Maui County Hopes to Burn Garbage for Power

Maui County officials are hoping to find a company to build a waste-to-energy facility on the island to burn garbage to produce power for the Maui Electric Company.  Approximately 450 tons of garbage are dumped each day at the Central Maui Landfill.  The hope would be to burn this garbage and generate enough power to run a 15 megawatt power plant.  Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa added, ”We’re taking something we’re currently paying to handle, which is our trash, and we’re going to be using that to create electric power, thereby reducing our dependency on foreign petroleum.  We’re trying to reduce our electricity costs and take care of the waste stream.  No one really wants to have a new landfill built in their backyard. And the ability for us to minimize landfill space, and possibly mine some of the old landfill material, will allow us to be able to use our current landfill for a much longer period.”

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-18-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Last Resort T.V. Show Canceled

The ABC Network has announced that they will be canceling their Last Resort television show after just one season. The television drama, which was filed in Hawaii, had remained very popular with critics, but did not create a strong viewership following. After its initial premier episode which had 9 million viewers, numbers fell steadily with it’s most recent episode only bringing in 5.68 million viewers. According to film economists, a network like ABC would spend between $2 to $2.5 million per episode, with approximately two-thirds of that money staying in the local economy.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-17-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Alaska Airlines to Offer Service Between San Diego and Kauai

Alaska Airlines has announced that they will be expanding their service routes to the neighbor islands, and will be beginning a daily service between San Diego and Kauai in 2013. Currently, the airlines offers nonstop service to Kauai from Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and San Jose, California. Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. stated, “Our economy is seeing more signs of improvement, and this move by Alaska indicates confidence in Kauai as a visitor destination.”

According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, this new route to San Diego would generate $41 million in visitor spending and $4.5 million in tax revenue for the state. Chief Executive Officer for the HTA, Mike McCartney, stated, “Alaska Airlines has been a great partner in expanding air service to all four of the major Hawaiian Islands from the U.S. mainland.”

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-17-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Hawaii Unemployment Rate Falls to 5.5 Percent in October 2012

According to a report released by the state’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii’s unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in October 2012. This has been Hawaii’s lowest rate since November 2008 when unemployment was at 5.3 percent. Governor Neil Abercrombie commented, “Hawaii’s improved unemployment rate is another welcome sign that our economy is continuing to recover. To continue this positive momentum, we remain committed to our proven plan of fiscal prudence and investing in state infrastructure and facilities that will continue to stimulate the economy and create employment opportunities for local residents.”

Honolulu County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 5 percent. Maui County had a 6 percent unemployment rate while Kauai County had a 6.5 percent unemployment rate. Hawaii County (Big Island of Hawaii) had the highest rate at 7.5 percent. Nationally, the unemployment rate for October was 7.9 percent.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-16-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Honolulu Rail Project – City Budgeting $86 Million to Buy Properties

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation has announced that approximately $86 million has been budgeted in 2013 to purchase a total of 63 properties along the 20-mile route of the Honolulu Rail Project. According to the released plans, eight of the properties will be purchased out right, while the other 55 cases, only part of the property will be obtained by the city. HART has also budgeted in an addition $1 million to help relocate a total of 14 businesses that will be effected by the rail project. The real estate acquisition manager for HART, Jerry Iwata, stated, “HART still needs to finish the archaeological work in the city center area in order to complete the design work, which will determine the exact area needed for property acquisitions and which businesses will be affected. It is also premature to release the names of potentially affected parties when the process of notifying property owners has yet to begin.”

The city estimates that it will spend a total of $202 million purchasing land along the route, and may have to spend some additional funds helping homeowners and businesses relocate.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-16-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Honolulu Rail Project – Another Skull Fragment Found in Rail’s Path

Another human skull fragment was found during the archaeological survey for the Honolulu Rail Project, making it the sixth set of remains found at five different sites.  The body was that of a young adult and was found beneath a parking lot near Ward Avenue.  The State Historic Preservation Division is now responsible for deciding how the remains will be handled.  Several Native Hawaiian groups have asked the city to leave the remains in place and to change the design of the rail line to avoid them.  According to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, a total of 350 trenches have been dug as part of the archaeological survey required by the state before construction for the Honolulu Rail Project can resume.  HART estimates that they have another 35 trenches to dig and hopes to have the archaeological survey completed by the end of the year.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-15-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com

Changes in Federal Calculations Show 17.4 Percent of Hawaii Population in Poverty

According to a new estimate released by the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 17.4 percent of Hawaii’s residents live in poverty.  This is significantly higher then the 12.5 percent previously estimated and is due to new federal calculations that take into considerations Hawaii high cost of living.  This new calculation, called the “supplemental poverty measure,” is expected to more accurately show which residents and states have financial need and could greatly effect the amount of federal and state government subsidies given.  This new consideration means that 64,000 additional people in Hawaii would be considered to live in poverty, or approximately 229,000 Hawaii Residents in total.  Per the Census Bureau, the national average poverty rate is 15.8 percent.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 11-15-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
www.myhawaiidreamhome.com