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There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.

Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

Carlisle Out Of Town

3:21 p.m.
So that’s why Mayor doesn’t have any public events today. He’s in Los Angeles.

Carlisle told the Wednesday that he’d be out of state today, tomorrow and Saturday to attend the United States Conference of Mayors Summer Leadership Meeting.

Managing Director Doug Chin is in charge today and tomorrow. Budget and Fiscal Services Director Michael Hansen is elevated to the top job on Saturday.

‘s Carlisle’s memo.

Horner Rails Against LEED Costs

11:28 a.m.
is a money man, so forgive him if he’s not impressed by fancy marketing.

As the got a briefing on all outstanding rail contracts, Horner went off on a short tangent about one contract that will help a transit facility obtain .

The contract is for $300,000 and is merely to have the already-funded design work certified as sustainable. That pales in comparison to the billions of dollars spent on other contracts, but Horner’s not happy that any taxpayer money’s being used on something so silly.

“The pendulum has swung too far,” he said, toward sustainability and away from fiscal responsibility. He called the expenditure “a stamp on the building for $300,000.”

HART will ask corporation counsel to review whether the ordinance that requires all new city buildings to be LEED certified applies to HART, which is semi-autonomous.

$1.3M in Rent for HART? Hamayasu on the Defensive

10:50 a.m.
With some media focusing recently on the transit authority’s expensive office space in downtown, Interim Executive Director defended those costs to the board.

He said that he considered expanding the to a building next to the on Beretania Street, but that getting the space ready for offices would have been costly. Another potential location in downtown would have added between $100,000 and $200,000 in moving costs. Even moving to Waipahu or Leeward Oahu would have been more expensive than staying put, Hamayasu said.

Renting space on the 23rd floor of Alii Place — in addition to the existing office space on the 17th floor — meant moving costs were reduced, and also saved money because the office was already furnished from a previous tenant.

In all, HART will spend about $1.3 million per year on rent.

Head-Hunting Costs Money

10:18 a.m.
As the ramps up its search for a permanent executive director, it’s trying to figure out how to pay for that search.

It’s not clear if that funds to contract with a staffing consultant should come out of the “executive services” line item, or from the money that was budgeted by the board for the eventual executive director’s annual salary.

Keslie Hui, who chairs HART’s Human Resources Committee, said the board might need to look at an amendment to its budget or a further allocation of funds to conduct the search.

, who heads the Finance Committee, said “you get what you pay for” when it comes to head-hunting, and that there’s no more important task for the board right now than finding a solid Chief Executive Officer to run the day-to-day operations for the transit agency.

Ready to Strike Again

8:53 a.m.
Fresh off a victory at Koa Ridge, the state’s largest environmental advocacy group is gearing up for another fight.

Read ‘s full story on Sierra Club and Hoopili here.

A Third Rail Lawsuit To Watch?

8:35 a.m.
It’s well known that the city’s rail project has been the target of two legal challenges. But there is a third one that attorneys are watching that could have an impact.

The first lawsuit — which argued that the phased archaeological survey was illegal — was quickly tossed. The second one — which focuses on the environmental review and the alternatives analysis — is pending in federal court.

The third one — filed against the state Procurement Policy Board — doesn’t name the city as a party and isn’t singularly focused on rail. But it’s still on the radar for the city’s attorneys.

The suit argues that the board rule creating exceptions to a law that requires a minimum of three bidders is illegal. The city took advantage of those exceptions and awarded four major rail contracts, so if the rule is thrown out, it could jeopardize those contracts.

Natatorium Re-Opens … In California

8:11 a.m.
For those who see the Waikiki Natatorium and wonder what might be, you don’t have to look any further than Richmond, California.

The New York Times, working with the Bay Citizen, recently profiled a facility now known as “The Plunge“. It first opened in 1926 as a municipal natatorium, eventually closed for nine years, and has now re-opened as a high-tech, environmentally friendly pool.

Read the and check out Civil Beat‘s previous coverage of our natatorium here.

HART Meets Today (Twice)

There are two meetings on the docket today for the .

