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HOLOMUAA newsletter from the office of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi December 2011

Magic of Christmas comes to County Building32 decorated Christmas trees, including these, adorned the atrium of the Hawaii County Building.

From Dec. 15 23, the Hawaii CountyBuilding in Hilo lit up with the Magic oChristmas. Te centerpiece o the aair

was the atrium o the building, adornedwith 32 Christmas trees and other lightsand decorations. Each department gotto decorate one or more trees to sharetheir holiday spirit with members o thecommunity.

Every weeknight, a dierent Countydepartment hosted an open house withentertainment and rereshments or the

whole community. Evening entertainmentincluded Braddah Waltah, Aunty DarleneAhuna, Hlau Kou Lima Nani withKumu Iwalani Kalima, EDGE, IslandHarmony, and the Ol School Band.

Cuy Emplyee Recgze - 7Te annual Employee Recognition program

celebrates excellent public service by our employees.

Hme Fr Te Hlay - 4wo new housing projects opened in the last

month join the West Hawaii Emergency Shelter

to cover a spectrum of housing challenges.

y fr Rumble O - 3

Te 16th annual motorcade and toy drive broughtChristmas to needy keiki on Hawaii Island.

Tk Lcal, Buy Lcal M - 2Alliance encourages shoppers to help friends andneighbors by keeping more money on the island.

In his Edition

Santa Claus joined in the festivities on two nightsof the Magic of Christmas.

In addition to the evening estivitiesschool groups stopped by the buildingthrough the week and a hal as part otheir rounds o Christmas caroling aroundtown. Groups included several gradesrom Ka Umeke Keo, the Hawaiianimmersion public charter school romKeaukaha, and keiki and parents rom the

YWCA Preschool in Downtown Hilo.

We wanted to invite our citizens tocelebrate the joy o the holiday seasonIm so glad that hundreds o olks, romkeiki to kupuna, were able to enjoy theHawaii County Building, where theirgovernment works hard every day orthem, said Mayor Kenoi.Keiki from Ka Umeke Keo were among those

who brought joyous carols to the building.

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Holomua December 2011

Mayor proclaims December Tink Local, Buy Local Month

Mayor Kenoi reads a proclamation declaring December Think Local, Buy Local Month in Hawaii County in

a ceremony at the Mooheau Bandstand on Dec. 1.

Signs like this one are displayed in the windows

of merchants participating in the Think Local, BuyLocal initiative in Hawaii County.

Calling it an opportunity to help ourneighbors, Mayor Kenoi on Dec. 1proclaimed December as Tink Local,

Buy Local month on Hawaii Island.

All were talking about here is helpingeach other, said Kenoi, who read theproclamation on Dec. 1 at the historicMooheau Bandstand in Downtown Hilo.Helping each other is one o those values

which we treasure here in Hilo, he said, joined to mark the event by the HiloDowntown Improvement Association,Hawaii Alliance or a Local Economyand local business owners.

Te Alliance developed this pilot publiceducation initiative which highlightshow purchasing locally made andgrown products and shopping at locallyowned businesses can benet the islandcommunity, environment and economy.

Te Tink Local, Buy Local initiativeis being launched in downtown Hilo inpartnership with the Hilo DowntownImprovement Association and 40 locallyowned businesses. Participating Hilo

businesses are displaying Tink Local,Buy Local window signs and highlightingMade on Hawaii Island products.

A 2010 national report on buy localcampaigns ound that communities withan active buy local campaign experiencedmarkedly stronger revenue growthcompared to communities without sucha campaign and independent retailers inbuy local communities saw a 5.2 percentincrease in holiday sales, while thoseelsewhere reported an average gain o lessthan 1 percent. During the holiday season,the Tink Local, Buy Local campaign willbe ocusing attention on Hawaii Islandgrown and made products and locallyowned businesses.

A cornerstone o the initiative is the Tink Local, Buy Local button whichoers Hawaii Island residents discounts

at participating locally owned businessesthroughout the holiday season. Buttons

are $5 and are available at the HiloInormation Center at the Mooheau BuStation, Palace Teatre, Diabolik Sur andGlass and Basically Books. Tink LocalBuy Local is launching in downtownHilo and expanding island-wideInstead o a discount button, businessesoutside o the downtown Hilo area willbe oering coupons online at www

TinkLocalBuyLocal.org to incentivizresidents to think and buy local thisholiday season.

Local businesses have always been thebackbone o our economy, said MayorKenoi. During these challenging economictimes, a renewed ocus on products andood produced on Hawaii Island and onisland-owned businesses is good or oureconomy and our community.

o learn more and to participate in th

initiative, visit TinkLocalBuyLocal.orgor call Andrea Dean at 960-3727.

