The mayor recognized Kamehameha Schools’ third-grade students in the Kali‘imamo Program on Wednesday afternoon for their participation in creating and dedicating a new bus shelter fronting Kapa‘a Neighborhood Center.
The students built a wooden bench as a class project and donated it to the County of Kaua‘i for installation at the new bus shelter, states a county release.
The Kapa‘a bus shelter project is part of a $947,072 contract awarded to Haron Construction for Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to 51 county bus stops.
The contract involves the construction of an 8-foot by 5-foot concrete platform at each bus stop that will allow for a safe area for persons in wheelchairs to board and disembark the Kaua‘i Bus when the wheelchair lift is deployed.
Additional work includes safety railings being installs and paving work being done at specific stops to meet ADA requirements.
Students who created the bench for the Kapa‘a bus stop — Lani Cabresa-Dotimas, Julianne Castro, Justyce Enrique, Kaipo Fulton, Calista Gealon, DeShawn Greer, Char-Lee Kaleiohi, Isabella Kasprzyk, Tayler Kinoshita, Miki‘ala Luis-Rapozo, Tyren Nakamura-Palacio, Jesse Ornellas, Angelina Rivera Ramson, Denae Sacramed, Lei Sitani, Daymin Souza-Yim, Uilani Thompson and Lilia Unutoa — worked under supervision and received help from teachers Leimomi Cummings and Jana Blackstad.
Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., during a taping of his “Together, We Can” television show that will start airing on Ho‘ike Community Television daily for two weeks starting Friday, said the sheltering of all bus stops on Kaua‘i is part of his Holo Holo 2020 vision.
But fulfilling his vision of sheltered bus stops will require help from the community. Carvalho said the county will provide the materials, while community groups, organizations, businesses, residents and visitors provide the labor, with help from the county.
Several bus shelters have already been built as a partnership between the county and community organizations. They include the Kilauea and Princeville stops, built by the North Shore Lions Club, and the Lihu‘e stop near the former Big Save store, built by the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission.
The bus stop at Kaua‘i Community College is currently being constructed under management by KCC personnel.
The Kapa‘a and Kalepa Village bus stops are the first to be sheltered using government funds since Carvalho shared his vision during his 2010 inauguration, the release states.
The Federal Transit Administration is providing 80 percent of the funding and the county providing the remaining 20 percent.
“We wanted to start with the stops along the highway, which have the highest usage,” said FTA executive Celia Mahikoa. “As funding becomes available, we plan to shelter the rest.”
At about the same time the Kapa‘a bus stop dedication was taking place, a reader of The Garden Island newspaper called in with concerns about a possible liability issues involving a bus stop located in ‘Ele‘ele at Laulea Road and Kaumuali‘i Highway intersection.
“I’m sure the riders using the ‘Ele‘ele bus stop would appreciate some shelter from the rains,” the reader requesting anonymity said. “It can get pretty warm on days when the sun is out.”
A visit to the bus stop Thursday revealed that the concrete pad had been recently installed and fresh dirt filled in rutting where the asphalt ends along the approach and exit of the stop.
The solitary bus bench, however, is broken at both ends and nails protrude along seating area.