First, at 8 a.m., the Audit/Legal Matters Committee will get a briefing on pending litigation — both the challenge brought by HonoluluTraffic.com and others and “procurement-related matters.” Here’s .

Then, at 10 a.m., the Board of Directors gathers for the second time. includes reports from various committees and Interim Executive Director Toru Hamayasu, as well as briefings on the project status, contracts and the business plan.

See you there!

Where’s Carlisle?

No public events on the schedule today for Mayor .

Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu

July 20: Sumitomo Speaks; Water Rates Going Up, Up, Up; Sumitomo Rail Protest Still Alive; The Release; Carlisle: Sludge To Honouliuli; Martin: I Could Be Mayor; Sewage Sludge Presser at 10; Police Commission, Behind Closed Doors; Sumitomo’s Turn; Where’s Carlisle?

July 19: Koa Ridge Hits a Roadblock; City Pleased With DCCA Decision; Landfill Site Search Expands; Fact-Finding Rail Trips Cost $11,000; State Denies Bombardier Appeal; Open That Kimono; Rail a Rare Open Appeal Hearing; Where’s Carlisle?

July 18: City Files Rail Lawsuit Response; UPDATE: Tom Berg, Also a Crook; Martin’s Campaign Treasurer a Convicted Coke Dealer; City Wants More Time at Landfill; Then There Were Two; Eric Ryan: Tom Berg Is A Crook?; Berg “Pissed” but Ryan “In Play”; Food for Conflict Thoughts; HART Ready to Buy Parcels; Bike Battle Still Brewing; City Response to Rail Lawsuit Due Today; Weekend Shakeup at the Hale; Where’s Carlisle?

July 15: HART Board to Meet Next Week; ORI Plan Due Today; Kym Pine Website Launch Delayed By “Major” News; Mayor’s Public Sked; Tulsi Pulls In $20K; Where’s Carlisle?

July 14: Zoning Board Appointees On Track; Neighborhood Board Battle Brewing; HPD Not Alone in Lack of Self-Tracking; Where’s Carlisle?

July 13: City’s Staggered Terms Stay Staggered; Pow-Wow Just An Update; Does Military Count: City Edition; Rail Pow-Wow at the Hale; They’re Talking About Us In Dallas; Berg Stands By His Man; Laie Developer Resigns at Gov’s Request; About Those HART Offices…; Rail Opponents Pay for Ink; Where’s Carlisle?; On Tap for Today.

July 12: (Unnamed) City Official Violated Ethics Code; Ethics Questions Up From Last Year; Prosecutor Kaneshiro Target of Ethics Complaint; Elsewhere on Civil Beat; Carlisle Quiet Today.

July 11: Transparency Site Getting Stale; Hoopili Hearing Set for September; Fire Commission Meeting Today; Carlisle’s Early Start.

July 8: Rail Appeals Opened to Public; Carlisle’s Public Sked; Ethics Panel To Decide on Violations Tuesday; Smoke on the (Waste) Water; Three Oahu Projects in Environmental Notice; County Governments Gather in Honolulu; General Plan Process Under Way.

July 7: T-Minus One Hour to General Plan Meeting; Rail Contractor Protest Closed To Public; What to Read This Morning.

July 6: Oh Godbey, New City Lawyer in the House; Derailed: Tom Berg Q&A; Steinberger Slams ‘Anti-Synagro’ Resolution; Ag Land Property Tax Bill Heads Back to Committee; New Chair, New Seats; Council Gathers Early to Fete Honorees; Martin, Anderson Ink Op-Ed.

July 5: New State Law Protects County Firefighters, Lifeguards; Federal Highways Rep: City and State Need to Play Nice; Leeward Politicians Push for Bikeway; State Officials in the Hale for Transportation; Ernie Martin’s First Agenda as Chair; No Crime Stats for HPD.

July 1: City Parade to Cost $20K; Furloughs Are Over, Pay Is Up; No Laie Decision At Next Council Meeting; Housing Office Open For Business; HART Kicks Off New Era for Honolulu Rail; Happy New Year!; Martin Tabs Kobayashi as Budget Chair.