Oahu seeks
best uses for
$100 million

Nine communities will
apply for a vast
'empowerment' grant

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Ewa, Waipahu and Aiea.

The three Leeward communities will forever be linked not only by their proximity, but by a common past steeped in Hawaii's sugar plantation legacy.

They are three communities, however, that have grown up with different needs.

Now, leaders from those communities, along with six others on Oahu labeled "economically distressed," find themselves in search of a common goal.

At stake is the chance for the communities to win some $100 million in federal block grant money and more than $500 million in federal tax incentive monies.

More than 200 community leaders attended a workshop this weekend to learn how to craft strategic plans that will become part of the city's application to the federal Empowerment Zone Program.

City EZ Program coordinator Bob Agres Jr. said the community leaders have great leeway in determining what they want for their communities, from transportation projects to educational programs.

Bonnie Arakawa of the Aiea Community Association said she and others want to transform the former Aiea Sugar Mill into a human services center for a neighborhood that is a demographic potpourri.

"We need child care programs, and (programs) for the elderly, too," she said.

People in the sprawling Waipahu community have a difficult time moving from one side of town to the other, Rep. Nestor Garcia (Waipahu/Crestview) said. He envisioned a public transportation system that would circle Waipahu.

Rodolfo Ramos of the Ewa Villages Community Association said his community is still recovering from the departure of the plantation.

Ramos said he is looking for any help - from an influx of businesses to educational programs - to keep old Ewa alive.

Leaders in the other neighborhoods have been meeting weekly for months.

The North Shore, for one, would shore up school buildings and have new programs for youth, said Laakea Kamauoha of Waialua. Residents also want technical assistance for farmers as well as ways to attract other businesses.

The nine groups have until Sept. 1 to submit their plans to the city, which would turn in an application in October.

Qualifying regions Nine communities have been deemed eligible to be part of the city's empowerment zone program application. They are Koolauloa, North Shore, Waianae, Kalihi-Palama/Chinatown, Greater East Honolulu (Waikiki through Palolo), Waimanalo, Waipahu, Ewa and Aiea. The communities, assuming the city's application wins approval from the federal government, would be eligible for direct funding to programs as well as tax benefits for businesses. To qualify, at least 20 percent of families in an area must have incomes below 50 percent of the state's median income.