HOLOMUA is published by the Ofce o Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi.East Hawaii: 25 Aupuni St. in the Hawaii County Building - 961-8211

West Hawaii: 74-5044 Ane Keohoklole Hwy. in the West Hawaii Civic Center - 323-4444

Email us at cohmayor@co.hawaii.hi.usFor the latest rom the Mayor, visit us at hawaiicountymayor.comLike us on Facebook at acebook.com/MayorKenoiFollow us on witter @MayorKenoi

Art on the cover of this issue:

Fr Lgby Bruce Omori o Extreme Exposure

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From the office of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi

Mayor Kenoi talking story with Mark Rolng of

Global Golf Adventure.

Gol enthusiasts across the U.S. will getan hour-long tour o Hawaii on Christ-mas day, when a special episode o GlobaGol Adventure with Mark Rolng airsnationally on NBC. Last month, Rolngsat down with Mayor Kenoi to talk storyabout what makes Hawaii Island so spe-cial, and why its a great place to come gol

o see some amiliar places and amiliaaces, tune in to NBC on December 25!

Island gol to be eatured onNBC Christmas Day

Te Departments o EnvironmenManagement and Public Works areteaming up to support reecyclingresponsible disposal o your Christmatree. Please help keep our island greenand recycle your holiday tree and greeneryAter Christmas through January 15drop your trees at any o eight Countyrecycle and transer stations: Hilo, PuakKailua-Kona, Honokaa, Keaau, Keauhou

Waimea and Waihinu. rees angreenery should be ree o all decorationslights, tinsel and ornaments. Please do not

drop o articial or ocked trees.

Chipping the trees and making thematerial available or use in gardens wilallow the county to divert thousands otrees rom our landlls and add valuablemulch to island soils. Inormation aboutthe Countys reecycling Programand additional recycling and solid

waste programs is available online aHawaiiZeroWaste.org. For urtherinormation, please contact the Solid

Waste Division at 961-8270.

reecycling to be oferedthrough January 15

oys or ots brightens holidays or keiki

Hundreds o motorcycles and classic cars rumbled

around Hilo on December 11 to make Christmasbright or keiki on Hawaii Island. Te 16 aualy fr Mrcae & Rally went on despitethe days heavy rain and some permit discrepanciesthat threatened to shut the event down. Tis couldnthave happened without the tremendous support oMayor Billy Kenoi. Christmas is on again or theneedy children o the Big Island, said EllsworthFontes, president o the Rock & Roll MotorcycleClub. In the spirit o Christmas, Im happy that itall worked out. Above, Mayor Kenoi gives a bike toMichael as Santa looks on. At right, Mayor Kenoileads the motorcade down Lihiwai St.

Mento, Pavao retire rom Civil Deense, WaterDecember marks the retirement o Hawaii County Civil Deense AdministratorQuince Mento and the Department o Water Supplys Manager and Chie EngineerMilton Pavao.

Mento has been working in public saety on Oahu and Hawaii Island or 29 years, three and a hal as head o Hawaii County Civil Deense. In his place,John Drummond, an administrative ofcer at Civil Deense, will serve as interimadministrator. It has been an honor and privilege serving with Quince, said MayorKenoi. He is going to be sorely missed and its going to be tough to ll his shoes.

We expect to have a new administrator in place by mid-January.

Pavao has been with the Department o Water Supply or 39 years. Quirino Antoniowas recently named by the County Water Board as his replacement. Antonio hasbeen with the Department or 37 years, and has been deputy since 1995. Mahaloto Milton or his 39 years o service to our island, Kenoi said. Tanks to Quirinosexperience, this should be a seamless transition.

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Holomua December 2011 From the office of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi

HOMES FOR

THE HOLIDAYS Aunty Elizabeth Maluihi Lee and HOPE SeCarol Ignacio untie the maile lei to open NHale O Ulu Wini.The $1.8 million, 31 bed West Hawaii EmergencyShelter was opened to serve the homeless in WestHawaii in October 2010.

ur model homes, including this one, and a community park were recently dedicated at Kamakoa Nui, a new workforce housing development in Waikoloa.

More West Hawaii families will have roofs overtheir heads this holiday season, thanks to two

new housing projects dedicated by the

County of Hawaii in the last month.

Recalling a discussion at the beginning o his ter m, I toldthe people at Housing that at the end o the day, lets seei we can make a diference at every part o the housing

spectrum in West Hawaii, and they delivered, said MayorBilly Kenoi.

