Inside Honolulu: October 21
There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.
Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
5:18 p.m. City Spending On Rail Lawyers
The Carlisle administration is asking the Honolulu City Council to approve another quarter of a million dollars for outside law firms to represent the city against various legal challenges related to the Honolulu rail project.
would authorize another $100,000 for Kobayashi Sugita & Goda to represent the city in challenges to the core systems contract award to Ansaldo. Bombardier recently appealed that case after being rejected by both the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Circuit Court.
would give another $150,000 to Carlsmith Ball LLC 鈥 former employer of Managing Director Doug Chin 鈥 to fight two other rail lawsuits.
The first, filed by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation on behalf of plaintiff Paulette Kaleikini and focused on the handling of Native Hawaiian burials, was dismissed by a Circuit Court judge in March. The resolution says the case has been appealed.
The second lawsuit, filed by HonoluluTraffic.com against the Federal Transit Administration and others, is pending in federal court.
2:32 p.m. Carlisle’s Public Sked
Here’s where you can find Mayor Peter Carlisle the next seven days:
Saturday, October 22nd
- 8:00 am-12:00 noon鈥擬ayor Carlisle and Cabinet participate in Make a Difference Day by helping clean the shoreline from Queen鈥檚 Surf Beach to Waikiki.
Sunday, October 23rd
- 5:30 pm鈥擬ayor Carlisle presents an award at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Regal Theatres Dole Cannery.
Tuesday, October 25th
- 9:00 am鈥擬ayor Carlisle delivers remarks at the dedication of the City鈥檚 new Wahiawa Transit Center, then rides TheBus to the Middle Street Intermodal Center.
- 11:30 am鈥擬ayor Carlisle delivers remarks at the dedication of the Middle Street Intermodal Center.
Thursday, October 27th
- 9:00 am鈥擬ayor Carlisle holds a news conference with various agencies to proclaim Oct. 31 鈥淏e Safe, Be Seen, It鈥檚 Halloween, Pedestrian Safety Day,鈥 and encourage trick-or-treaters to wear reflective stickers that make them more visible to motorists. Mayor鈥檚 Office.
- 11:00 am鈥擬ayor Carlisle attends the 27th Annual Law Enforcement and Security 鈥淭op Cop鈥 Appreciation Luncheon. Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.
- 5:00 pm-6:00 pm鈥擬ayor Carlisle discusses Honolulu鈥檚 rail transit program on Hawaii Public Radio鈥檚 Town Square program, along with HART Interim Executive Director Toru Hamayasu and longtime Kapolei resident and Go Rail Go President Maeda Timson. KIPO 89.3 FM.
Friday, October 28th
- 9:00 am鈥擬ayor Carlisle delivers remarks at the Na Lei Aloha Foundation鈥檚 7th Annual Bridge of Friendship event. Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Molokai Ballroom.
- 12:00 noon鈥擬ayor Carlisle is a guest speaker at a Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii fundraiser luncheon. On board the Holland American cruise ship MS Oosterdam, docked at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
11:48 a.m. A Message From Carrie
Ever since the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation was born as a quasi-independent agency on July 1, there’s been a bit of a vacuum in terms of the “face” of rail.
It used to be Mayor Mufi Hannemann, and then Mayor Peter Carlisle. But with HART supposedly removing politicians from the execution of the project, that left an engineer 鈥 Toru Hamayasu 鈥 as the man in charge. His title is only interim executive director, and he’ll at some point presumably be supplanted by a permanent chief.
Until then, enter HART board Chair Carrie Okinaga. When Civil Beat surprised the former corporation counsel on an undercover trip to Washington D.C. last month, she wasn’t eager to chat, despite some gentle prodding. She’s been reluctant to lead the fight against rail critics, leaving that to public relations consultants and even the mayor.
Thursday, maybe, was the first step toward a different face of rail. Nearly four months after becoming chair at HART’s first meeting on its first day of existence, Okinaga put out her first “” on the HART website. A photo of Okinaga looking into the camera in a fireside-chat pose 鈥 the same one at the top of this page 鈥 now graces the front of .
