Page 4 - MidWeek West - Sep 7 2022

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SEPTEMBER 7, 2022
Aloha e friends, Please mark your calendar for Satur- day, Sept. 17, from 9 to 10 a.m., when I’ll be hosting my monthly Listen Story com- munity meeting. Send me an email and I’ll send you the link. My last Listen Story was on Aug. 20 with special guest Roger Morton, director of the Department of Transporta- tion Services for the City & County of Honolulu. Mahalo to everyone who came to the event! If you missed it, please visit my YouTube page (you- tube.com/senmikegabbard) to view a recording of the meeting.
STATE SEN. MIKE GABBARD
Internal, External Updates Relating To West O‘ahu
have a new community li- aison! Her name is Jhanavi Pomerantz. Meg Turner is my full-time, permanent of- fice manager and will over- see all operations. Jhanavi has a bachelor’s from Uni- verstiy of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu in business adminis- tration and marketing. She’s been teaching keiki and adult taekwondo classes for the past six years, as well as run- ning her own jewelry design business. Having grown up in Hawai‘i, Jhanavi has a deep appreciation for the environ- ment. She’s looking forward to helping serve the Westside community and putting her business and creative skills to use. We’re pleased to wel- come her to my office. For-
mer office manager Corinne Gallardo resigned to spend more time helping her mom as she faces continued chal- lenges with dementia. Aloha and mahalo nui, Corinne, for your dedication and service to our community and state.
You may have seen my survey questionnaire recently asking for your input on com- munity-related issues and concerns. A big mahalo to everyone who took the time to answer! As our Westside continues to expand, many of you brought up the need for more affordable housing, as well as the importance of additional health and educa-
tion facilities. There’s also a strong consensus that high- rise condominiums and ho- tels lead to unwanted traffic congestion and population density. I’d love to continue hearing from you about spe- cific ways I can address your concerns.
DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach is Hawai‘i’s newest and fast- est-growing public charter school. It was founded in 2012 by a group of educa- tors, parents and community leaders who were committed to developing and launching
a charter school that would empower homegrown lead- ers for Hawai‘i, our country and our world. Sixty per- cent of students are Native Hawaiian (four times the average of the local district schools). DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach middle school opened in 2019 with a class of 100 sixth-graders. The high school is temporarily located in a renovated fitness studio in Kapolei Marketplace with 100 ninth-graders. Dream- House Inc. has partnered with Avalon Development Co. to develop a three-sto- ry, mixed-use building for
the new DreamHouse high school. The upper two floors will be occupied by the high school with the ground floor occupied by retail space. Located by Kapolei Public Library, construction for the facility is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2023 with an estimated completion date of June 2024.
Contact state Sen. Mike Gabbard (District 20 — Ka- polei, Makakilo, and por- tions of ‘Ewa, Kalaeloa and Waipahu) at 808-586-6830 or sengabbard@capitol.ha- waii.gov.
Survey Results: Concerns, Issues and Interests
DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach
Office Updates
I’m happy to announce I
24/7 Help.
When and Where You Need It.
• Crisis Support
• Mental Health Resources
• Substance Use Treatment Services
On July 18, state Sen. Mike Gabbard, along with colleagues and stakeholders, participated in a bill signing in the governor’s ceremonial room for several measures that will help small farmers in Hawai‘i. Pictured (from left) are state Sen. Stanley Chang; state Reps. Amy Perruso and Lisa Marten; Gabbard; Gov. David Ige; Hunter Heaivilin, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United; Morris Atta, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture; Brian Miyamoto, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau; and Saleh Azizi, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United. PHOTO COURTESY THE OFFICE OF STATE SEN. MIKE GABBARD
Call Hawaii CARES at 1-800-753-6879