NEWS & NOTES Otsuka’s presents check to Malama Pono O‘ Kaua‘i Otsuka’s Furniture & Appliances General Manager Jeff Hayes recently presented a $10,000 check to members of the Hawaii Army National Guard Company A, 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry Regiment members,
NEWS & NOTES
Otsuka’s presents check to Malama Pono O‘ Kaua‘i
- Otsuka’s Furniture & Appliances General Manager Jeff Hayes recently presented a $10,000 check to members of the Hawaii Army National Guard Company A, 2nd Battalion, 299th Infantry Regiment members, who were on Kaua‘i for two weeks of leave recently. Going to the Kapa‘a store to accept the check were Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Kamakea, Sgt. Teofilo Serrano Jr., and Sgt. Eddie Resinto. Les Aki, Otsuka’s store manager, also was part of the presentation.
Otsuka’s leaders raised funds for Malama Pono O‘ Kaua‘i, the guard’s family-support organization, during a Memorial Day sale. A portion of all proceeds from sales that weekend went to leaders of the organization. Organization leaders said they will use the funds for a welcome-home lu‘au for returning soldiers, when they all return in around a year.
Award-winning hotel is re-branded as Grand Hyatt
- Following a multi-million-dollar renovation of guestrooms and suites, meeting space and public areas, the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa will be converted to Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa. The name change represents an upgrade in brand that aligns the property with other, exclusive, Grand Hyatts around the world.
Edward W. Rabin, president, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, along with the owners of the resort, Kawailoa Development, made the announcement. Kawailoa Development is a subsidiary of Japan-based Takenaka Corporation.
Implicit in the name, Grand Hyatt hotels worldwide are grand in scale, service, and attention, Rabin said. Grand Hyatt hotels are known for elegance and sophistication, providing guests with signature programs, extraordinary restaurants, bars, an unparalleled spa experience, and state-of-the-art business and banquet facilities, he commented.
There are 23 Grand Hyatt hotels around the world that international travelers recognize as leading hotels, he continued. Grand Hyatt hotels feature the latest technology and old-world hospitality for the sophisticated, experienced traveler in major gateway cities or international resort destinations, he said.
Grand Hyatt Kaua‘i Resort & Spa leaders will make several additional changes over the next several months, including a multi-million-dollar expansion and enhancement of the resort’s award-winning ANARA Spa.
KPAA annual meeting June 28
- Kauai Planning & Action Alliance (KPAA) leaders are inviting both members and the public to attend the Tuesday, June 28 annual membership meeting, featuring keynote speaker Clyde T. Hashimoto, a Kalaheo school teacher and recipient of Hawai‘i’s 2005 National Milken Educator Award.
The event will be held from 2 p.m. till 4:30 p.m. at The Terrace Restaurant, Masters Ballroom, at Kauai Lagoons. The deadline for advance registration and payment is this Friday, June 24. The cost is $20 for KPAA general and supporting members, and $25 for others.
The agenda, registration form and membership information may be downloaded from KPAA’s Web site, www.kauainetwork.org. For more information, please call 632-2005, or e-mail kpaa@kauainetwork.org. KPAA is a membership organization for officials with Kaua‘i’s nonprofits, government agencies, and community groups.
Hanapepe Economic Alliance seeking photos
- Members of the Hanapepe Economic Alliance (HEA) are seeking photographs of buildings and of life in old Hanapepe town. Interpretive plaques will include enlarged photos mounted on selected buildings along Hanapepe Road. These photos will call attention to historical buildings and sites featured in the self-guided Historic Hanapepe Walking Tour map published in March 2005.
“We are specifically looking for photos of the older buildings,” said Joanna Carolan, HEA board member. “But any photo that shows the old days in Hanapepe will be welcomed for this project. Many business owners lost photos in the floods that occurred in the early 1960s and before the Army Corps of Engineers built the levee. It is hoped that some families may have kept prints of photos elsewhere, and would like to share them.” Anyone with photographs to share may contact Carolan, 335-5944, or Dawn Traina, 335-3993.
