RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has jurisdiction over Honolulu Harbor as provided under Chapter 266, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

WHEREAS, the mission of DOT is to provide a safe, efficient, accessible, and inter-modal transportation system that ensures and preserves economic prosperity and quality of life; and

WHEREAS, nearly 80 percent of all goods used in our state is imported, and of this amount, 98.6 per cent is brought through the commercial harbor system; and

WHEREAS, Honolulu Harbor represents the primary port for the movement of cargo and the operation of passenger cruise vessels into and out of the state; and

WHEREAS, DOT's Oahu Commercial Harbors 2020 Master Plan projects that Honolulu Harbor will reach maximum capacity to handle domestic cargo by the year 2011 unless additional cargo processing terminals are developed and placed into use; and

WHEREAS, DOT's Oahu Commercial Harbors 2020 Master Plan further identified the former Kapalama Military Reservation property as its primary area for redevelopment of expansion lands for maritime use; and

WHEREAS, the former Kapalama Military Reservation was purchased by the State from the federal government with the express purpose of redeveloping the property to expand cargo handling operations in Honolulu Harbor; and

WHEREAS, both DOT and the Hawaii Harbors Users Group (HHUG), a nonprofit maritime transportation industry organization, have identified the redevelopment of the former Kapalama Military Reservation as the number one long-term priority for Honolulu Harbor; and

WHEREAS, the first key step toward redevelopment of the former Kapalama Military Reservation is to relocate the University of Hawaii Marine Center (Marine Center), which currently holds at gratis, a long-term lease of approximately 17 acres along the harbor frontage from the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR); and

WHEREAS, the area held by the Marine Center is crucial for pier development to berth cargo ships that will support the new cargo terminal; and

WHEREAS, DOT has offered the Marine Center a relocation area within Honolulu Harbor; and

WHEREAS, DLNR is cognizant of the initial legislative intent behind the purchase of the former Kapalama Military Reservation and is being kept apprised by DOT of its efforts to acquire the Marine Center parcel from the University of Hawaii (UH) for the purpose of accommodating the development and expansion of the Honolulu Harbor; and

WHEREAS, the Marine Center is aware of the long-standing goal of relocating it for the purpose of expansion of maritime operations but has expressed concerns that the expansion not impede its ability to continue important research programs that require berthing and land-based facilities; and

WHEREAS, DOT is aware of the importance of the Marine Center, its significance to the scientific community, and the impact it has on marine research and education, both for UH and the worldwide scientific community, and recognizes the invaluable service the Marine Center provides to various stakeholders, as well as the general public; and

WHEREAS, the relocation of the Marine Center must be accomplished on a priority basis to avoid a crisis situation for cargo handling capacity by the year 2011; and

WHEREAS, prior to the relocation of the Marine Center, DOT and UH need to work collaboratively to find a suitable location that would be beneficial for all parties involved; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the Senate concurring, that UH and DOT are requested to collaborate, on a priority basis, to effectuate the relocation of UH Marine Center; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Harbors Users Group is requested to include representatives of UH's School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, as well as the UH Marine Center, in its harbor planning process regarding the development of harbor lands; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that prior to the relocation of the University of Hawaii Marine Center, DOT and UH find a suitable location offering comparable dock space, storage and staging areas, services, size, and proximity to UH, which is beneficial to all parties involved and ensure that funding is available for its relocation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UH and DOT are requested to report to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2007 on their progress to relocate the Marine Center; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Director of Transportation, the Chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, the President and the Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii, and the President of the Hawaii Harbors Users Group.

Report Title:

UH; Marine Center