Now, a trio o housing projects are built, helping thoseacross the spectrum o housing need. Groundbreakingsare cool, but the untying o the maile is much better.

In October 2010, the County opened the $1.8 millionWest Hawaii Emergency Shelter at 74-5593 Pwai Place.Te shelter provides services to help the homeless stabilizeand get ready or sel-suciency, oering employment andhousing search assistance, budgeting and lie skills trainingand other classes along with guidance to help them connect

with o-site community resources. Te $1.77 million acility,opened in October 2010, has a total o 31 beds or singlemen and women with bathrooms, showers, laundry acilities,a common kitchen, and meeting areas.

For amilies ready to make the transition intopermanent shelter, the County dedicated the $12.4 frst phase o N Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini on Novem

In Honokhau Mauka, above the Kaloko Industrial AKahua Hale O Ulu Wini is a unique complex that colow-income rental units with units or homeless amilcan stay as long as two years in return or a ee or iservices, determined on a case-by-case basis.

HOPE Services, which will operate the complex contract with the County, will also provide case managmail and computer access along with an array o on-sitservices such as employment and lie skills training, health services, counseling, and childcare.

Brandee Menino, executive director o HOPE Servicthat the programs at N Kahua Hale O Ulu Wini wamilies to be ready to rent or own a home o their ow

want them not only t o survive, she said. We want tthrive.

Continued on page 6

Housing Admin. Steve Arnett, Mayor Kenoi,Pastor Sonny Shimaoka, and Deputy

Managing Director Wally Lau at Ulu Wini.

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Holomua December 2011

Aunty Elizabeth Maluihi Lee, who grewup mauka o Ulu Wini, gave the complexits name, which describes the complexas a oundation upon which amilies canbuild their lives. Aunty said she enjoyedthe area in her youth, listening to the

wind blowing through the trees and thesounds o animals as she walked down tothe shoreline via a nearby trail.

Back then, there was lehua, lama andsome kukui, Aunty Elizabeth said, notingthat most o the native orest in the areashas disappeared. But the buildings aregrowing now, taking their place, she said.Tey are reviving the lie o Ulu Wini.

In addition to the living units, the complexeatures a community center with laundryacilities, a common kitchen, meeting

area, and a dividable multi-purpose roomor classes and meetings. Te complexis powered with solar energy, and anon-site wastewater treatment plant willproduce 80 percent o the water neededor irrigation o the grounds.

Te transitional units o N Kahua HaleO Ulu Wini replace the ormer Kawaihae

ransitional Housing. Te structures romthat temporary acility have been movedto Phoa, where they will be remodeledand used or housing there.

HOMES FOR HE HOLIDAYS: rio o housing projects built in West Hawaiicontinued from 5

Further up the coast in Waikoloa, ourmodel homes and a park were dedicatedon November 18 in a new workorcehousing community called KamakoaNui. argeting rst-time home buyers

who make a little less or slightly morethan the area median income, KamakoaNui will eventually consist o about 1,200ee-simple homes and rentals on 268acres just north o Waikoloa ElementarySchool.

Te rst batch o homes in KamakoaNui, about two dozen, are being soldrom $240,000 to $325,000 by Aldridgeand Associates.

o qualiy, buyers should work within a30-mile radius o Kamakoa Nui and havean income between 80-140 percent o

the area median income. Potential buyers

The Kamakoa Nui community offers stunning views of Alenuihh Channel and Maui in the distance. The new park, pictured here, is ready to welcome the rst

families that will move in. This is where our kids get away from gangs and drugs, said Mayor Kenoi. Instead of inviting our families to live here

and then building a park, I said lets build the park rst; lets build a strong and safe community and then invite our families to live here.

must also live in the homes and cannothave owned a home within the last three

years.

o discourage speculation, owners whore-sell their units at Kamakoa Nui within15 years o their initial purchase will berequired to share any windall protsrom the re-sales with the County.

Steve Arnett, director o the Ofce oHousing and Community Developmentsaid Kamakoa Nui was handed to theKenoi Administration three years agounder a dark cloud with the projecstalled, under legal scrutiny, and withmuch higher projected home pricesArnett said Mayor Kenoi empoweredhim to make tough decisions that werenecessary or success. What you see

here is the result o that direction by ourmayor.

aking care o the most vulnerable inour community was a priority or MayorKenois administration. Its not aboutplumbing or electrical or construction,he said. Its about children who can comehome ater school and not be embarrassedabout where they live, or where they laydown at night, that our kpuna can eegood that their amilies are in a sae andhealthy place.

A look down the center of Phase 1 of N Kahua

Hale O Ulu Wini.

