BY COUNCIL MEMBER TOM BERG – Our Council District One Office again, continues to champion the passage of key resolutions that directly benefit our district and residents island wide. Yesterday at the full council hearing (with help from many of our district residents who came to City Hall to testify in force) the council adopted the following measures-highlighted in the press releases pasted below for your review:
CITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY PASSES COUNCILMAN TOM BERG’S RESOLUTIONS TO RESTORE BUS CUTS
Two resolutions, 12-173 and 12-177, introduced by Councilman Tom Berg to restore city bus service without raising fares passed the full City Council unanimously today, after outcries from the bus riding community when bus cuts caused dramatic impact on public transit commuter quality of life and ability to travel reasonably and comfortably. Resolution 12-173 restores bus service 12-177 suspends farebox requirements to allow eliminated bus routes to be reinstated without raising fares. Both resolutions were heard today and passed the full City Council unanimously.
Councilman Berg was the only Councilmember to vote against the bus cuts. Overcrowded buses, delayed arrivals. decreased frequency, further away bust stops, the elderly being forced to stand for long rides and cut routes altogether with no viable alternatives have been among the complaints of Honolulu bus riders.
Councilman Tom Berg says, “These bus cuts have indeed triggered a crisis. Buses are now driving by folks waiting at bus stops because the buses are full-packed like sardines and cannot handle one more passenger. Bus patrons are waiting longer too to be picked up and coupled with routes being cut, the once reliable bus ride experience has turned into a dreadful ordeal. Thank goodness all councilmembers supported the plea to support bus services and took heed to the calling to stop all cuts, and restore what has been lost.”
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING AND PRESERVING EWA PLAINS HISTORIC TRAILS PASSES COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMAN TOM BERG
The preservation and recognition of Hawaiian history receives priority as Resolution 12-172, CD1 passed unopposed today for Ewa Plains historic trails with a City Council vote of 9-0. Ewa Plains include historic mountain and coastal trails through the ahupua’a of Honouliuli and provide insight as to how historic Hawaiian communities were connected socially, economically, and politically. These lands give families and Hawaiians the opportunity to walk the trails their ancestors walked, giving clues about places of commerce and religion and where valuable forest and sea resources were once located. Created by a massive ancient karst coral reef where ocean meets mountain, streams and fresh rain water percolate through porous 100,000 year old coral to spawn freshwater shrimp and one of Hawaii’s most diverse limu varieties. The history of the Ewa Plains is rich and spans from West Loch to Ko Olina and the trails encompass ancient Hawaiian history up through modern military use for training and horseback riding.
Job creation for cultural interpreters is a priority as visitor related guidance will be needed, stimulating West Oahu economy and giving nearby residents more local resources and historical interaction to enjoy. Resolution 12-172, CD1 creates opportunities for cultural and economic growth and is an important step toward the official recognition and preservation of significant historic trails which can make the park eligible for funding from the federal National Park Service (NPS) Recreational Trails Program funding, as well as Surface Transportation Program Flexible, Transportation Enhancement, and Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Improvement Program funding to enhance possibilities and protection for the community and its sacred and treasured past to invest in our cultural future.
The 1825 Royal Navy Malden survey identified the trails to the Western world and for 150 years old was a mainstay of the West Oahu Paniolo and Pa’u horseback culture, referred to as Malden Trails which this resolution intends to redirect back to the name Ewa Plains. However, the exact location of these Ewa Plains trails today has not been officially recorded and resolution 12-172, CD1, advocates for the identification and preservation of such. An educational and recreational resource open to the coming UH West Oahu college students; local schools, community members, and civic organizations will have access to preserved, natural, protected lands commemorating the history of Ewa Plains that is so richly deserved.
BERG TAKING LEAD TO STOP BIO-HAZARD LAB FROM BEING PLACED IN WEST OAHU
UH WEST OAHU CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE THIS SATURDAY
All are invited to check out the new university grounds situated on Kualaka`i Parkway across from the Kroc Center from 11am- 5pm this Saturday.
View 2012 Legislative Report Below
