PacificBusinessNews-article

February 11, 2015

The Grove restaurant in Kailua closes

By Lorin Eleni Gill

The Grove restaurant in Kailua has closed after more than three years in business.

Some of its former customers are reporting on Yelp that the restaurant's last day of business was in early December. Signs posted in the window say "closed" and "no trespassing."

The Aulike Street restaurant, which served "globally inspired island cuisine," was founded by former Turtle Bay Resort award-winning chef Fred DeAngelo, along with Troy and Brandy Antonelis. PBN reached out to the owners seeking comment.

Loyal Grove patrons enjoyed dishes such as warm Brussels sprout salad, Maine lobster risotto and Chinese five-spice braised beef short ribs.

StarAdvertiser-article

February 9, 2015

Leave it to city department to justify new traffic signs

By June Watanabe

Question: Some neighbors and I would like to petition for a four-way stop at Kainalu Drive and Mookua Street in Kailua. It is the only through street from Kalaheo Avenue to Maluniu Street, therefore is very busy. People sometimes drive right through and there are many accidents. Kainalu Drive itself is notorious for speeding, and a four-way stop would slow people down. Currently, there is no other mandatory stop between the stoplight at the Kailua Fire Station and Kaha Street near Kainalu Elementary. Can you please advise how/who to petition for a four-way stop? Does the city keep data on accidents that we could access for that specific area?

Answer: There's no need for a petition.

Instead, a simple request to the city Department of Transportation Services would prompt an investigation into whether a four-way stop is justified or warranted based on the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices via an engineering study, said DTS Director Michael Formby.

Among the criteria considered:

» A traffic signal is going to be installed, and a multiway stop would be an interium measure.

» Five or more crashes have occurred at the intersection in a 12-month period "that are susceptible to correction by stop signs."

» Vehicular volume from the "major" street averages 300 vehicles per hour for any eight-hour period, and the combined vehicular, pedestrian and bike volume entering from the "minor" street averages 200 for the same eight-hour period.

"DTS does not maintain location-specific accident or crash data," Formby said. Instead, DTS retrieves the data on a case-by-case basis for warrant studies.

DTS has not received any request to study the Kainalu-Mookua intersection, which is between Kainalu Elementary and Kailua Intermediate schools.

However, it did study complaints it received about speeding in the vicinity of the schools and is working on a project to "calm speeds" by alerting drivers to how fast they are going with signs, Formby said.

DTS plans to install two sets of "driver feedback" signs, one posted near each of the two schools, he said.

Contacting DTS

To request four-way stops or other traffic-related measures, Formby said, the community can go through their neighborhood boards or City Council members.

However, you told us you were not able to get any response after contacting your neighborhood board and Council member.

A third option is to write to DTS directly.

Send your request to Traffic Engineering, Department of Transportation Services, 650 S. King St., 2nd Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813.

Question: I received a corrected Form 1099-G from the state Unemployment Division. The first form stated $0.00 state income tax was withheld from unemployment benefits. The corrected form provided the tax amount withheld. How much did this error cost taxpayers for the second mailing? Hopefully it was sent to a select few and not everyone who received unemployment benefits.

Answer: About 15,000 amended notices, out of the nearly 40,000 original Form 1099s sent to claimants who opted for the state withholding deduction, were mailed, said William Kunstman, spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

The cost of the second mailing:$7,318.56 for postage; $455, envelopes; and $421, computer run/printing and staff labor.

The money came out of federal funds in the operating budget, Kunstman said.

How did the error occur?

For the tax year 2014, the Unemployment Insurance Division implemented a new cost-savings measure of outsourcing the 1099G process as an alternative to using state resources, Kunstman said.

However, an error occurred when the "1099G IRS report file" was sent to the contractor for printing with only federal withholding information instead of both state and federal withholding amounts, he said.

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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.

HawaiiNewsNow-article

February 3, 2015

Street closure in Kailua could add to traffic woes

By Chris Tanaka

KAILUA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) -

Aoloa Street in Kailua is convenient for residents of the 1006 units that live in 7 condominium complexes on it and Aoloa Place.

Perhaps too convenient.

"We had too many people coming through this private road, and it costs us because we own it, we have to maintain it" said resident Teddy Bosch.

The Kailua Gardens Community Association Board, which is comprised of representatives from each of the condo complexes, recently sent out messages to all the residents, announcing an impending move aimed at reducing non-resident traffic on the street.

