Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
Project Title: Cultural Learning Center at Waihe‘e Refuge
Project Recipient: Hawai‘i Land Trust
Recipient Address: 126 Queen Street, Suite 306, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Amount Secured: $1,500,000
Project Description: The funding would be used to renovate the historic Dickey House on Waihee Refuge into an environmental and cultural education center. The Cultural Education Center will significantly enhance Hawai‘i Land Trust’s land-based education programming, currently reaching more than 1,500 pre-K through post-secondary students at Waihe‘e Refuge annually to learn about the area’s history, geology, and biology; conservation techniques, native Hawaiian land management practices, and climate science. The Center will provide a place where students, families, and visitors can learn about the significance of Waihe‘e through a historic and cultural lens. The Center’s new classroom and history room will provide on-site access to mea kupuna (ancestral items) found at Waihe‘e Refuge, maps, historic photographs, and other educational materials, which will add depth and flexibility to programming and experiential learning.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project is a priority for Hawai‘i's Second Congressional because students on Maui lack a comprehensive educational facility to directly engage archaeological and cultural sites and outdoor and conservation programming. Furthermore, while located in a rural community with a population of just over 9,000, this center would be less than an hour from 80 percent of Maui’s K-12 schools.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter.
Project Title: Hāna Health Facilities Expansion Project
Project Recipient: Hāna Health
Recipient Address: 4590 Hana Highway, Hāna, Hawai‘i 96713
Amount Requested: $1,470,000
Amount Secured: $1,440,000
Project Description: This project would expand the existing health center to include a dedicated 1,900 sq. ft. clinic that will offer specialty medical and dental services. The project also proposes on-site workforce housing to ensure adequate staffing at the rural-located facility.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Hāna Health is the only health care provider in the Hāna district, serving the primary health care and emergent medical needs of residents and visitors alike. Travel to specialty care services (if available on island) can often require a nearly four-hour-long drive roundtrip to medical facilities on the other side of the island of Maui, and lead to rescheduled or missed appointments and delayed care. Additionally, the lack of affordable housing in this isolated area of Maui has had a negative impact on the center’s ability to recruit and retain the staffing levels needed to assure continuity of care in the district. The integration of specialty care and added housing for the center’s health care workers is critical to improving patient outcomes on the island of Maui.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter.
Project Title: Hawaiian Immersion School Infrastructure Project
Project Recipient: Aha Punana Leo
Recipient Address: 96 Pu‘uhonu Place, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Amount Requested: $1,050,000
Amount Secured: $1,050,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to improve the infrastructure of Hawaiian language medium facilities and consolidate Aha Punana Leo-owned parcels. Specifically, the Hawaiian Immersion School Infrastructure Project would complete the initial phase of lot consolidation and provide for critical infrastructure, including drinking water and wastewater systems, in preparation for subsequent phases of the only Infant through Grade 12 public Hawaiian language medium school in Kea‘au in the Puna District on the island of Hawai‘i.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: This project would improve the infrastructure of Hawaiian language medium facilities to address the school’s rapidly growing student enrollment and better suit the needs of the Hawaiian language community.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter.
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Project Title: Deep Monitoring Wells at Wai‘alae East and Wai‘anae
Project Recipient: Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources, Commission on Water Resource Management
Recipient Address: 1151 Punchbowl Street, Room 227, Honolulu, Hawai‘i, 96813
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Amount Secured: $959,757
Project Description: The funding would be used for the construction of two new deep monitoring wells on O‘ahu, with a focus on the Wai‘anae and Wai‘alae-East Aquifer System Areas. Data from these wells will be used to refine current sustainable yield estimates, ensure that long term drinking water plans match scientific understanding, and respond to water threats from both contamination and drought.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer funds because it will facilitate compliance with national primary drinking water regulations, address serious risks to public health including non-regulated contaminants and ensure the long-term security of drinking water resources on the Island of O‘ahu. The Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) is responsible for the long-term sustainable management of the State of Hawaii’s drinking water resources. CWRM maintains and operates a network of 12 deep monitoring wells that provide data on changes in freshwater aquifers over time. This data is essential for planning for future water shortages and observing long-term changes in water availability. Additional deep monitoring wells are needed to improve the state’s understanding of groundwater conditions which face threats from both drought and contamination, especially following the military’s actions at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Facility that polluted the largest drinking aquifer on O‘ahu.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter.
