Inside Honolulu: Dec. 1
There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.
Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
2:19 p.m. Inouye a ‘Realist’ On Rail Funding
Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye has repeatedly promised that he can deliver hefty federal funding to help pay for Honolulu’s $5.2 billion rail project.
But he acknowledged to Civil Beat this week that it’s not a done deal.
Read the full story: Inouye Says He’s a ‘Realist’ About Rail Project
1:52 p.m. Harimoto, Berg Clash
The clash between two Honolulu City Council freshmen has escalated into a public confrontation that has forced the Council chair to referee.
The problems ramped up at a Transportation Committee meeting on Nov. 17 when Breene Harimoto became irritated at Tom Berg over Berg’s insistence on straying off topic.
Read the full story: Harimoto: Strip Berg’s Voting Rights Until He Calms Down
1:33 p.m. Running For Cover
The Real Property Tax Advisory Commission is on the verge of finishing its recommendations to the Honolulu City Council, and members are already anticipating that the politicians aren’t going to be happy.
Basically, now’s a tough time to raise taxes.
Commission Chair Lowell Kalapa said some Council members are “going to run for cover” when the recommendations reach their desks, an appropriate analogy considering the rain squall that forced one reporter to hurriedly bring his lunch inside today.
Kalapa said the political ramifications are not his concern, and that he believes the commission’s role is to come up with a good property tax policy. Lisa Maruyama broached the subject of a “minority report” that would express some members’ dissent.
The next meeting was moved back from 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6, to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7, to allow the panel to post an agenda without violating the .1
11:48 a.m. Toru ‘Surprised’ By Outdoor Circle
Not only was rail chief Toru Hamayasu disappointed by the news that the Outdoor Circle has come out against rail, it came as a “surprise.”
Hamayasu’s statement came in his report to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board. He said HART’s been working with the environmental organization to care for trees along the rail route, and was caught off-guard by the change in policy.
For more about the Outdoor Circle’s stance on rail, read: Influential Environmental Group Opposes Honolulu Rail Project
11:21 a.m. 165,000 Fasteners
Chief Systems Engineer Jurgen Sumann is taking the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board through the specifics of the operations and maintenance portion of the core systems contract.
There are maps, pictures, and lots of facts and figures.
The most interesting number so far: 165,000. That’s how many fasteners will be used to secure the track to the fixed guideway along the length of the 20-mile line. And all 165,000 need to be maintained regularly.
If you didn’t already know, the Honolulu rail project is a major undertaking.
10:12 a.m. More Bad News From Italy
Some unpleasant news from Milan this morning: Amid a corruption probe, Finmeccanica‘s board has .
Finmeccanica, you’ll remember, is the parent company that holds stakes in both AnsaldoBreda and Ansaldo STS, which will together design, build, operate and maintain the Honolulu rail project for $1.4 billion.
Inside Honolulu is flanked at this morning’s Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation board meeting by associates of both losing rail bidders — Sumitomo and Bombardier.
Both associates shared the news with us, and both were smiling as they did it.
9:55 a.m. What About Mediation?
Deputy Corporation Counsel Gary Takeuchi has just given his recap of yesterday’s events to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation Audit/Legal Matters Committee. He talked about the pending motions and the calendar that will stretch into next year.
Interestingly, there was one possible misremembering in the retelling, though it did’t come from Takeuchi.
Committee Chair Ivan Lui-Kwan, an attorney and the only HART director in court yesterday, noted with a smirk that when Judge Wallace Tashima asked the parties about the possibility of mediation, the city’s attorneys said they were willing to sit down and talk, but the plaintifs demurred.
That’s not how we remember it.
Tashima’s question about a settlement was posed to both Nicholas Yost, the attorney for the opponents, and the city’s lawyers. Inside Honolulu vaguely recalls that it was Yost, not the defense attorneys, who said he’s always willing to talk.
Regardless of who answered the question and who didn’t, the idea of mediation became a laugh line in court. The sides are as far apart as two could be. The city wants to build the project as currently designed, and has no intention of doing more environmental review. The opponents want to stop rail, and stop it now.
It’s hard to imagine a settlement agreement that could satisfy all parties.
7:13 a.m. HART In Kapolei
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation will be out in Kapolei today. Here are the two meeting agendas:
- 9 a.m. —
- 10 a.m. —
There’s not really any juicy stuff on the docket, but it’ll be interesting to hear what city lawyers tell board members about “pending litigation” in light of yesterday’s first appearance in federal court.
More coming soon, from Kapolei Hale.
Property Tax Meeting Today
The Real Property Tax Advisory Commission will meet today at 12:30 p.m., and will start its discussions about the “philosophical” basis for its draft recommendations to the Honolulu City Council.
Read .
The Commission will meet again Dec. 6 to wrap up its work.
Where’s Carlisle?
Mayor Peter Carlisle has no events on his public schedule for today.
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An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the Hawaii Sunshine Law required six days notice before the commission’s next meeting.
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