LIHUE — Proposed modifications to the TIGER Grant projects and measures amending the county’s operating budget will be discussed Wednesday during the Kauai County Council meeting. The county received a $13 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Grant,
LIHUE — Proposed modifications to the TIGER Grant projects and measures amending the county’s operating budget will be discussed Wednesday during the Kauai County Council meeting.
The county received a $13 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER Grant, last October, which will be used to revitalize the Lihue Town Core.
Projects included in the project included the addition of pedestrian and bike lanes on Rice Street, a shared-use path from the Lihue Civic Center to the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements on Hoolako Street.
The administration also proposed road improvements to roads like Rice, Hoolako Hoala and Eiwa streets.
Recently, the administration drew up Resolution No. 2016-57, which proposed modifications to the projects, including:
w Adding center two-way left turn lanes on Rice and Hoolako streets
w Establishing left turn only lanes on Rice and Hoolako streets
w Establishing marked pedestrian crosswalks across Rice, Puaole, Kalena, Hoala and Malama and Hoolako streets
w Creating bicycle lanes on Rice and Hoolako streets
w Adding bus stops on Rice Street.
The resolution also seeks to limit parking between Haleko Road and Hardy Street to two hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and adding twice as many parking spaces.
On Oct. 13, the Public Works/Parks and Recreation Committee unanimously voted to recommend approval of the changes, and the council is expected to pass those changes Wednesday.
But the county has not yet approved of the TIGER Grant projects as a whole, and construction cannot occur until they get the final vote. If all goes to plan, construction is expected to start by 2018.
Also on Wednesday, the council will discuss several measures that will make changes to the July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, Fiscal Year budget.
Two of the bills seek to transfer funds from the operating budget to the Kauai Fire Department so it can purchase new equipment.
Bill No. 2639 asks that $151,000 be transferred to KFD for the purchase of 50 automated external defibrillators. Bill No. 2640 seeks to transfer $390,000 to KFD to purchase 60 self-contained breathing apparatuses. Both bills are up for first reading.
A bill that seeks to appropriate $43,473 from the operating budget to be used extra security at events like the Visitor Industry Charity Walk, Haena to Hanalei Run, Kauai Farm Bureau Fair and others.
