Road and Highway Builders LLC has made significant progress reconstructing Saddle Road (between m.m 11 and m.m 19). They’ve started excavation work by m.m 12. So, the completion of the earthwork portion of this project (by late March/early April 2011) is still on schedule. In addition, RHB is slated to resume paving on February 14th, 2011.
RHB still expects to complete this latest phase of the Saddle Road improvement project by the middle of 2011.
Approximately 70% of the electricity used on the Big Island of Hawaii is generated by expensive, imported fossil fuel. Our dependence on imported fossil fuel not only presents a serious risk to our power system and creates huge amounts of greenhouse gases, but also drains billions of dollars from our economy annually.
Hawaii Island is unique in that it has an unlimited amount of geothermal energy which is available 24 hours a day and does not pollute our planet.
How and when can this energy source help to reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels?
The 2010 State Legislature assigned the task of building a plan for increasing geothermal energy on Hawaii Island to the Geothermal Working Group, lead by Co-Chairs Richard Ha and Wally Ishibashi. The Working Group has submitted their Preliminary plan to the 2011 State Legislature. Come listen to the Geothermal Working Group present their plan for reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Honored speakers will be Richard Ha and Wallace Ishibashi, Geothermal Working Group Co-Chairs, Don Thomas, University of Hawaii Geochemist with the Center of Volcanic Studies, Mike Kaleikini, Puna Geothermal Venture Plant Manager and Guy Toyama, CEO of H2 Technologies who will present related hydrogen and ammonia generation technologies. District 7 County Councilwoman, Brenda Ford will provide a Council update.
The Kona Town Meeting Tuesday, February 8, will start at 6 PM and conclude at 8 PM at Makaeo Events Pavilion which is located at the old Kona Airport Park. Kona Town Meetings are presented by Community Enterprises, a non-partisan, non-profit organization, to provide vital information on community concerns to Kona citizens. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, please go to konatownmeeting.org or call Fred Housel at 331-8602.
Nelson Ho, chair of the Sierra Club’s Moku Loa Group, put his foot in his mouth once again. He unfairly criticized Richard Ha for supporting expanded geothermal power generation on the Big Island this time.
The Big Island’s economic future will be bleak if we continue to depend on oil. Lloyd’s of London is is predicting oil will cost $200.00 a barrel by 2013. So, we need to reduce our consumption soon. However, geothermal is the only proven and reliable energy source here. Wind, OTEC, and solar power generation are simply niche energy sources.
Robert Wessels, co-managing partner of DW Aina Le’a Development LLC, has decided to continue the Villages at Aina Le’a project despite the LUC’s land classification reversion. The latter decision has made Robert Wessels, etc job even more difficult. It will be impossible to secure additional financing and or investors due to the LUC’s decision.
Related item: Lack of Adequate Financing Doomed The Villages at Aina Le’a Project
Robert Thomas has until February 10, 2011 to petition (or ask for an extension) the US Supreme Court to hear the Coupe land condemnation appeal.
Lastly, West Hawaii Today had a very troubling article regarding the condemnation of the Smith/Whitaker’s land for the Mamalahoa (Hokulia) bypass. Alexander Smith, one of the landowners, claimed the county hasn’t spoken to him for over a year. However, I’ve repeatedly spoken to the county attorneys handling this issue. The county has actively worked with these families to obtain this land for at least the past year (or more).
I wonder if Alexander Smith truly speaks for both families in this matter. Caroline Smith expressed strong opposition against the condemnation of this property.
I am taking a break from blogging tonight. The past two days have been very exhausting at work. I worked graveyard shift on Sunday and was off Monday. So, I slept during the day yesterday and last night. This has thrown off my normal sleeping schedule.
Regular blog programming will return on Thursday.
The manager overseeing the Ane Keohokalole Highway project e-mailed me this update regarding upcoming construction work on Palani Road and Kamaka’eha Avenue.
“Schedule information for current and upcoming work:
Palani Rd – installation of new utility pole-line:
Start digging foundations – 1/24/11
Complete digging foundations – 2/18/11
Poles ship from West Coast – 2/21/11
Poles Arrive Hawaii – approx 3/16/11
Pole assembly and installation – 1 month
Wire Stringing (HELCO) – 1 week
HTCO and OTWC installation of new cables – approx 3 months
Approximate completion of pole-line installation – end of July 2011
Once this is complete, then the old wood poles can be removed and grading and paving operations can resume. These are expected to last 3 months. It is anticipated that there will be intermittent channelization of traffic throughout the paving portion of the work, and complete road closures at night on occasion during the pole installation and wire-stringing phases.
Kamakaeha Sewer line installation:
Phase-1: Makalapua end – 1/26/11 to 2/22/11
Two lanes closed between Macys and the movie theater driveways – traffic diversion through the shopping center. During this period, the public are asked to use Makala Blvd as primary access, and to minimize use of the diversion.
Phase-2: Macys driveway towards Palani Road- 2/23/11 to 3/23/11
Two lanes closed at Palani Rd and the Macy’s driveway, no through-traffic on Kamakaeha Ave. Access to Makalapua shopping center will be only from Makala Blvd (off Queen Kaahumanu Hwy).
During both phases of this work, there will be large construction equipment and dump trucks traveling on the roadway between the work site and a haul-road access at the top of Makala Blvd. Extreme caution is called for.
Yesterday we confirmed the scope of work required within the Henry Street Junction at Palani Rd. There are three 8′ to 9′ deep trenches required across Palani and one across the top of Henry Street. These are to be dug around and underneath two very large water transmission pipelines, and as such the trenching will be extremely technical and therefore slow.
There is unfortunately little we can do to minimize negative impacts on traffic through this busy intersection. We are currently planning and sequencing the work in this area, and I will let you know when we have a work schedule in place.”
The State LUC reverted The Villages at Aina Le’a's land classification back to agriculture yesterday. I wasn’t expecting the commissioners to render this decision so soon. I expected they’d hear more testimony and defer a final decision until later.
I believe this LUC decision has jeopardized the future of this project and investments made by hundreds of Asian investors. Nevertheless, I don’t feel sorry for these individuals. They invested their money in a project that didn’t have sufficient financing. So, there was no way the developer could meet the LUC’s conditions.
The lack financing has doomed this development from the get-go. Nevertheless, the developer, along with a plethora of Asian investors will likely sue the State of Hawaii to recoup their investment. This sounds eerily reminiscent of the protracted Hokuli’a debacle.
Related item: The Villages At Aina Le’a Project Update
The Hawaii DWS posted this update regarding the ongoing HOVE water facility construction.
The Hawaii DOT is working with the developer of the Hualalai Vistas subdivision to assess the stability of the partially excavated rock facing above Mamalahoa Highway. This is why construction on the channelized intersection above Hualalai Vistas hasn’t restarted yet.
I’ll be blogging normally this week. They adjusted my schedule slightly. So, I’ll be working overnight on Sunday, off Monday, and working my normal schedule until Friday.
Please keep reading this blog for updates regarding several significant local projects over the coming weeks. These projects are followed:
Ane Keohokalole Highway (on Monday),
Queen Kaahumanu Highway widening
Lastly, Hawaiian Telcom filed an emergency application with the FCC on January 12, 2010. They’ve requested a temporary license to operate their interisland submarine fiber-optic network.
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