’i and save more lives at a cost of only its installation, its 24 Hour Availability is for saving precious lives over employment of more county workers who would only be there on typical lifeguard office hours.
Besides this plan with the best of materials and beach anchorage may cost less than the Bill #2781’s $186,000.00 calls for…and it surely could last 10 years or more if done right at 87,000 hours of safety vs. the Lifeguards at only 29,000 hours. Clearly a better bang for our bucks. Ropes in the harbor undergoing tidal shifts 4 times a day withstand the ocean environment for over 10 years, so why not at placid Anini.
Mahalo,
Charles
Does it look like the county council paid taxes? No.
I know the County Council have to back up club. So there is just some stupid residents in Kekaha who think Ross Kagawa is smart. The KIF club. You guys and him, don’t exist. That is the whole story.