HB2215

SECTION 1. The director of finance is authorized to issue general obligation bonds in the sum of $2,460,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary is appropriated for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the purpose of capital improvement projects in the county of Kauai listed in section 2 of this Act.

SECTION 2. The following sums, or so much thereof as shall be sufficient to finance the projects listed in this Act, are hereby appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii for fiscal year 2008-2009.

FY 2008-2009

A. BALL FIELD AND RECREATIONAL FACILITY $1,210,000

LIGHT SYSTEM RETRO-FIT (Design and Construction)

Retro-fit of ball field and recreational facility light system is required to meet compliance with regulations governed by the Endangered Species Act. This project is necessary to accommodate continued evening use of outdoor county recreational facilities on Kauai, which are utilized by all the high schools and community leagues for their sports events, which includes but is not limited to, football, soccer, track, and cross country. Currently, compliance efforts have been made in partnership between the county and the State to reschedule sporting events to be held during the daylight hours if possible, to minimize the harm to the two species of endangered and threatened seabirds that are attracted to the ball field lighting. This multi phase project is estimated to cost $2,420,000 of which fifty per cent is requested to be funded by the State for the following ball fields:

(1) Vidinha Stadium Football Field - $700,000 for construction;

(2) Hanapepe Stadium $640,000 for design/construction;

(3) Isenberg Park - $530,000 for design/construction;

(4) Peter Rayno Park - $330,000 for design/construction;

(5) Lihue County Park - $220,000 for design/construction.

The vast majority of the department of education’s sports activities on Kauai are held at these county facilities.

B. HABITAT CONSERVATION PLAN $200,000

The county is seeking state assistance to help in the planning efforts to comply with state environmental protection law in funding fifty per cent of a habitat conservation plan for the county of Kauai pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes, and the federal Endangered Species Act. This plan would also formulate a program to manage measures and minimize a taking of the Newell's Shearwater birds and to some degree other protected birds. It is estimated that seventy per cent of the world’s population of Newell's Shearwater birds nest on Kauai, which has concerned the United States Fish and Wildlife Services and the department of land and natural resources as it relates to the bird population. The federal and state laws mandate that the counties participate in a habitat conservation plan in an effort to perpetuate these species.

C. WAILUA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT UPGRADES $1,050,000

The Wailua wastewater treatment plant serves the coastal area of Wailua and Kapaa which is the largest populated area on the island of Kauai. The Wailua wastewater treatment plant was originally developed in the 1960’s and has undergone several expansions which currently has a permitted capacity of one million five hundred thousand gallons per day. However, due to its age and the harsh environmental conditions of the Wailua wastewater treatment plant, the actual treatment capacity has been reduced to one million gallons per day, according to the county’s facility plan consultant study presently underway. Additionally, due to age and a lack of standby equipment, the plant has reliability concerns with processing current wastewater flows of approximately seven hundred thousand gallons per day. Numerous upgrades are necessary in the near term to improve reliability and restore treatment capacity to allow the Wailua wastewater treatment plant to reliably serve existing customers and to allow new connections for proposed development including affordable housing projects in the community. Near term improvements needed are estimated to require approximately $14,000,000 in funding to be allocated between several projects. These include electrical services (presently 208 volt) upgrades combined with replacement of aging process and electrical components, such as the emergency generator, solids handling equipment (centrifuge), and blowers and obsolete control equipment, with total costs estimated at $3,800,000. In addition, the county is committed to converting the disinfection system from the current use of chlorine gas to an ultraviolet disinfection system to improve water quality and safety ($2,100,000). Upgrades in the biological treatment processes are necessary to restore plant capacity (approximately $8,000,000), and these upgrades will involve adoption of new wastewater treatment processes, such as membrane systems that will also significantly improve the effluent water quality. The approximately $2,100,000 needed to upgrade the disinfection system to ultraviolet disinfection is a very important near term project. This will replace the current reliance on chlorine gas, which will improve community safety. At the same time, the improved disinfection from the ultraviolet system is an important component needed for upgrading the plant to produce R-1 quality effluent, which is the highest quality recognized for effluent reuse. In the past three years, the county has invested over $600,000 in planning and engineering studies for this facility and approximately $4,000,000 in construction for improvements of the Wailua wastewater treatment plant. Funding for the near term needed improvements has not been fully identified. Unfortunately, the county’s usual source of funds for wastewater projects, the department of health's state revolving fund loan program, has committed most of their funds for the next few years to the city and county of Honolulu. Kauai county is currently conducting a wastewater rate study to address future wastewater funding needs, however, the financial needs will be difficult to fund from Kauai rate payers in the near future. Any assistance possible from the State will be significant in helping the county in its efforts to provide essential wastewater services to benefit out communities and improve the environment.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated for the respective capital projects set forth in section 2 of this Act shall be expended by the county of Kauai for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. The appropriation made for the capital improvement project authorized by this Act shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal biennium for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2010, shall lapse as of that date.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effort on July 1, 2008.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2215
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII