Let’s All Rally To Keep Kapolei Post Office Open
Sen. Mike Gabbard
Aloha, Friends,
A big congrats to all the 2013 high school graduates from James Campbell High School, Kapolei High School, Waipahu High School, American Renaissance Academy and Island Pacific Academy. I wish them all the best as they chart their futures.
Please contact me at 586-6830 or at sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov if I can help you or your family in any way.
Kapolei Postal Station in Danger of Closing
In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service announced it was considering closing thousands of post offices around the country. Kapolei Postal Station (KPS) was unfortunately one of those on the list.
Since that time, I’ve been working with USPS in the hope of keeping KPS from closing and also looking for alternatives, such as having a contract postal unit at UH-West Oahu. On May 3, USPS again gave notice that it’s looking at closing KPS. As you know, USPS has experienced enormous financial troubles over the last several years and it is looking to cut costs.
I’m asking you to help send a message to USPS that we need to keep our post office open.
Please send written comments to: Janice Shimizu, 3600 Aolele St., Honolulu, HI 96820-9998. The deadline to submit comments is July 4.
Kapolei Community Development Center Moving Forward with Heritage Center
One of the highlights of this past session was working with my colleagues at the state Legislature to help secure $1.15 million for Kapolei Community Development Corporation’s Heritage Center (KCDC). KCDC is a grassroots organization made up of the various homestead associations in Kapolei. Since 2007, they have been working on projects to support our local Native Hawaiian community.
Their current project is called the Heritage Center and is envisioned as a gathering place where families can come together to foster self-sufficiency and cultural preservation. The Heritage Center will be located on leased Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) property mauka of the DHHL headquarters in Kapolei.
A big mahalo to KCDC president Shirley Swinney, vice president Joe Lewis, treasurer Home Schaedel, director Kaleo KeaweAiko, and director Anolani Hanohano for all their hard work and dedication to making the Heritage Center a reality.
Island Invasive Species Committee Tours a Rewarding Experience
I’ve been busy taking tours with staff of the Island Invasive Species Committees (IISC). The IISC are located on each major island and tasked with the control and eradication of invasive species, such as miconia, coqui frogs, pampas grass, little fire ants, etc.
My goal is to use the information gained to work with the appropriate stakeholders to develop ideas for improving our state policies, including funding levels, and public outreach to help us better address the threat invasive species pose to our environment.
I’ll also be chairing a hearing on this subject and collaborating with ENE members on possible action steps. These efforts will culminate in the introduction of legislation for the 2014 session.
“Listen Story” Meeting
My next “Listen Story” meeting will be held at 9 a.m. June 22 (Saturday) at the Kapolei Starbucks (next to the Chevron Station).