Project Title: Haiku-Kauhikoa Water Tank Modernization
Project Recipient: County of Maui, Department of Water Supply
Recipient Address: 200 South High Street #5, Wailuku, Hawai‘i 96793
Amount Requested: $1,600,000
Amount Secured: $1,526,031
Project Description: The funding would be used to replace an aging potable water tank in the East Maui area, including the demolition and removal of an existing 250,000-gallon glass-fused steel tank and replacement with a new 250,000-gallon stainless steel tank, as well as other related piping and connective work.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would enhance the safety, reliability, and resiliency of the drinking water delivery system to increase water security for local residents.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter.
Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Project Title: Water Reclamation Facility Compliance Upgrade
Project Recipient: Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i
Recipient Address: Box 63002 Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i
Amount Requested: $227,350,000
Amount Secured: $109,000,000
Project Description: This project provides necessary upgrades to the water reclamation facility at Marine Corps Base Hawai‘i (MCBH), including construction of a parallel redundant treatment system to meet redundancy and reliability requirements under State and Federal law. Additional upgrades include sewage treatment plant construction, tsunami mitigation measures, and cybersecurity and antiterrorism features.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Completing this project would ensure resiliency in MCBH's water treatment capabilities and prevent further unauthorized, harmful wastewater discharges into Kaneohe Bay that pose risks to public health and the environment. The project will also save taxpayer dollars by ensuring that MCBH will not continue to get fined by the State of Hawai‘i for failing to comply with State and Federal laws under the Clean Water Act. Given ongoing challenges with the military's environmental impacts in Hawai‘i in the aftermath of the Red Hill fuel spill, investments in local military infrastructure help rebuild public trust and relations with the Department. This project would also mitigate unacceptable public health and environmental risks from potential releases of wastewater into Kāne‘ohe Bay, as has occurred numerous times in recent years.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter – House Armed Services Committee
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter – House Appropriations Committee
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
Project Title: County of Maui Bus Transportation Base Yard
Project Recipient: County of Maui, Department of Transportation
Recipient Address: 110 Alaihi Street, Suite #210, Kahului, Hawai‘i 96732
Amount Requested: $2,400,000
Amount Secured: $2,400,000
Project Description: The funding would provide the space for the construction of a transportation base yard for the County of Maui.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would facilitate the transition of Maui’s transportation fleet to all-electric vehicles in a County-owned facility. Elimination of carbon exhaust from buses throughout the island will have a demonstrable improvement in air quality, especially when one is close to an accelerating bus. In addition to the practical climate and health improvements, the project would increase the resiliency of Maui’s transportation fleet by allowing for additional vehicles and reducing and potentially eliminating the County’s reliance on private service contractors, which could result in long-term taxpayer savings.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Hilo Community Crisis Services, Counseling, and Resource Center
Project Recipient: Child and Family Service
Recipient Address: 1015 Kilauea Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Amount Requested: $2,000,000
Amount Secured: $2,000,000
Project Description: The project would construct a 6,000 sq. ft. walk-in service and resource center to maintain and expand the delivery of domestic violence services, comprehensive sexual abuse treatment services, mental health counseling, and more. The facility would be located directly adjacent to Child and Family Service’s (CFS) current temporary location in Hilo and provide CFS with a permanent location to serve families in need.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Child and Family Service (CFS) operates a community resource center located in Hilo, Hawai‘i and is the County of Hawai‘i’s only provider of domestic violence services, comprehensive sexual abuse treatment services, and mental health counseling. This project would allow CFS to maintain and expand its services for the local community.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Island of Hawai‘i YMCA Land Acquisition for Community Center
Project Recipient: Island of Hawai‘i YMCA
Recipient Address: 300 West Lanikaula Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Amount Requested: $625,000
Amount Secured: $625,000
Project Description: The project would allow Island of Hawai‘i YMCA to acquire and fence 1.8 acres of property to expand YMCA’s services in the local community.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: This project would enable the YMCA to increase the availability of and access to community services they already provide—including high-quality child care, youth development programs, healthy living initiatives and services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault—along with expanding access to safe outdoor spaces for recreation and educational use by underserved youth and the predominant Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community in the Hilo area.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Kailua Homelessness Prevention Initiative for At-Risk Youth
Project Recipient: RYSE (Residential Youth Services and Empowerment)
Recipient Address: 42-470 Kalaniana‘ole Highway, Kailua, Hawai‘i 96734
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Amount Secured: $3,000,000
