NAWILIWILI — The Kaua‘i County Council Budget and Finance Committee approved an appropriation Wednesday of $450,000 from the fiscal 2010-11 budget by revising the surplus and appropriations estimated in the Liquor Fund in order to pay claims and judgments against
NAWILIWILI — The Kaua‘i County Council Budget and Finance Committee approved an appropriation Wednesday of $450,000 from the fiscal 2010-11 budget by revising the surplus and appropriations estimated in the Liquor Fund in order to pay claims and judgments against the county.
In recent weeks, the county disclosed a settlement of $450,000 with former county worker Kristan Hirakawa (now Suniga), who brought a sexual-discrimination lawsuit against the county.
It was one of three claims settled by the county.
The alleged perpetrator of the sexual harassment was Hirakawa’s supervisor at the county Department of Liquor Control.
In other business, the County Council unanimously approved the appropriation of $40,000 from the general fund for a feasibility study on the restoration of historic Kapaia swinging bridge.
Council Vice Chair Jay Furfaro said that is not the final number, and that the newly appropriated funds will be used to address design standards and the development of a plan for general restructuring of the deteriorating bridge.
“The county felt strongly that a feasibility study needed to be completed, so the full scope of the project could be considered before any actual repair could be done,” said Beth Tokioka, executive assistant to Mayor Bernard P. Carvalho Jr., in an e-mail.
“In order to do the study, the county needed to gain right of entry from all adjacent landowners,” said Tokioka.
“This was a difficult task as not all adjacent landowners were supportive of having the study done.
“In June 2010 the County Attorney’s office was finally able to get the sign-off from all landowners, so the study was able to then proceed,” she said.
The feasibility study will include a field investigation, topographic survey, soils investigation, base plan set up, conceptual design and plans and a cost estimate.
Councilman Tim Bynum stressed the importance of determining whether the bridge over Hanama‘ulu Stream can be restored for pedestrian use as well as historic purposes.
It was closed and barricaded in 2006 for safety reasons.
The bridge was placed on Hawai‘i’s State Register of Historic Places in August of 2008.
It had enabled Chinese, Filipino and Portuguese laborers and families to visit each other at their respective plantation camps on both sides of the waterway.
In 2007, the council appropriated $200,000 for the restoration project.
• Vanessa Van Voorhis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or by e-mailing vvanvoorhis@thegardenisland.com.
