Kapolei court funds
still sought

Some senators plan to restore
money killed by the House
to build a new court complex

Lawmakers in the Senate say they plan to restore $95 million to the state Judiciary's budget for the planning and construction of a long-awaited court complex in Kapolei.

The money was originally included in the Judiciary's two-year budget request, but deleted by the House after some members of the Finance Committee said they wanted to study whether it was possible to spread out the payment over a longer period of time.

Judiciary officials say funding is critical this session because under an agreement with Campbell Estate -- which is providing 13.6 acres of land within the Kapolei civic center area at no cost to taxpayers -- a signed construction contract must be in hand by Dec. 31, 2006, or the free option on the land is forfeited.

"I was inclined to try to fund it because we would lose all that land if we didn't," said Senate Ways and Means Chairman Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa).

Taniguchi's committee would get the bill after the Judiciary and the Hawaiian Affairs Committee, which held a hearing on the bill yesterday but put off a decision until Monday.

"I'm probably going to restore the funding," Judiciary Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa said.

The funding includes $1 million for design, $9 million for equipment and $85 million for construction. The land is valued at about $1 million per acre.

Opponents of the project testified that they had some concerns over whether the environmental assessment on the project was adequate and whether existing roads and freeways in the so-called "Second City" would be able to handle the added congestion that would come from moving all functions of the Family Court in Honolulu to Leeward Oahu.

The Kapolei complex also would include a new juvenile detention center to replace the aging Alder Street facility in lower Makiki.

"I believe the infrastructure of Kapolei has to be in place, including addressing the overcrowding schools, prior to continuing to build," Kapolei resident Kathryn Gorak said in her testimony to the committee. "If you bring more business, you bring more out-of-district school or preschool children and bring more residents, too."

Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua) said: "For some (committee) members it's an issue of we have a lot of people in the urban core, and facilities should be made available to them.

"But the reverse is applicable -- that we have more people living (outside of downtown) who need services as well."

Committee member Suzanne Chun Oakland (D, Kalihi-Liliha) expressed concern over how people from Honolulu would be affected by the Judiciary's move.

Judiciary Courts Administrator Thomas "Rick" Keller said that in the best-case scenario, the Kapolei facility would not open for another five years, giving all sides time to work out plans for keeping some court services closer to downtown.