LIHUE — When the members of the House Finance Committee visited Kauai last week, the committee did more than meet with members of the Coconut Marketplace Mobility Hub to talk about the first of four planned transportation hubs designed to reduce the number of cars on the road and rely more on shuttle services.
Led by Chair Chris Todd, the House Finance Committee — and the Kauai delegation, including Speaker Nadine K. Nakamura, House Majority Floor Leader Dee Morikawa, and Rep. Luke A. Evslin — used The Kauai Bus as its mode of travel to the various stops where committee members received firsthand visits of the projects and programs supported by the Legislature.
Office of Economic Development Director Nalani Brun, Economic Development Specialist IV Christina Kaser, and Joel Guy of the Hanalei Initiative and the shuttle service to Haena, discussed the mobility hub whose goals are to reduce traffic congestion, operate a shuttle system from Lihue Airport to the Coconut Marketplace, complete pedestrian and bike improvements, reintroduce car sharing, and install wayfaring signage.
Supported by funding from the Hawaii Tourism Authority and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and developed with input from local businesses, the visitor industry and community members, organizers met with lawmakers to discuss the vision for the mobility hub and explore strategies to reach priority goals and enhance access for both residents and visitors across the state.
At Kokee State Park, including the Waimea Canyon and Kalalau lookouts, the Department of Land and Natural Resources briefed the committee on past and ongoing capital improvement projects.
The Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park region has received numerous road improvement CIP funding over the past 15 years, and has also been a beneficiary of years of statewide lump sum allocations to support state park infrastructure and grounds maintenance, improvements, hazard mitigation and cultural preservation.
The DLNR emphasized the need for urgent repairs to the park’s aging water system, including maintaining adequate water pressure and addressing systemic issues affecting residents, visitors and staff.
The House Finance Committee had an opportunity to visit the Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital facilities and listen to the status of the ongoing project. In recent years, investments from the Legislature included more than $7.5 million in funding towards a CT scanner, a 3D mammography machine, and the modernization of its facilities.
Some highlights of the recent improvements include a new waiting room, upgraded machinery, an enhanced lobby and repaved parking. During the visit, hospital leaders also shared plans for future improvements to improve care for West Kauai residents.
On Kauai’s North Shore, the 75-acre Kilauea Community Agricultural Farm is stewarded by ‘Aina Ho‘okupu o Kilauea, a nonprofit organization focused on island food security and building a healthy, stable and balanced local agricultural economy.
Yoshite L’Hote, the executive director of ‘Aina Ho‘okupu o Kilauea, led House Finance Committee members on a tour, shared the farm’s operations, and outlined the long-term vision to develop the site into a regional agricultural park and food shed in accordance with the county’s plan in 2008, and to provide food for the community. The farm also supports efforts to provide youth with meaningful jobs and skills in agriculture.
Source: The Garden Island