Beginning February 15, the gate on the Kailua Road side of Aoloa Street will be open from 5am to 9am only. For all other hours of the day, seven days a week, it will be closed.

Not all residents are pleased.

"I think it's kind of silly. We already pay fees to maintain the street. I don't understand why we have to keep it closed all the time" said resident Kali Gall.

The move was made with pedestrian safety and cost control in mind. Because it's a private street, the City and County of Honolulu is not responsible for maintenance. According to the KGCA Board, it has spent 75 thousand dollars on pavement repairs in the past four years due to overuse. That figure doesn't include sidewalk and streetlight repairs. Each condo is docked a $5.55 monthly fee to pay for these fixes.

Residents going to the beach, Kailua District Park, or other areas in Kailua town will have to access them via Hahani - where the new Target is located. The traffic implications are daunting but some say, worth it.

"That's the price we have to pay to keep our property in good condition" said Bosch.

EMS, HFD and HPD have all been notified, and will all have access to a lock box to open the gate in an emergency. Additionally, the Board said it will review the decision in the future and could add an evening window. It's conducting a second engineering study on adding an electronic gate to give residents access 24/7.

StarAdvertiser-article

January 30, 2015

Kailua's Muumuu Heaven prepares to sew it all up

By Erika Engle

A shop that for eight years has been a place where old muumuu and aloha shirts have gone to be reborn will close its doors at the end of February.

Unable to reach lease terms with A&B Properties Inc., Kai­lua's largest land­owner, Muumuu Heaven will go out with a bang, hosting two special events this month.

More on that in a moment.

An automated voice on TheBus alerts passengers out front that they have reached "the Muumuu Heaven bus stop," said co-owner and chief sewing officer Deb Mascia. "I need a recording of that," she laughed.

The dresses, personal accessories, pillows and home decorations she designs and makes all are created from old aloha wear or other vintage fabric. The selection represents a rainbow of colors and a trove of textile textures.

Not a scrap of fabric "goes into the rubbish," she said. She makes dresses, pillow covers with pockets, and tote bags, and turns sleeves or other semi­large pieces into zippered pouches or stuffed animals. Smaller scraps are used to make decorative strands of puffy hearts, or fish, or other shapes strung together and accented with, say, kukui nuts from deconstructed lei, for instance.

Scraps that are smaller still are used to cover rounded magnets, and the tiniest scraps get used as stuffing.

In addition to Mascia's own creations, Muumuu Heaven sells items made by some two dozen local artisans. Products include several lines of new jewelry handcrafted from vintage jewelry; a line of can-koozies, belts and dog leashes made from old fire hoses; doorway panels to track kids' growth made from recycled wood by a woman in Manoa; and on and on.

Among its support of several nonprofit organizations, Muumuu Heaven has facilitated fundraising for autistic children in the WINGS program. The store sells decorative flowers and greeting cards the children make, and gives proceeds to the nonprofit to fund outings for the kids.

Mascia famously created, for President Barack Obama's inauguration, a cummerbund for the POTUS and dresses for Michelle, Malia and Sasha, from his tutu Madelyn Dunham's collection of old muumuu. She had died Nov. 2, 2008, two days before her grandson was elected president of the United States.

When Mascia received the garments, "they still smelled of tutu," she recalled. She also made handkerchiefs so the first family could hold them close during the event and thereafter.

The emotion of it all had her "bawling" as she was sewing, she said, and it only intensified when she saw her creations being worn and used on television.

Mascia is not taking on any more custom work, given the store's impending closure.

Before A&B Properties there was Kane­ohe Ranch, and before Muumuu Heaven was a retail store, Mascia ran the business out of her home.

Kaneohe Ranch executive Kimo Steinwascher found out about her and sought out Mascia to persuade her to lease space.

She set up in a small, narrow space at the back of the building and furnished it with side-of-the-road discoveries that she refurbished and repurposed.

A year after Century 21 vacated the adjoining space, Kane­ohe Ranch persuaded Mascia and her husband and business partner, Eric, to expand forward so the store would have some street-frontage. In came more recycled, repurposed store fixtures.

Because she'd amassed a number of garments along the way that were too fabulous to cut up and repurpose, she opened a second shop, called Hana Hou Vintage, at 35 Kai­nehe St., which is steps away from Muumuu Heaven and has a different landlord.

