Hawaiian Dredging May Purchase News Building in Kakaako

Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company has signed a letter of intent to purchase the historic News Building in Kakaako, with the plan to make the property its new headquarters.  The building was the former home of the Honolulu Advertiser and Star-Bulletin newspapers, and is located on the corner of Kapiolani Boulevard and South Street.  The purchase price is not being disclosed at this time, but officials at Hawaiian Dredging did state that a significant assessment of the building will need to be completed to make sure that the property suits the company's needs.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-3-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
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Sidewalk Nuisance Law Enforced

City employees have started to enforce a new law, Bill 7, which allows items blocking sidewalks and deemed to be a nuisance to be seized and removed.  Under the Bill, people would have 30 days to retrieve any items taken provided that they pay a $200 fine.  A sidewalk nuisance is defined by the law as "any object or collection of objects constructed, erected, installed, maintained, kept or operated on or over any sidewalk, including but not limited to stalls, stands, tents, furniture, and containers, and of their contents or attachments."  According to city spokesman Jay Parasco, members of the city's maintenance crew went to several locations where sidewalk nuisances have been a problem in the past.  Campers were given 15 minutes to move their personal belongs or have them seized.  People were allowed to take with them whatever they were able to carry.  The rest of their belongings were taken to a storage facility in Halawa.  Campers were also given the option of having their belongs that they did not want to be disposed of and destroyed.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii and (de)Occupy Honolulu both oppose Bill 7 and argue that it criminalizes the homeless and goes against free speech.  Spokeswoman for (de)Occupy, Sugar Russell, stated, "We think it is disgusting that the city has legalized theft.  The city needs to be focusing on real solutions."  Russell added that the city's actions were "a waste of money" and that the new law was "immoral and unethical".  (de)Occupy Honolulu is considering if they will be challenging Bill 7 in court.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-2-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
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Hawaii Highway System Ranks 48th Worst in Country

According to Reason Foundation's Annual Highway Report, Hawaii ranked 48th out of the 50 states in terms of overall performance and efficiency for its state highways.  The nonprofit organization added that Hawaii's roads in general have the worst pavement conditions of all 50 states.  This is especially bad when you consider that Hawaii has the smallest state-owned highway system in the country at only 1,011 miles, and spent the second highest amount per mile in administrative cost at $79,000.  David Hartgen, the lead author of Annual Highway Report, stated, "If I were a resident of Hawaii, I'd be asking, ‘What did you do with my money?'"

State of Hawaii Department of Transportation officials agree that Hawaii's highways need serious improvement.  Caroline Sluyter, DOT spokeswoman, stated, "Especially in the urban core of Hono­lulu.  Over the years and for numerous reasons maintenance was deferred.  As everyone who drives knows, there is no good time for us to do the badly needed work.  The state DOT has embarked on an ambitious repair schedule which is under way and with many significant projects that will be happening very soon. The good news is that we will finally be repairing major traffic corridors. The bad news is that, unfortunately, the work will necessitate lane closures."  However, the Department of Transportation argued that the department spends less than half of what the Annual Highway Report is stating in administrative cost per mile.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-2-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
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$33 Million Renovation of Hale Kula Elementary School Underway

A $33 million renovation project of the Hale Kula Elementary School on Schofield Barracks is now underway.  The Department of Defense will be paying $26.6 million of the costs while the state Department of Education will provide the remaining $6.6 million.  The school currently serves approximately 1,000 students, out of which 98 percent of them are military dependents.  According to school principal, Jan Iwase, there have been no upgrades or buildings added to the school since it was constructed in 1959.  The school will get a new student center, cafeteria, classrooms, and library media center.

Kathryn Matayoshi, the Schools Superintendent, stated, "Our celebration is far more than a simple groundbreaking. It's really a symbol of the partnership between the military and the Department of Education in the state of Hawaii with a real dedication and focus on educating our students, our future."  Governor Neil Abercrombie added, "The central focus of today's event is that there was a recognition by the Department of Defense and by the Congress of the United States that in order to sustain and support the quality of life necessary to retain families in the U.S. military, we had to give physical support as well at the school level."  The construction and renovations will take between 14 to 18 months to complete.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-2-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
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Symphony Honolulu Sells 70 percent of Units Released

Developer OliverMcMillan has announced that they have sold almost 70 percent of the 288 units released in the Symphony Honolulu.  The 45-story tower is located on the corner of Ward Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard across from the Neal Blaisdell Center.  A total of 100 units are still be held for a later release sometime this fall for "moderate-income" residents through a lottery system.  If sales continue at its current pace, construction of the building will begin at the end of this year and should be completed by the end of 2015 or beginning of 2016.  Dan Nishikawa, the president of OliverMcMillan's Hawaii office, stated, "The response to our project indicates there is a strong demand for homes in the core of Hono­lulu."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-2-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
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Hyatt Hotels Corp and Unite Here Labor Union Reach Agreement

After a two year long labor dispute, Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Unite Here labor union have final come to an agreement.  Members will still have to ratify the new contract, which will cover workers in Honolulu, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago until 2018.  President of Unite Here, D. Taylor, stated, "We look forward to a new collaborative relationship with Hyatt. This agreement shows that when workers across the hotel industry stand together, they can move forward, even in a tough economy.  Both organizations deserve credit for working out this constructive step forward."

While the exact terms of the contract have not been made public until the workers have a chance to ratify the proposal, union officials have stated that there will be retroactive pay increases and health care and pension benefits will be maintained.  Hyatt's senior vice president of human resources, Doug Patrick, added, "We are delighted that our associates in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Waikiki will have contracts and the pay raises that go with them."

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-2-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
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Big Island Mayor Requests that Landfill Remains Open Longer

The Big Island of Hawaii's primary landfill in Hilo is currently scheduled to be closed down in five years due to reaching its maximum capacity.  However, Mayor Billy Kenoi of Hawaii County (Big Island of Hawaii) is requesting that the landfill remain open an additional five to seven years after that.  Kenoi is proposing building a garbage incinerator plant that would burn solid waste material into electricity within the next three or four years, but would like a few years of buffer in between just in case of delays.  Kenoi stated, "Our goal is to have in the next 31⁄2 years a long-term solution on the ground and implemented.  Any project can take years. We've never let previous timelines stymie us."

There is a garbage incinerator on Oahu called HPOWER which currently burns approximately 2,000 tons of solid waste material per day and provides approximately 7 percent of Oahu's electricity.  However, one challenge facing the Big Island of Hawaii is that the entire county only generates 419 tons of solid waste per day.  Experts note that 500 tons per day is the minimum amount of waste necessary to make the garbage incinerator plant economically efficient.  There is also the option of sending some of the Big Island of Hawaii's solid waste to Oahu's HPOWER plant by boat.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 7-1-2013, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
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