The following article appeared in a recent Honolulu Board of Realtors publication.  In my opinion, there are many unanswered rail concerns, but time will tell if the information supplied by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) is correct.

“From Kapolei to the heart of urban Honolulu, work is underway for the city’s rail transit project.

Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., contractor for the first phase of the rail route from East Kapolei to Pearl City, has begun utility relocation work.  Crews are relocating trees, existing water, gas, phone and electrical lines, sewer and storm drains to prepare for guideway construction early next year.  And in urban Honolulu, archaeological survey work is being conducted in preparation for construction along other portions of the rail route.

The City has also begun acquiring property needed for the project.  To date, the city has made offers on 20 parcels. Fourteen of those offers have been accepted, and six are pending.

‘The main focus for HART is to acquire property by mutual agreement, and we’ve been successful in accomplishing that thus far,’ said Jerry Iwata, real estate acquisition manager.

The 20-mile $5.3 billion light metro rail system will include 21 stations and run from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center.  Development near the stations, or transit-oriented development, offers key opportunities to infuse the state’s economy, while providing an opportunity to help shape development in our local communities.

But above all, a new transit system offers a reliable option to traffic congestion.  Travel time between Kapolei and Ala Moana Center will be 42 minutes, with stops at or near key activity centers such as UH-West Oahu, Leeward Community College, Pearlridge Center, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu International Airport, Downtown and Ala Moana Center.  Downtown to Ala Moana Center will be a 4 minute ride with no need for parking.

An elevated guideway also means travelers will get to their destinations on time, every time.  Trains will not be subject to traffic or accidents below.  And a dedicated guideway means no collisions with vehicles, which has been the case with some street-level transit systems on the mainland.

Trains will operate daily from 4 a.m. to midnight.  Trains will arrive at stations every three minutes during peak travel times, so riders won’t really need a schedule because they won’t have long to wait, should they miss a train.  During off-peak commuting hours, trains will arrive six minutes apart during the day, and every 10 minutes in the evening.

While many residents living near the proposed rail line say they are looking forward to having rail as a transportation option, they have also raised questions about noise.  But in fact, Honolulu’s rail system will benefit from the newest technology, and will be much quieter than many of the older rail systems currently in operation.  Unlike older systems in Chicago and New York, noise levels from passing trains for Honolulu’s system will be about the same as noise from a passing city bus.  To ensure the trains are as quiet as possible, the system will include a 3 foot high wall on each side of the guideway.  In addition, special sound absorbing material and track lubrication devices capable of eliminating wheel squeal on curves will be used.

With work underway, completion of the rail system is closer than you might think.  The initial section from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium is slated to open in 2015; then Kapolei to Middle Street in 2017; and the system is scheduled to be fully operational, from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center, in 2019.

For more information, visit the project website at www.honolulutransit.org or contact the rail transit hotline at 566-2299.”

If you haven’t been to Tea at 1024, I highly recommend you try it soon.  For more, read my review of Tea at 1024.

Tea and Etiquette Classes
Tea at 1024, under the direction of Cristina Young of East West School of Protocol, will be holding Tea and Etiquette classes on Wednesdays during the month of November.  The first class will be November 9 at 11:30am.

These classes are designed to fit into your lunch schedule and will feature different topics every week.  Each class is 30 minutes.  It’s lunch with a purpose.

The cost is $35.00; a small investment that will pay huge dividends.  Cost includes Afternoon Tea and handouts.

For detailed information, call Cristina Young at 554-0009 and for reservations call Tea at 1024 at 521-9596.

]]> http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/11/04/tea-at-1024-is-conducting-tea-and-etiquette-classes/feed/ 0 http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/10/09/susan-g-komen-hawaii-race-for-the-cure-2010-is-just-seven-days-away/ http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/10/09/susan-g-komen-hawaii-race-for-the-cure-2010-is-just-seven-days-away/#comments Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:09:15 +0000 Michael Zimmerman http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/10/09/susan-g-komen-hawaii-race-for-the-cure%c2%ae-2010-is-just-seven-days-away/

The Susan G. Komen Hawaii Race for the Cure® is only seven days away.  Help Susan G. Komen for the Cure realize its vision of a world without breast cancer by participating in this year’s Race for the Cure.  The race will be held at Kapiolani Park on Sunday, October 16 at 7:00 am.

Read the Race details

Komen Hawaii Race for the Cure
October 16, 2011
5K at 7:00 AM, 1 Mile at 7:15 AM
Kapiolani Park

All funds from the Komen Race for the Cure go to research, education, screening and treatment programs.

The Susan G. Komen Hawaii Affiliate wants 7,000 participants at the 2011 Race, so start recruiting your team now!  They plan to raise $650,000 with this event and need your help to reach their goal!

2011 Komen Hawaii Race For The Cure® Information

Event:  The 17th Annual Komen Hawaii Race for the Cure®

Date:  Sunday, October 16, 2011

Time:  7:00 AM

Location:  Kapiolani Park, Honolulu, HI

Race Length:  Coed 5K (3.1 miles) race and a 1-mile fun walk/run.

Course:  5k; USATF certified course (HI-11004CM), mostly flat & fast.

Entrants:  More than 6,500 male and female runners and walkers are expected.