Mascia employs 33 people between the two shops, a warehouse and contractors who sew for her, and to keep as many employed as possible, she will sell some Muumuu Heaven merchandise out of Hana Hou. However, the latter space is tiny, nowhere near the 3,400 square feet that will be vacated at the end of next month.

The first of two pre-closing parties will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6, and will be an exhibit of underwater treasures by bodysurfer and lifeguard Mark Cunningham.

A Feb. 21 event also will run from 5 to 8 p.m. and will feature live entertainment, special guests and pupu.

The store's last day open to the public will be Feb. 26.

A&B Properties would not disclose specifics regarding arrangements with tenants, but Senior Vice President of Leasing David Haverly said in an email, "We're sorry Muumuu Heaven will no longer be our tenant. They were a good tenant and we wish them all the best in their future endeavors."

Mascia said she looks forward to taking time off to travel with her family.

"I've made 18,000 individual dresses, 30,000 farmers market bags and millions of friends along the way. I feel lucky, not sad."

KITV4-video

January 28, 2015

KITV4-article

January 27, 2015

Will Kailua's new Target store hurt local businesses?

By Ashley Moser

KAILUA, Hawaii —Just a little more than a month to go until Target opens its doors in Kailua. It will be the store’s sixth location in Hawaii, but will it fit with Kailua's local charm?

“It’s becoming less and less like the special Kailua we know and more generalized suburbia,” said Sarah Connelly, a Kailua resident.

Connelly says she longs for the days when her neighborhood felt more like a small beach town, but there's nothing small about a 130,000 square foot Target on Hahani Street.

Store owners across from the new megastore say their biggest concern is traffic.

“I think when they have their grand opening it’s going to be a nightmare. There are going to be so many cars coming here,” said Leigh Tonai, CEO of Hawaiian Island Creations. "During the holidays this place is a very hard place to maneuver. It’s gridlock over here.”

Target officials say the layout of their new parking lot marks an improvement over the last tenant at that location.

“We reduced the in and out entrance from five down to two. The first one is the intersection and the second one is a right in and a right out only,” said Drew Santos, Target Kailua Store Manager.

The company partnered with the City and County to add a new traffic light at the intersection of Hahani and Hekili Streets. They say this it will make for a safer area for pedestrians and drivers.

Store officials say they're trying to maintain a local feel inside.

“We have approximately 30 local vendors that Target has sought after to allow us to bring a greater partnership within the community and to allow great local products to be sold in our store,” said Santos.

But some residents ask about the effects on local businesses outside the store.

“It’s obviously drawing business away from some local vendors, but maybe with the people coming to Target they’ll notice the nearby local business as well,” said Connelly.

“Even if it’s only like 5 percent of the people come by, that’s going to increase our traffic for sure. I’m sure the whole east side community is going to come visit Target,” Tonai said.

The Kailua Target is opening up to the public March 4.

StarAdvertiser-article

January 24, 2015

Target sets Kailua site's opening day for March

By Kristen Consillio

Target Corp. is preparing to open its long-awaited Kai­lua store March 4.

The Minneapolis-based retailer has nearly completed construction of the 130,000-square-foot store at 345 Hahani St. after a delay of more than two years, according to a Target spokes­woman.

The Kailua store, originally scheduled to open in July 2012, has met opposition from a vocal group of residents who fear the big-box retailer will change Kai­lua's small-town charm, bring more people into the quiet neighborhood and cause further traffic congestion.

The company has run into other development delays as well. It was forced to revise plans after an archaeological study discovered unidentified iwi kupuna, or Native Hawaiian skeletal remains.

Target has hired roughly 500 workers combined for the Kai­lua store and another location in Kahu­lui, also opening in March.

Jet Crash-video

Paul Brennan and Panel Discussion by Eye Witnesses to Marine Jet Crash On November 20, 1961

StarAdvertiser-article

December 30, 2014

Traffic woes in Lanikai soar during holiday

With the area beaches already causing daily jams, residents want some better solutions

By Leila Fujimori

When Janny Gibson's young son fell and broke his arm in their yard the Sunday before Christmas, she didn't call an ambulance.

Instead, the family jumped in their car and drove in the sluggish, tourist-laden traffic through their Lanikai neighborhood, served by a one-lane loop in and out.

"My poor son is crying and we're trying to get him to the hospital," she recalled. "Luckily, it was a day where there wasn't so much traffic."

It took only 45 minutes to get from their house to Kalapawai Market, 1.2 miles away, compared with the 90 minutes on Christmas Day, she said.