The message from “Carrie Okinaga, Esq.” is really a primer on the HART board. It explains the board’s goals, its structure and organization, and the sense of urgency it feels about the project. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
Will “Board Corner” become a recurring item, or just a once-every-four-months news update? Will Okinaga step into the role as the face of rail?
10:30 a.m. Sidewalk Project Pau
After eight months of improvements, Waikiki’s sidewalks are open for business.
Mayor Peter Carlisle inspected them this morning, according to a press release, and is pleased with the results.
“The City is glad to reopen our sidewalks to our residents and visitors,” Carlisle said in the release. “This improvement project, which was planned before the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, is also a result of public private partnerships.”
The work cost $5.55 million.
8:51 a.m. Parking Hardship
Our partners over at KITV highlight the likely impact of APEC parking restrictions on one small neighborhood.
For an entire week, residents who normally park their vehicles along Kahakai Drive just behind the Hawaii Convention Center will be hard pressed to find somewhere else to go.
Read (and watch) the full story .
8:34 a.m. Bus Routes, Trash Pickup Adjusted for APEC
Get all the details here.
Where’s Carlisle?
At 10 a.m. today, Mayor Peter Carlisle delivers remarks at the 97th Fire Fighter Recruit Class Graduation Ceremony at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. At 5:30 p.m., Mayor Carlisle attends the Pacific Buddhist Academy Sixth Annual Awards Dinner at Waialae Country Club.
Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu
October 20: Special Committee Meeting; APEC Security Road Closures; Council Concerned About Rail Operation Costs; City Misses HUD Deadline; Investigation: Rail at the Airport; Where’s Carlisle?
October 19: Mayor Listens to Preschoolers; The CityCamp “Unconference”; Two TOD Workshops Next Week; Rail Construction Knocks Out Traffic Cams; UPW Strike During APEC?; A Merry Celebration; Martin Running For Mayor; Where’s Carlisle?
October 18: Hula Festival Venue Change; “Overwhelming” Response: APEC Turning Away Volunteers; Garbage Truck Problems; APEC Surveillance Camera Locations; Where’s Carlisle?
October 17: You Say You Want A Rail~Volution; An Evening With Carlisle; Mufi’s Fundraising Muscle; Waipahu Rail Soil Tests Begin; Young People Love Honolulu; Where’s Carlisle?
October 13: Low Sewer Bond Interest; Full Steam Ahead; HART: Ansaldo Still Capable; Police Gifts: A History; There’s No Crying In Rail Contractor Disputes!; Drug Summit Coming To Hawaii; Where’s Carlisle?
October 12: Money For Buses; Ewa Development Plan Up For Review; Second Crack At Homeless on Sidewalk; Where’s Carlisle?
October 11: Rail On PBS; Sidewalk Property Bill Advances; Noise Bill Deferred; Merits of Rail-Volution; Carlisle’s Blood; Targeting Homeless?; Rod Tam’s Friends; Today’s Meetings; Where’s Carlisle?
October 10: Transportation Committee Canceled; Hilton Hawaiian Village On The Agenda; Rail = Jobs; Honolulu’s Global Mayor; Zoning and Planning; Where’s Carlisle?
October 7: Gabbard: End The War; Real Property Tax Commission Meeting Monday; The Holidays Are Coming; Carlisle’s Public Schedule; New Rail Financial Plan; More Committee Agendas; Where’s Carlisle?
October 6: Second Committee Posted; Ansaldo Contract Not Signed Yet; Zoning and Planning Meeting Monday, Not Thursday; Rail Opponents To Speak at Rotary Club; Today’s HART Meetings; Where’s Carlisle?
October 5: Police For Sale?; Cameras Coming for APEC; Sidewalk Property, Noise Control Bills Advance; Private Possessions, Public Property; Today’s Honorees; Today’s Council Meeting; Where’s Carlisle?
October 4: Fifty Years Of Friendship With The French; ACLU Scolds HPD; FACE Rail Rally Today; Station to Station; Public Hearing, No Public; Where’s Carlisle?
October 3: Carlisle Responds, Others Attending; Carlisle Attending “Upscale” Condo Groundbreaking; Former DLNR Chair Thielen New City Ag Liaison; HART On Rail Costs; Archaeological Work Begins; Overcharging at Landfill; Carlisle Eats Local; HART Meetings Thursday; Where’s Carlisle?
