LIHU‘E — Wednesday was a busy day in county government. A blessing was held in the afternoon to mark the opening of the county’s one-stop permitting center and online kiosk in the Kapule Building at the Lihu‘e Civic Center, a
LIHU‘E — Wednesday was a busy day in county government.
A blessing was held in the afternoon to mark the opening of the county’s one-stop permitting center and online kiosk in the Kapule Building at the Lihu‘e Civic Center, a county news release states.
Earlier, the county’s Park and Ride program was launched and Wednesday evening, the Important Agricultural Lands study kicked off at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall.
Also, the Park and Ride program — commuters throughout the island can now select from five convenient sites to park their cars and ride The Kaua‘i Bus to and from work on weekdays — launched, and the county held its Important Agricultural Lands study kick-off event Wednesday evening.
“This is a very exciting day for the county,” Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. said in the release. “Our staff worked extremely hard to be able to implement these four major initiatives by the end of September, and I am so proud that they have successfully met their goals.
“The launching of the four programs today is a testament to the employees’ commitment towards providing excellent customer service,” Carvalho said.
The process of obtaining all the required permits for building a home on Kaua‘i has been streamlined with the opening of the one-stop permitting center.
Applicants no longer have to hand-carry their paperwork to each of the six departments/divisions involved in permitting – engineering, fire, planning, water, waste water, along with the state Department of Health.
Now applicants can simply bring all of their necessary documents to the one-stop center and work with an assigned county agent that will check their paperwork for completeness, track their permits, and remain in contact with them.
The goal of the one-stop program is to process all residential building applications in 30 days or less, excluding additional dwelling units, condominium property regime, agricultural district farm dwellings, and parcels within special management areas (SMAs or flood zones). In the future, light commercial applications will be included in the program as well.
Applicants are encouraged to set up an appointment for their initial meeting with an agent. Appointments for one-hour consultations can be made online, www.kauai.gov/OneStop, or by calling 241-4854. Walk-ins are also accepted at certain hours.
With the roll-out of the county’s first online kiosk, residents are now able to use designated touch-screen computers in the Kapule Building to pay their sewer bill, real property taxes, or motor vehicle registration online.
In addition, information on employment, the one-stop permitting center, Boards and Commissions, and Connect CTY, the county’s emergency mass notification service, can be accessed from the kiosk, along with the mayor’s quarterly report card and recent news releases.
“We’re not aware of any other county or state agency in Hawai’i offering this kiosk service, which is similar to what the airlines offer at airports,” Eric Knutzen, communication and project manager of the Information Technology Division, said in the release. “We hope that community members find the kiosks useful, as the county strives to better serve them.”
In October, kiosks will also be available to the public in the Pi’ikoi Building at the Lihu‘e Civic Center and at the following neighborhood centers: Kalaheo; Kapa‘a; and Kilauea.
The park and ride locations include: the skating area at Kapa‘a new town park; Kalaheo Neighborhood Center; Hanapepe multi-purpose building located behind the Hanapepe Armory; Waimea athletic field; and the Kekaha Neighborhood Center by the tennis courts.
“The Park and Ride program is part of our efforts to become more sustainable, and also to assist residents especially during these challenging economic times,” said the mayor.
To accommodate the new program, a number of changes in The Kaua‘i Bus schedule have been made, including: morning express routes from Kekaha and Kapa‘a to Lihu‘e; afternoon express route from Lihu‘e to Kekaha; transfers at no additional charge for riders on Kapa‘a and Kalaheo mainline buses who want to take a direct route to Lihu‘e; as well as bus stop and time changes.
For a complete listing of schedule changes, please visit the county’s website, www.kauai.gov, or call The Kaua‘i Bus, 241-6410.
