Big Island News: Projected Impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on County of Hawai'i May 7, 2009

$96.4 million and counting

Highways

Ane Keohokalole Highway, also known as Mid-Level Road will receive $35 million in ARRA funding. When completed, Mid-Level Road will parallel Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway from Henry Street to an area mauka of the Kona airport.

The first phase would extend from Palani Road at Henry Street to Kealakehe Parkway.

This road is critical because it will open up new portions of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Villages of La’i ‘Opua that will provide more than 700 units for Hawaiian Homesteaders. It will also open lands slated for a state affordable housing project at Keahuolu that will eventually provide about 2,200 homes.

State Highways in Hawaii County

The state is spending $11 million, a significant part of its share of ARRA funding, in Hawai’i County on maintenance of bridges on Hawai’i Belt Road including the Kukuaiu, Kuwaikahi, Ninole and Maulua Bridges.

Mass Transit

Stimulus funding for mass transit in Hawai’i County will be $977,000, which we plan to use to buy two 49-passenger buses and to pay for new bus shelters.

Police

COPS Hiring Recovery Program: Hawaii County police have applied for ARRA funding for 16 additional police officers for three years starting in 2010. Funding would total about $3.4 million to cover pay and fringe benefits for the extra officers. We are asking for community policing officers, and plan to put two in each of the eight police districts on the island.

Police and Prosecutors

Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant funding under ARRA of $366,489 will be divided between police and prosecutors. Prosecutors will spend less than half of this money to upgrade their computer server. Police will use the balance to fund two evidence specialist positions.

Job Training

ARRA will boost Workforce Investment Grant funding by $1.3 million to train adults, dislocated workers and youth. The expanded programs will be used to develop a youth summer internship program to serve 268 economically disadvantaged in-school and out-of-school youth; to provide job training to an additional 100 adult participants; and to train another 210 dislocated workers.

Parks

Waimea Trails and Greenways: ARRA will provide $600,000 to help pay construction costs for the first phase of a bike and pedestrian trail linking residential areas of Waimea to the town center.

Federal Parks in Hawaii County

ARRA will fund nearly $8 million in work in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, including a new $6.6 million Emergency Operations Center. Another $81,000 will be spent on projects at Kaloko-Honokohau and Puuhonua o Honaunau.

Also benefiting from the stimulus package is the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, which will receive $590,000 for construction of a new storage and maintenance building.

Fire

Stimulus funding will include a Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant of $125,000 to be used for fire equipment and training.

The department is also seeking stimulus funding through the Assistance for Firefighters Grants (AFG) for additional equipment and to help finance construction of the Makalei Fire Station at Kalaoa in North Kona.

Homeless Prevention and Job Training

The non-profit Office of Social Ministry has been awarded $707,000 in ARRA funding over three years for “rapid re-housing” and prevention of homelessness. This will allow OSM to pay housing subsidies, pay housing deposits in some cases to get people into homes, and to provide employment training for the homeless or at-risk populations.

Water Projects

ARRA is expected to provide nearly $5 million to the Department of Water Supply for Drinking Water projects. The department plans to use those funds for construction of the Ahualoa Production Well and 1 million gallon reservoir to improve water service to the Honoka’a area.

Wastewater Funding

The county expects $7.5 million in ARRA funding for sewers. Department of Environmental Management plans to spend $6.2 million on the federally mandated project to shut down the large capacity cesspools in Honoka’a, extend sewer lines and expand the nearby wastewater treatment plant to accommodate the additional sewage flow.

The remaining $1.35 million in ARRA funds for wastewater will help pay for construction of the Komohana Heights large capacity cesspool replacement project, which is also federally mandated.

Community Development Block Grant

ARRA will provide $647,364 in block grant funding. The county has solicited proposals from the community for ways to use the money, and final selection is pending. Proposals include energy retrofits for elderly housing, and renovations of facilities used by non-profit organizations.

Community Services Block grant

Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council will receive $1 million in ARRA funding to expand their food service programs for young children and the elderly as well as their Rainbow Falls Connection program, which combines retail kitchen operations with job training. The stimulus funding will also be used for drop-out prevention and a language arts support program for disadvantaged third- and fourth-graders.

hEALTH CARE

Hawai’i Island health care clinics will also receive funding under ARRA, including $253,278 for the Bay Clinic with its facilities in Kea’au, Pahoa, Ka’u and Hilo; another $174,263 for the Hamakua Health Center; and $162,502 for the West Hawaii Community Health Center in Kailua-Kona.

In addition, the Native Hawaiian health care program Hui Malama Ola Na Oiwi in Hilo will receive $110,430 under the stimulus package.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants

County of Hawai’i will receive $737,800 under this new program, and tentatively plans to spend money on projects such as installing energy efficient street lights, energy audits and conservation programs for county facilities.

Energy efficiency in federal Buildings

The Hilo federal building is scheduled to receive $15.74 million in improvements under ARRA to make it more energy efficient.

reasearch at university of Hawai’i At Hilo

The stimulus includes $300,000 to continue research under the UH-Hilo Pisces Project. Pisces, the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, is dedicated to developing the technologies needed to sustain life on the moon and beyond.

Meals for the Elderly

More than $80,000 is being provided under ARRA for additional meals for the elderly.

Military spending

About $2.58 million in stimulus funds will be used to install photovoltaic power systems at Bradshaw Airfield and other facilities at Pohakuloa Training Area.