Jun. 2—The Honolulu City Council is expected to decide on a budget today, although it has not yet been finalized how the $196 million in federal funds Oahu is expected to receive from the American Rescue Plan Act will be spent. Mayor Rick Blangiardi proposed a $2.9 billion operating budget, which the City Council has been amending for the past three months. One of the biggest variables that .
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A proposal asking the mayor to establish a new Honolulu Department of Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services personnel, separate from other emergency services, passed out of committee on Tuesday.
Ocean Safety along with the Emergency Medical Services Division are currently two divisions of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.
Resolution 21-122 wants to create two separate departments. The proposal says it would improve administrative efficiency, effectiveness and economy.
The resolution received 198 testimonies in total all in support.
But Mayor Rick Blangiardi opposes the measure, he said at the Public Safety Committee meeting. I’m not opposed to saying at some point in the future this is worth a discussion. But under the circumstances right now, I just feel like we’ve had no time to plan something like this, he said. Because there’s a lot more at stake here if we’re going to break away Ocean Safety
Honolulu Department of Parks & Recreation
Surfers, swimmers and more have another access point to Maunalua Bay in Hawaii Kai. A privately-owned gate blocking a now-public beach right of way in the Portlock area was removed Wednesday after a court ruled in the city s favor. This access way had long been a source of community concern following the private restriction of public access through the corridor, the Department of Parks and Recreation said.
The beach access, near 379 Portlock Rd., was the focus of a lawsuit filed in Circuit Court by the City and County of Honolulu following the approved Resolution 18-263. The city gained control of the walkway through eminent domain.
Honolulu Rail Chief Says Ridership Projections Have Dropped - Honolulu Civil Beat
Honolulu Rail Chief Says Ridership Projections Have Dropped
Rail authority CEO Lori Kahikina provided no details, but said she believes public interest in riding the train is still high. Reading time: 6 minutes.
In yet another bit of bad news for rail, the projected ridership for the city’s half-built, $12.4 billion train system from Kapolei to Ala Moana has declined, according to rail authority Executive Director Lori Kahikina.
Kahikina was asked about ridership during an online video presentation on the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s “Spotlight Hawaii” program on Wednesday, and in general terms acknowledged that the ridership calculations show a drop. She did not say how much of a drop.
One of the most popular, and illegal, hiking trails in Oʻahu may not exist for much longer.
The Honolulu City Council advanced a bill that would fund $1 million to the Division of Urban Forestry to remove the Haʻiku Stairs, commonly known as Stairway to Heaven.
The highly elevated trail gives a panoramic view of Windward Oʻahu, but the unkept stairway makes it a dangerous path for hikers.
The project was a line item in Bill 7, the city’s executive capital budget for the next fiscal year.
The majority of testifiers supporting Bill 7 are residents who live near the entryway of the trail. Reaching the trail’s access point requires hikers to trespass through an old Honolulu Board of Water Supply driveway.