Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Board discusses roads, rubbish, rail

KALIHI—The Kalihi Valley Neighborhood Board convened for its first meeting of the year on Wednesday, January 12. Roads, rubbish, and rail were on the agenda.

The Honolulu Police Department’s December 2010 response statistics indicated no major rise or drop in DUI offenses, motor vehicle thefts, or robberies. There were, however three fewer burglaries than in November. There was no HFD representative or report available.

Residents expressed the most concern over traffic issues, including persistent pothole problems in the area. One resident alleged that promised improvements to potholes on Kalihi Street were limited only to those in front of a home belonging to the family of a City employee. Noel Ono of Mayor Carlisle’s office said he would look into the matter.

Residents also requested that regular City refuse pickup take place during off-peak traffic hours on Kalihi Street. Residents in the area were concerned about the lack of bulky item pickup on Holua Place. They were concerned that they could be cited by the City if the items left out for pickup were not picked up. Mr. Ono assured that items put out on the proper day would not be subject to fines.

The subject of funding rail transit was brought up at the meeting. As Kalihi Valley will never be served by the rail system, the Board has never taken a position on rail. Board Chair Jory Watland expressed concern that federal monies used to operate the City bus system could be diverted to fund rail. Rail transit development officials have conceded that it is part of a funding contingency plan to the use of such federal funds intended for the City bus system.

Minutes of the January 12 meeting are available here.