ALOHA,

HEARING SCHEDULED TO GET CLARITY ON WHAT RECREATIONAL FACILITIES ARE CHARGING A FEE

I have scheduled for discussion, at our next Parks and Cultural Affairs Committee, a public forum for all of us to get more information on just exactly what is happening with fees being assessed to use certain recreational facilities.

The hearing is to be at Honolulu Hale on February 7, 2012, starting at 10:30 a.m. - if not coming in person, you can also watch on television/webcast live on Olelo. Please consider sending me your questions in advance to: tberg@honolulu.gov

PARKING METER FEES AT CERTAIN PARKS

I have heard on the grapevine that the measure to bring back to life a bill to charge a fee at certain parking stalls, charging us around the clock 24/7- including charging a fee on all weekends and holidays to boot, is making its way back for a hearing at the council.

I was the only NO vote last go around...read the story covered on news back then- click here.

Here is the video of the VOTE last time on Second Reading on Bill 30

As soon as I see an agenda posted with Bill 30 on it, I will forward it to you - so please stay tuned. If this bill goes through, what's to stop the effort from spreading - charging us a fee to park our cars at all parks?

FRIENDLY REMINDER

The Waianae Sustainable Communities Plan will be heard at the next full council meeting for Third Reading- for final passage this February 15, at 10:00 a.m. at KAPOLEI HALE. I will be attending the next meeting of the Concerned Elders of Waianae this Friday at 6:30 p.m. to hear their concerns on this plan. Your comments are appreciated on this subject matter whether you are at this meeting or not- so please call or email me anytime.

RANT ON RAIL FOR A REASON

It concerns me that the City is spending millions of our tax dollars on the rail project prematurely, without the full funding agreement being executed first. The push to ram rail through ahead of protocol has already cost us millions unnecessarily- over $15 million alone in a faulty contract executed to date by not following proper procedures.

Why do I bring this up? Because we do not even have the funds to fix the irrigation lines on a brand new stretch of road- from Kapolei Parkway at the OR&L Co. railroad tracks to the DHHL building in east Kapolei.

Next time you get a glossy color brochure in the mail from the City selling you on the most expensive, noisiest, out of date steel wheel rail system that no other city in America has built in over 30-years for a reason, please think of this photo I took last week.

And here is a video I made of the same area last year- and still no resolve to the problem.

TESTIFYING BEFORE THE STATE LAND USE COMMISSION- HOOPILI- WATCH VIDEO

I testified before the State Land Use Commission last week regarding the petition by DR Horton/Schuler to reclassify some 1,550 acres of farmland in Ewa to urban. My testimony was and is the same message that I have been providing to the Commissioners since 2007: "Do not approve of the Hoopili development plan until the developer completes the East West Connector Road first."

When are we going to learn our lesson and actually build the infrastructure first before the massive new residential development comes in?

Our good neighbors who live along Renton Road know what I am talking about. With four schools on the historic rural road, the roadway is already at over capacity and all of the engineers and planners- the experts, have stated loud and clear- that if you do not build the East West Connector Road, then Renton Road becomes an arterial road by default (Ewa Roadway Connectivity Study; May 2009).

Please watch my testimony here to the State Land Use Commission on January 19:

The new Kroc Center that just opened up is on the East West Connector Road. If the road is ever completed, it will remove a lot of traffic off of Renton Road and the East West Connector Road will serve as our main ingress and egress to get not only to the Kroc Center, but also to the upcoming UH West Oahu campus - connecting Ft. Weaver Road with Kualaka`i Parkway.

To compare what the Kroc Center area looked like before it was built- watch this video I took of the actual groundbreaking ceremony for the Kroc Center in 2009:

Here are a couple of photos I took at the blessing of the Franciscan Vistas Ewa Groundbreaking Ceremony for the recreational center last week:

Read more about the development here.

This Franciscan development project further compounds traffic along Renton Road. This is why it is so important that we get the East West Connector Road built now to take traffic off of Renton Road and give all our friends, neighbors and family living, learning, worshiping, and working off of Renton Road some relief they deserve.

Now you know why I stand firm on my position to argue before the State Land Use Commission for traffic relief. The East West Connector Road, which is under the jurisdiction and responsibility of DR Horton to construct, should be a condition and requisite to build first before the land gets rezoned. Otherwise, the developer will not have to build this road for decades to come….and it is not pono for the people of the Historic Ewa Villages community to suffer for so long before relief can come; for they needed it yesterday. The developer DR Horton has not released a date yet when they will build their portion of the sorely needed East West Connector Road.

KALAELOA ROADS GETTING SOME COSMETIC IMPROVEMENTS

This photo was taken roughly over a week or so ago and depicts volunteers gathering at the intersection of Roosevelt and Coral Sea Road in Kalaeloa to illustrate and identify six roadway improvement projects slated for the area.