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From the office of Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi

And the nominees areLorraine Acdal, Special Assistant, County Clerk

Daryn Arai, Planning Program Manager, PlanningOfcer Clarence Davies III, Police

Crestita Hudman, Customer Service Supervisor, Water

Bernadette Johansen, Van Driver, Parks & Recreation

Gemmaima Manzano, Senior Account Clerk, Pros. Attorney

David Mellom, Credit & Collection Clerk, WaterOfcer Joseph William Passmore, Police

Scott Robertson, Lead ranser Station Attendant, Env. Man.Kaycie Saiki, Administrative Specialist, Mayors Ofce

Hans Santiago, ax Maps & Records Supervisor, Planning

Sharon Sasahara, Records Clerk, Police

Deborah Sewell, Account Clerk, Public WorksKevan Tomono, Automotive Mechanic, Public Works

Naomi Varize, Human Resources echnician, Public WorksRamsey Young, Zoning Clerk, Planning

County employees nominated as part of the Employee Recognition Program pose for a photo at the recognition ceremony held Nov. 22.

County employees recognized or excellent public service

Manager o the YearMcael Okum, reaurer, Face

Mike is a very supportive and encouraging manager.He is always looking out or the County, trying tokeep costs down and revenues up. His work to set

up the BAN program is just one example wherethe County has saved money and is more efcient.

Supervisor o the YearLieutenant Randal Ishii, Police Dept.

rustworthy, a good listener, hard worker, reliableand ambitious are just some qualities that Lt. Ishiipossesses. It is through his leadership that theimplementation o the Records Scanning Project,

which moved older police report hard copies toelectronic versions, was able to take place.

Employee o the YearTomas Clark, EMS Storekeeper, Fire Dept.

Tomas is conscientious, dependable, dedicated,and a team player. Since he came on board inMarch 2008, om has been an asset to the HawaiiFire Department, County o Hawaii, and thepeople o Hawaii Island.

We commend and congratulate each o you oryour dedicated commitment to serving the people

o Hawaii County. My sincere thanks to all othe nominees or your contribution to the quality

o lie that we all enjoy on our beautiul island.Keep up the great work!

Mahalo to Roberta Chu, Douglas Espejo, andKaren Zelko for serving on our Employee Recognition Selection Committee!

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Holomua December 2011

Mayor Kenoi congratulated Natura

Energy Laboratory o HawaiAuthority or its push to rekindle thedevelopment o ocean thermal energyconversion technology (OEC) at theKehole Point acility in Kona.

NELHAs November request orinormation resulted in our responses

with the Board o Directors selectinOEC International to build a one-megawatt demonstration plant that

will produce electricity using ttemperature dierence o deep sea andsurace waters. Te 55-inch pipelines

worth $20 million and completed i2006, were installed or this purpose.

We are very pleased that OEC hasreturned to its rightul place and willbe urther advanced right here on theIsland o Hawaii, said Mayor Kenoi.

Weve been actively engaged in tryingto attract OEC back to HawaiIsland, and we hope this is a step in that

direction.In September, the County produced andacilitated an Ocean Energy Workshopocused on bringing OEC developersand ocean scientists together to discussissues such as nance, environmenttechnology and implementation. Soonater, NELHA released a requestor inormation (RFI) to see whatdevelopers are interested in nancingand building the one-megawattdemonstration project.

We have always believed that NELHArepresents a unique asset to the Islandand County o Hawaii, said MayorKenoi.

We have supported NELHA sinceits inception in 1974 and I do notthink that this opportunity would haveemerged so quickly without the greatpartnership between County o Hawaiand NELHA.

NELHA pushing torekindle ocean thermal

energy development

Back: T. Ilihia Gionson, Mayor Billy Kenoi, Kalani Kahalioumi, Desiree Moana Cruz.

Middle: Charmaine Shigemura, Karen Teshima, Vicky Gapasen, Managing Director Bill Takaba,

Rochelle Pacheco, Lisa Robertson, Deputy Managing Director Wally Lau. Front: Kaycie Saiki,

Clarysse Nunokawa, Irma Sumera, Paulette Cainglit, Rose Bautista.

Missing: Bobby Command, Barbara Kossow, Megan Mitchell.

Happy Holidays from the Mayors Ofce!

Mayor Kenoi and his family marched in the Dec. 3 Phoa Christmas Parade, pictured here,

as well as the Nov. 26 Hilo and Dec. 3 Waimea parades. From left, Mayor Billy Kenoi,

sons Liam and Justin, daughter Mahina, and wife Takako.

Kenoi ohana spreads holiday cheer in parades