State Budgets $3.5 Million For Kalaeloa Energy

Talking Story …Mike Gabbard

Aloha e Friends,

I hope you and your family are enjoying the summer. Carol and I visited our daughter, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, in July in Washington, D.C., and also attended the wedding of my nephew Mike Gabbard.

As always, please let me know if I can ever help you or your family in any way. I can be reached at 586-6830 or sengabbard@capitol.hawaii .gov.

Energy Corridor Essential for the Redevelopment of Kalaeloa

During the 2012 session, as state senator for the Kalaeloa area, I included a $5 million request for the Kalaeloa East Energy Corridor among my top three construction project requests to the Senate Ways and Means committee — our money committee. In the end, the project received $3.5 million in funding, which is now being used to construct the Energy Corridor.

In reviewing the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and obtaining additional information from Hawaii Community Development Authority and Hawaiian Electric, as well as area residents, I continue to see this project as a positive for our community. To be clear, this is a 12-kV power line that will be constructed along Essex Road (on the east side of Barbers Point Golf Course). It will replace an existing Navy power line.

The bottom line is that we need to bring Hawaiian Electric power into the district because the Navy wants out of Kalaeloa. The project will benefit the Coast Guard, Barbers Point Golf Course, the future Kalaeloa Regional Park and solar farms, as well as development in the area.

Ilima at Leihano Brings Senior Assisted Living to Kapolei

I gave a speech June 27 at the groundbreaking for the Ilima at Leihano project. It will be Kapolei’s first full-service assisted-living community, with 84 units, located at the corner of Kamaaha Avenue and Kapolei Parkway on 40 acres of land. The project is being developed by Kisco Senior Living and Kiewit Building Group.

The community will include studios and one and two-bedroom apartments. Both CS Wo Furniture and First Hawaiian Bank will be tenants on the property.

The project will employ 75 people once it’s completed by summer 2015.

Pastor SonHye Kim Bids Aloha to Kalaeloa

I surprised Pastor SonHye Kim with a certificate from the state Senate June 15 at her final sermon given at Kapolei Korean United Methodist Church in Kalaeloa.

Pastor SonHye has brightened the Kapolei community with her loving spirit and giving heart. For example, those who ventured to Kalaeloa for one of the church’s free car washes found Pastor SonHye and other parishioners happily washing cars while offering refreshments and genuine smiles to all.

We wish Pastor SonHye well as she moves to her new appointment with Echo Park United Methodist Church in Los Angeles.

Listen-Story Meeting

My next “Listen Story” meeting will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. Aug. 23 in the Kapolei High teacher’s lounge.