HONOLULU — A state Senate proposal to fund $500 million in capital improvement projects would go a long way toward addressing repair and maintenance backlogs at Hawaii’s public facilities. HONOLULU — A state Senate proposal to fund $500 million in
HONOLULU — A state Senate proposal to fund $500 million in capital improvement projects would go a long way toward addressing repair and maintenance backlogs at Hawaii’s public facilities.
At Farrington High School, $8.3 million in construction funds could address a number of problems, such as leaking roofs, cracked walkways and broken gym bleachers.
Department of Education Public Works Administrator Duane Kashiwai led a tour of Farrington on Tuesday to demonstrate how public schools could benefit from the Senate’s “Invest in Hawaii Act of 2012.”
Farrington was selected because it’s one of the state’s largest and oldest schools, with the biggest backlog of repair and maintenance projects — as evidenced by rusty pipes, exposed foundations, broken security fences and falling railings. Other high schools, such as Kaimuki and Roosevelt, also have repair and maintenance needs in the $4 million to $6 million range, Kashiwai said.
If the bill passes, Farrington’s most pressing needs could be addressed and, as Kashiwai described, the DOE could “bring it up to 21st century teaching standards.”
The Senate has made the bipartisan Invest in Hawaii Act one of its top priorities for this session, not only to catch up with repair and maintenance needs at state facilities, but also to stimulate the economy.
The idea was to create a flagship bill to put people back to work, explained Sen. Michelle Kidani, vice chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
“We felt the best way to do that was to take projects that were already on the books, such as deferred repair and maintenance projects that the departments had wanted for years and get them done,” said Kidani, D-Mililani. “We can take care of the facilities, and at the same time, put people back to work.”
It’s not entirely up to the Senate, however. After the two key Senate committees passed the bill Tuesday morning, Sen. Glenn Wakai pointed out that it wasn’t the same one they introduced in January. The original bill didn’t get a hearing in the House, so the committees replaced the text in another one to keep the measure alive under a different bill number — House Bill 2145.
Wakai, D-Salt Lake-Foster Village, said the full Senate should vote on the new draft Thursday, but House and Senate members will probably work on a compromise in conference committee.
The Senate’s proposal would put $150 million toward infrastructure needs at public schools, $3 million toward repair and maintenance at state libraries, $90 million for renewal and deferred maintenance at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa and Hilo campuses and another $140 million for repair and maintenance projects in other departments.