The Gibsons live next to Lanikai Beach, which consistently ranks high in national ratings, taking Trip­Advisor's top spot in March among U.S. beaches and No. 5 in the world by National Geographic in its "The 10 Best of Everything" book.

Christmas week seemed to hit Lanikai especially hard. On Christmas Day, hundreds of people at one point were stuck in a bumper-to-bumper snarl.

"It was a perfect storm of everybody off, good weather, and the roadway wasn't able to handle the amount of volume," said Kailua police Sgt. Brandon Yamamoto.

But some residents blame police officers for backing up traffic at the intersection of Kailua Road and Kalaheo Avenue near Kalapawai Market. They say police favor pedestrians crossing with kids and rental kayaks.

Special-duty officers hired by Alexander & Baldwin, owner of the strip mall where a kayak rental company and retailer Island Snow are located, were assigned to the spot on Christmas, but regular-duty police officers took over after they left, Yamamoto said.

"It's so congested, it's hard to alleviate everything in one smooth transition," Yamamoto said. "The best we can do, outside City Council action, is to control that one intersection to get people in and out."

He added: "The primary purpose of that was to make sure everybody gets through safely. The way the pedestrian law is written, all vehicles are mandated to stop for the pedestrian."

He said police can try to accommodate traffic better by waiting until a group of pedestrians has assembled, "rather than letting them cross one by one."

Ambulances have a particularly difficult time negotiating the Lanikai logjam.

"We didn't want to call an ambulance because we've seen what happens," Gibson said about the time their son broke his arm.

"We need help," she added. "This is horrible. We can't get out!"

Several problems plague the small Windward neighborhood.

Some residents can't get out because beachgoers park in their driveway.

An officer issuing citations Monday said most are for failure to park 4 feet from a driveway or 10 feet from a fire hydrant, or for parking at the end of a cul-de-sac.

He said calling a tow truck isn't a perfect solution because it requires temporarily blocking the roadway, adding to the morass.

A lack of public restrooms, showers or trash cans in private beach accesses add to residents' woes.

"They use my hose, ask to use my restroom," Gibson said. "We saw so many people using the bathroom in the bushes — and not just No. 1."

Debbie Pearce, 46, said: "It makes it hard to go about our daily activities. … Our biggest gripe is people not recognizing there is a bike lane" and parking in it. "You don't realize it until you're riding your bike and you have to go into the roadway."

Pearce added: "I've thought about it. I really don't see a solution that'll work. We can't stop people from coming into Lanikai. It's my favorite beach. I'm sure it's other people's, too. I don't think we have any more of a right to dictate what happens in Lanikai.

"By the same token, it is our front yard people are driving through," she said.

The city Department of Transportation Services director has met with concerned residents numerous times, but was unavailable for comment Monday.

At the request of Lanikai residents, the department has raised the fine for parking in bike lanes to $200 from $35, and painting "no parking" warnings in the bike path. The department also is getting "No Parking Here to Corner" signs installed on side streets.

MidWeek-article

December 3, 2014

Kainalu's 'Jet Crash Remembered' Tuesday

By MidWeek Staff

Dec. 7, 1941, is a date etched in the minds of most of us here in the Islands and across the nation. But unbeknownst to many area residents, 20 years after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, Kailua experienced its own aerial assault.

Kailua Historical Society will present “Kainalu’s Night of Horror: Jet Crash Remembered,” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Kainalu Elementary School cafeteria. Admission is free.

In conjunction with the school’s 60th anniversary and the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, Dr. Paul Brennan, president of the society, has assembled a panel of residents who witnessed the tragic crash that took the lives of the military aircraft’s pilot, 2nd Lt. William Wright, and 8-year-old Kainalu Elementary School student Steven Schmitz, whose parents and siblings were spared, although their home was demolished.

The presentation includes a video screening of the crash prepared by military historian David Trojan. Two Marine Skyhawk jets were involved in a midair collision, with one of them plunging down across Kawainui Marsh into the tranquil Kainalu neighborhood. It crashed at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 20, 1961, in the Kainalu Elementary schoolyard and left three homes burning in its wake, one in which that little boy slept. The disaster, of course, provoked quite a reaction, with news media and then-Gov. William F. Quinn rushing to the scene.

Kainalu Elementary School is located at 165 Kaiholu St. For more information about the program, call Brennan at 262-7316.