Lihu’e Airport will get nearly $25 million in improvements, including $9.5 million for upgrading its heliport, and the proposed new Kaua’i courthouse received another $11.3 million for its construction. The money is included in various bills recently approved by the
Lihu’e Airport will get nearly $25 million in improvements, including $9.5 million for upgrading its heliport, and the proposed new Kaua’i courthouse received another $11.3 million for its construction.
The money is included in various bills recently approved by the state Legislature and expected to be signed into law soon by Gov. Ben Cayetano.
The airport money is in the state supplemental budget, and includes $13.8 million for apron improvements, $1 million for additional parking, and $500,000 to beef up baggage-claim areas and equipment, said state Rep. Ezra Kanoho, D-Waipouli-Lihu’e-Puhi.
“In the separate Judiciary budget, we were able to obtain a large appropriation ($11.3 million to be added to the $30 million secured in earlier legislative sessions) for the Kaua’i judiciary complex,” Kanoho said.
The new courthouse will be located near the under-construction new Kauai Police Department building off Kapule Highway near Vidinha Stadium and the Kauai Veterans Center.
Over $1 million was also approved for improvements to the yet-to-be-built Kapule Highway intersection with Ka’ana Street that is expected to be the main access road to both the new courthouse and police station.
Also, Kanoho reported, money for improvements at Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital was approved.
Expansion of Hanapepe Public Library and Kaua’i Community College’s new one-stop student center were also funded, said state Rep. Bertha Kawakami, D-Koloa-Waimea-Ni’ihau, vice chair of the House Finance Committee.
“In this most difficult year to secure state funding, I am elated at the projects we have been able to fund for Kaua’i,” said Kawakami.
“These projects represent our commitment to education, water infrastructure and the environment as our top priorities,” she added.
While Republicans and others have been critical that the session didn’t address substantive issues in public education, Kawakami feels the many bills passed encouraging the exploration of new ways, and of changing the ways, of doing things in education, made the recent session productive.
Much discussion was heard on proposals to eliminate the statewide Board of Education in favor of many smaller boards concentrating more on local islands, districts, complexes and issues, she said.
State Rep. Barbara Marumoto, R-Kahala-Waialae-Maunalani Heights, criticized her fellow law-makers for doing “nada,” or nothing, for school reform. While Cayetano gave the Legislature a grade of “A-” for its work during the 2002 session, Marumoto gave it a “D.”
Kaua’i’s legislative delegation, including Kawakami, Kanoho, state Rep. Mina Morita, D-north Kaua’i-east Maui, and state Sen. Jonathan Chun, D-south Kaua’i-Ni’ihau, will present more detailed information about 2002 session highlights at public forums set next week.
On Monday, May 20, the forum will be at the Kapaa Elementary School cafeteria. On Tuesday, May 21, they legislators are set to appear at the Historic County Building council chambers, and on Thursday, May 23, they’ll be at the Waimea Theatre.
Times for all the sessions, which are free and open to the public, will be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