Registration:  Available online

Packet Pickup:  Ward Warehouse, Kewalo Conference Room, 2nd Floor

Time:  3:00-7:00 pm, Monday through Friday; 9:00 am-12 noon on Saturday

Days: 
Teams:  Monday and Tuesday, October 10-11
Individuals:  Wednesday-Saturday, October 12-15

Race Day Schedule:  To be Announced

Beneficiaries:  Up to 75% of the net proceeds from the Race will go to fund local area breast cancer education, screening and treatment programs (see Grants) and at least 25% will help fund the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Award and Research Grant Program.

The Hawaii Race will appeal to the serious and casual runner, but most importantly it will appeal to those that have been touched by the disease and those who recognize the need to combat it.  Mothers, daughters, fathers, sons, friends and family members of those that have lost their battle to breast cancer and breast cancer survivors will be at the race running individually as well as part of corporate teams.

For more information call the Komen Hawaii Race For The Cure® at (808) 754-6659 or email race@komenhawaii.org

Lately, I’ve seen a lot of troubling film footage from European countries that haven’t managed their finances very well.  They’re rioting in the streets.  It’s chaos.  I’m worried that those scenes will be televised from American cities in the not so distant future if we continue on the same path as those European countries.

That chaos hurts everyone and may affect the value of everything we own and as I’m sure you know, a home is usually the largest asset owned by many Americans.  I read an interesting article related to the current discussion revolving around America’s National Debt.  Here are some high points:

President Obama is right:  If we’re ever going to get control of this debt crisis mess there’s going to have to be shared sacrifice.  Americans who have been getting off easy when it comes to paying federal income tax are going to have to start kicking in their fair share.

When it comes to paying their fair share in federal income taxes, the author isn’t referring to the top one percent of wage earners.  He’s not talking about the top 50 percent of all wage earners either.  The top 50 percent of all wage earners pay about 97% of all federal income taxes.

That means roughly half of the people pay for just about everything while the other half pays for nothing.  Of course, those who pay zero federal income tax pay payroll tax, sales tax and property tax, if they own a home.  Since they pay no federal income tax, they’re not kicking in much to get us out of the debt crisis we find ourselves in.

There’s something inherently unfair when only half the American people are called upon to pull the load.  The half that pays no federal income tax gets the same benefits as everybody else.  They use the same interstate highways and they get the protection of the same military.  When the President says we need to raise taxes on the rich, a lot of people who pay no federal income tax agree.  And why not?  As George Bernard Shaw so eloquently put it:  ”A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”

Read the full article

By Thomas Sowell

The idea that the federal government has to step in whenever there is a downturn in the economy is an economic dogma that ignores much of the history of the United States.

During the first hundred years of the United States, there was no Federal Reserve.  During the first one hundred and fifty years, the federal government did not engage in massive intervention when the economy turned down.

No economic downturn in all those years ever lasted as long as the Great Depression of the 1930s, when both the Federal Reserve and the administrations of Hoover and of FDR intervened.

Read the entire column …

The Contemporary Museum
2411 Makiki Heights Drive
Honolulu, HI 96822

My wife and I visited The Contemporary Museum over the weekend.  The museum is devoted exclusively to contemporary art and currently displays the works of Steven and William Ladd of Brooklyn.  The museum is located at the historic Cooke-Spalding house and gardens.  You’ll enjoy beautiful views of Downtown Honolulu from the grounds.

While there, my wife and I enjoyed lunch at the museum’s Cafe’.  You can sit indoors or outdoors in a garden setting.  The Cafe’ is perfect for lunch, or if you prefer, coffee and dessert.  The food was very enjoyable, though a bit expensive.

If you’re looking to spend a little quiet time, give The Contemporary Museum a try.

]]> http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/05/04/my-visit-to-the-contemporary-museum/feed/ 0 http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/04/20/hawaii-community-development-authority-public-hearings-may-18-2011/ http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/04/20/hawaii-community-development-authority-public-hearings-may-18-2011/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 10:20:46 +0000 Michael Zimmerman http://michael-zimmerman.com/?p=4533 Continue reading Hawaii Community Development Authority Public Hearings May 18, 2011]]>

The Hawaii Community Development Authority will be conducting two public hearings on May 18, 2011 to adopt the Mauka Area Plan and to repeal and adopt administrative rules for the Kakaako and Kalaeloa Community Development Districts.  For more detailed information, read the public hearing notices:

Mauka Area Plan

Kakaako and Kalaeloa administrative rules

]]> http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/04/20/hawaii-community-development-authority-public-hearings-may-18-2011/feed/ 0 http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/01/14/kakaako-makai-conceptual-master-plan/ http://michael-zimmerman.com/2011/01/14/kakaako-makai-conceptual-master-plan/#comments Fri, 14 Jan 2011 23:14:48 +0000 Michael Zimmerman http://michael-zimmerman.com/?p=4252 Continue reading Kakaako Makai Conceptual Master Plan]]>

The Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) posted a DRAFT of the Kakaako Makai Conceptual Master Plan on its web site. 

Review and download the Draft Master Plan

Review the Plan’s many appendices (lower half of the page)

The HCDA is accepting public comments until February 16, 2011.  The HCDA will also receive comments on the draft plan at its monthly meeting on February 16, 2011.  You may provide comments:

• via mail to 461 Cooke Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
• via email to contact@hcdaweb.org
• via the public comment portal

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