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Underground
By Harold Morse
utility lines on
track in Kailua
Star-BulletinPlans for underground utility lines along Kailua Road between Oneawa and Hahani streets are proceeding, the Kailua vision team was told last night.
But any ornamental streetlights there may have to wait for fiscal year 2002.
Don Bremner, "project champion" in vision team terminology, said he wants the vision team to make the proposed ornamental streetlights high-priority.
The lights, however, would put cost estimates $360,000 over the $1.2 million already in the city 2001 budget for the project.
The City Council votes on the fiscal 2001 budget May 24.
Bremner explained that if the ornamental streetlights go in, it would mean 11 wooden poles on the mauka side, near Liberty House, would be removed and that 22 ornamental lights would be installed on both sides of that segment of Kailua Road.
Since ornamental streetlights provide only half as much illumination as standard city streetlights, twice as many would be needed, he said.
Utility lines already are underground on the makai side of that part of Kailua Road, but existing lines on the mauka side still remain above ground on the existing wooden poles.
The team put off trying to prioritize its list of fiscal 2002 projects until its next monthly meeting. The list also includes distinctive bus shelters, a Maunawili dog park, Kawai Nui Marsh pathway and bikeway projects.
About 25 Kailua residents attended the meeting at the Aikahi Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Under the Oahu vision program, 19 community groups receive funds in capital improvement bond money for grass-roots community projects, identified by individual community visioning teams through a series of meetings.