Project Description: The project would support the construction and renovation of facilities that would ensure stable housing for at-risk homeless youth and expand their access to RYSE programming including medical care, behavioral health counseling, and educational and workforce training services.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The funding would enable RYSE to expand access to services for Hawai‘i’s most vulnerable at-risk homeless youth. This request will help at-risk youth with a history of poverty obtain stable housing, behavioral health programming, employment skills, apprenticeship skills, life skills and tools they need to succeed in life, helping them to see their future, succeed, and build a solid foundation so that they may succeed as they grow into adults, while remaining competitive in America’s workforce. The new facilities will enable RYSE to expand their reach into the community to provide these critical services and supports to more at-risk youth in Hawai‘i.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Ko‘olauloa Community Resilience Hub
Project Recipient: Hui O Hau‘ula
Recipient Address: P.O. Box 264, Hau‘ula, Hawai‘i 96717
Amount Requested: $5,398,300
Amount Secured: $5,399,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for the planning and construction of the Ko‘olauloa Community Resilience Hub (KCRH) will replace the Hau‘ula Community Center, which is in disrepair and located in the flood and tsunami zones.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Construction of the Ko‘olauloa Community Resilience Hub would ensure that services continue during and after disasters for the highly vulnerable community of Hau‘ula and other communities in the Ko‘olauloa region. This facility will provide shelter and essential services to more than 1,000 people in the Ko‘olauloa region during disasters, along with meeting the unique needs of the community residents and organizations by supporting job training, social services, early childhood and after-school programming, health care services, cultural and recreational activities, and supports for older adults and people with disabilities.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Kukui Street and Olohena Road Improvements
Project Recipient: County of Kaua‘i
Recipient Address: 4444 Rice Street Suite 235, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766
Amount Requested: $3,200,000
Amount Secured: $3,200,000
Project Description: The funding would be used for the resurfacing and reconstruction of the pavement, widening the roadway to construct on-road bike lanes, constructing a sidewalk on at least one side of the road where no sidewalk exists, and intersection and turn lane improvements.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would improve connectivity and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit, and motor vehicles between neighborhoods, shops, services, Kapa‘a Middle School, and Kapa‘a Town Park, which includes the Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex and the Kapa‘a Skate Park. Within Kapa‘a Town, continuous sidewalks, improved crosswalks, bicycle lanes, and intersection improvements will increase safety and reduce congestion for motorists while making walking, bicycling, and public transit more viable transportation choices.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Māla‘ai Garden Pavilion
Project Recipient: Māla‘ai
Recipient Address: 67-1229 Māmalahoa Highway, Kamuela, Hawai‘i 96743
Amount Requested: $675,321.44
Amount Secured: $676,000
Project Description: This project would support the construction of a new learning commons and community food hub at Waimea Middle School. The pavilion would replace Mala'ai's current outdoor shelter on the school’s campus.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would provide a safe and engaging experiential environment for more than 200 students to learn about nutrition, agriculture, and food systems. The program also reinforces healthy practices such as teamwork, self-reflection, problem-solving and observation. The garden provides a necessary outlet and academic resource for Waimea’s underserved students by exposing them to local professionals and career opportunities in the agricultural industry such as beekeeping, soil conservation, wildlife biology and more.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Mana Plains Educational Center
Project Recipient: Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources
Recipient Address: 1151 Punchbowl Street Suite 325, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Amount Requested: $900,000
Amount Secured: $900,000
Project Description: The funding would build a Hawaiian design-inspired educational center at the State Kawaiele and Mana Waterbird Sanctuary for locals and visitors.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would benefit the community by creating a hub for eco-tourism and education. There are no existing facilities to host the local community or school groups. The project will provide tourists the opportunity to view multiple endangered Hawaiian waterbirds, access wetland areas, and participate in educational programming. Furthermore, this center will expand the state’s ability to host educational and conservation programs for local residents, especially school-age children, relating to the local watershed and wildlife. The project is expected the triple number of visitors to the site and local communities in the area in the first few years after completion.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Moloka‘i Food Hub Expansion
Project Recipient: Sustʻāinable Molokai
Recipient Address: P.O. Box 250, 40 Ala Malama Avenue Suite 211, Kaunakakai, Hawai‘i 96748
Amount Requested: $1,300,000
Amount Secured: $1,300,000
Project Description: The funding would provide the space for the construction of a warehouse and packing area; commercial walk-in reefers for storing fresh farm products; commercial walk-in freezers for storing frozen food products; dry storage; a commercial kitchen; offices and meeting space; commercial use spaces; and incorporate emergency resiliency features. It would help facilitate the processing of locally grown produce to decrease food costs on the island, increase local jobs, and increase economic opportunities for the community while decreasing food insecurity.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The project would sustainably enhance the food security of the island of Moloka‘i by facilitating the availability and affordability of fresh, healthy, and locally grown food while creating jobs and economic opportunities for residents. Molokai has a population of approximately 7,500, of which roughly one-third qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Currently, 80-90 percent of the food in Molokai grocery stores is imported via barge, and families bear the transportation costs by paying some of the highest food prices in Hawai‘i. Much of this food is highly processed and shelf-stable, which has been shown to increase risk factors for obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter