Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration
Project Title: Construction of the Hāna Community Kitchen and Food Hub
Project Recipient: Hāna Business Council
Recipient Address: 4232 Hāna Highway, Hāna, Hawai‘i 96713
Amount Requested: $2,500,000
Project Description: This project funding would be used to develop, construct, and equip a shared-use certified commercial kitchen with chill storage and value-added processing capabilities that producers can use to extend the shelf-life and improve the marketability of their produce. This food hub would also coordinate the aggregation, washing, packaging, and transportation of goods to additional markets across the island and the state, as well as provide educational programming and support services for local farmers.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: This project would expand local food access by helping farmers bring their crops to market through increased food processing capabilities.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Kona Community Hospital Bed Modernization
Project Recipient: West Hawai‘i Region of the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation
Recipient Address: 79-1019 Haukapila Street, Kealakekua, Hawai‘i 96750
Amount Requested: $1,510,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to replace the aging bed fleet at Kona Community Hospital (KCH).
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: With high occupancy rates at both KCH and the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation, this upgrade will enhance patient comfort and recovery. The current beds and gurneys, which typically have an eight-year useful life, were acquired over ten years ago. As healthcare needs grow across rural communities on Hawai‘i Island, this funding will ensure providers can deliver more effective care. Upgraded beds will allow healthcare professionals to provide better treatment, enhance patient comfort, and improve recovery times, making it easier for providers to focus on delivering quality care. This, in turn, will lead to better patient experiences and more efficient care delivery across the facility.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Ko‘olauloa Health Center Facilities Expansion
Project Recipient: Ko‘olauloa Health Center
Recipient Address: 56-119 Pualalea Street, Kahuku, Hawai‘i 96731
Amount Requested: $750,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to support needed capital improvements to Ko‘olauloa Health Center’s (KHC) Punalu‘u property, including the conversion of office spaces into clinical exam rooms and upgrading other areas and the expansion of capacity to provide primary medical, dental, behavioral, and pharmacy services.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: As a federally qualified health center, KHC serves a population spanning roughly 30-mile coastline from Kualoa to Hale‘iwa on O‘ahu’s North Shore. According to a 2022 report, 48 percent of the population is on Medicaid and 26 percent live at or below the Federal Poverty Level. This project would help KHC meet the growing healthcare needs of patients in the rural Ko‘olauloa region.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Lāna‘i Community Health Center Facilities Expansion
Project Recipient: Lāna‘i Community Health Center
Recipient Address: 333 Sixth Street, Lāna‘i City, Hawai‘i 96763
Amount Requested: $2,500,000
Project Description: This funding would support facility renovations, new medical equipment, health IT upgrades, and other critically needed capital improvements at the Lāna‘i Community Health Center.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Despite efforts to optimize the existing 6,800-square-foot facility, increasing demand for comprehensive, integrated care has made it increasingly difficult for the health center to meet the community's needs. This project would support ongoing improvements to enhance healthcare delivery for Lāna‘i residents, including behavioral health, obstetrics and gynecology, optometry, and dental care.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Moloka‘i General Hospital Emergency Generator Replacement
Project Recipient: Queen’s Health System
Recipient Address: 1307 Punchbowl Street, Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96813
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to upgrade Moloka‘i General Hospital’s electrical infrastructure to meet current National Electrical Code (NEC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 99) standards.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: The hospital, established in 1963, underwent significant renovations in 2004-2005, but its emergency power system currently does not comply with the NEC’s requirement for three distinct essential electrical systems. The hospital, serving as the only 24/7 healthcare facility on island, relies on a reliable power supply to ensure patient and staff safety, especially during emergencies. This project will ensure uninterrupted services by meeting the updated code and providing quality healthcare to the people of Moloka‘i.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Wai‘anae Community Food Distribution Center
Project Recipient: Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center
Recipient Address: 86-260 Farrington Highway, Wai‘anae, Hawai‘i 96792
Amount Requested: $5,940,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to support the establishment of a regional food warehouse, enabling Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center (WCCHC) to continue its critical work addressing food insecurity across the Wai‘anae Coast of O‘ahu and strengthening partnerships with local feeding organizations like the Hawai‘i Food Bank.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: Over the past three years, WCCHC has delivered over nine million pounds of healthy meals to low-income, at-risk children, families, and seniors in Wai‘anae—a geographically isolated and predominantly rural region with limited access to essential services. While WCCHC has been operating from a temporary food storage site to serve more than 1,000 people each weekend through drive-through pickup and home deliveries, a permanent facility is essential for sustaining and expanding these efforts.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Project Title: University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Volcano Monitoring and Geoarcheology Laboratory
Project Recipient: University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
Recipient Address: 200 West Kāwili Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Amount Requested: $995,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to purchase new spectrometry equipment to replace the laboratory’s aging platforms that have reached the end of their service lives. The purchases would include spectrometers, an electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray detectors, and a cathodoluminescence detector.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: With these new resources, the laboratory would be able to continue and revitalize its critical work providing near-real-time monitoring of volcanoes on Hawai‘i Island, including Kīlauea, the most active volcano in the world, helping support local disaster response and emergency management efforts. Furthermore, the laboratory’s work provides a steady stream of data that supports groundbreaking research to improve our understanding of volcanoes not just in Hawai‘i but also in the continental United States and around the world.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Project Title: Kilauea Water Tank Replacement
Project Recipient: County of Kaua‘i, Department of Water Supply
Recipient Address: 4398 Pua Loke Street, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766
Amount Requested: $3,000,000
Project Description: The project would construct a new one-million-gallon water storage tank in Kilauea and replace and upsize an aged 100,000-gallon water storage tank.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: This project would provide critical storage capacity for the growing community supporting approximately 2,800 full-time residents and 6,500 acres of agricultural lands, improving the reliability and resiliency of local water resources. Additionally, the increased storage capacity will enhance domestic water supply and fire suppression reserves, which is a major factor limiting both public and private development projects in the area.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter
Project Title: Lahaina Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Hardening
Project Recipient: County of Maui, Department of Water Supply
Recipient Address: 200 South High Street, Kalana O Maui Building 5th Floor, Wailuku, Hawai‘i 96793
Amount Requested: $4,080,000
Project Description: Requested funds would be used to rehabilitate the raw and finished waterlines at the Lahaina Water Treatment Plant, modernize its source wells, and create a water storage backup for Lahaina’s water supply.
Explanation of Taxpayer Value: This project would build resilience in Lahaina’s water infrastructure that will be central to the rebuilding and long-term stability of the community following the August 2023 wildfires. This investment would address severe vulnerabilities within the water system to prevent failures that could hamper recovery efforts and the long-term public health of the community.
Financial Disclosure and Federal Nexus Certification Letter