October 14, 2005

Hawai`i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer

CONTENTS

The Hawai`i State Department of Health is advising selected at-risk groups and caregivers to get their flu shots. Almost anyone may benefit from the flu shot, but some people have a greater need for it than others.

To ensure that people who are at highest risk of complications from influenza have access to vaccine, CDC recommends that certain priority groups receive inactivated influenza vaccine (i.e., the "flu shot") until October 24, 2005.

The following are the priority groups that should be targeted to receive inactivated influenza vaccine (i.e., the flu shot) prior to October 24, 2005:

• Persons aged 65 years and older, with and without chronic health conditions
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• Persons aged 2–64 years with chronic health conditions
• Children aged 6–23 months
• Pregnant women
• Health-care personnel who provide direct patient care
• Household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children aged younger than months

It should be noted that vaccination with the live, nasal-spray flu vaccine (FluMist®) is always an option for healthy persons aged 5-49 years who are not pregnant. This vaccine is not subject to prioritization and can be given to healthy 5-49 year olds at any time.

Anyone wanting a flu shot should call his or her doctor. If you don’t have a doctor, you can call 2-1-1 to locate a physician or community flu clinic in your neighborhood.

A listing of community flu clinics on Hawaii Island and throughout the state is also available at the State of Hawai`i's vaccination website at www.vaxhawaii.com.

Show your Medicare Part B card at the community flu clinic or doctor's office and receive your flu & pneumonia shots at no cost.

Because of the uncertainties regarding production of influenza vaccine, the exact number of available doses and the timing of vaccine distribution for the 2005–06 influenza season remain unknown. Four manufacturers expect to provide influenza vaccine to the U.S. market during the 2005–06 influenza season:

• Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., projects production of up to 60 million doses of inactivated influenza vaccine ("flu shots").
• Chiron Corporation projects production of 18–26 million doses of inactivated influenza vaccine.

• GlaxoSmithKline, Inc. (GSK), projects production of 8 million doses of inactivated influenza vaccine for U.S. distribution.
• MedImmune Vaccines, Inc., producer of the nasal-spray influenza vaccine (also called live attenuated influenza vaccine, or LAIV), projects having approximately 3 million doses available for distribution.

For further information, click on www.vaxhawaii.com. You can also visit the State of Hawai`i's Department of Health webpage at www.state.hi.us/health.

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Join with members of our Hawai`i Island community to help the families of servicemen and women deployed overseas.

In many cases, the families of our deployed servicemen and women need a hand with chores or homework -- needs that would normally be dealt with by the service member.

While the National Guard has a Family Assistance Coordinator in the County of Hawai`i who handles these needs for the more than 250 Hawai`i Island families of the Guard and Reservists, he and the families could use our help.

Mayor Harry Kim and Council Chair Stacy Higa have put out a call to County workers to volunteer time to help their neighbors whose loved ones are deployed.

We welcome anyone in our community who is willing to offer aloha and a small amount of time and to help the families of our deployed servicemen and women.

To offer your help, please contact the Guard's Family Assistance Coordinator David Ferreira at 933-0931 or 756-0370.

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The Department of Environmental Management would like to remind the community of the following hours and closures of County transfer stations and landfills on October 15, the day of the Ironman Triathlon in Kona.

• The West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill at Pu`uanahulu will be open for only 30 minutes on Saturday, October 15th, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and remain closed for the rest of the day.

• Kealakehe and Puako Transfer Stations, including the redemption centers, will be closed all day.

For further information, please contact Bobby Gonsalves at 961-8514.

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State Highways will be having a public information meeting for the Queen Kaahumanu Highway Widening project on October 19, 2005. The project is scheduled to begin in November 2005 and continue approximately 15 months.

Where: Kealakehe High School cafeteria.

The community is invited to attend this informal meeting, where all attendees will receive a handout with a project fact sheet and project details, be able to study display boards and ask questions or convey comments to state highways staff or contractor's personnel regarding landscaping, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, traffic signals and other improvements.

Please feel free to arrive anytime between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm to get information and ask questions about the project.

For further information, please call Sterling Chow, State Highways, Hawaii District Construction Engineer at 933-8866.

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The Hawai‘i County Council will start videoconferencing its committee meetings from October 4, 2005, and is expected to continue to do so on a regular basis.

Videoconferencing of committee meetings is available from the County Council Room in Hilo.

It will also be available at the following locations:

• Kona Council Office at the Kailua Trade Center, 75-5706 Hanama Place, Suite 109, Kailua-Kona.
• Waimea Council Office at the Holomua Center, 64-1067 Mamalahoa Highway, Suite 5, Waimea.

Any persons wishing to testify may do so at the above locations:

The Hawai‘i County Council is committed to bringing local government closer to the people and encourages the public to become involved voicing your opinions. Do not let others speak for you.

For further information, please contact the County Clerk's Office at 961-8255.

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The public is advised that construction work for Mamalahoa Highway/Hina Lani Street traffic signals in North Kona will commence on or about October 24, 2005.

The roadway work includes traffic signal improvements, excavation, and roadway signing and striping. The final pavement marking and striping will be done towards the end of the project so as to provide a better final surface.

The work is expected to take approximately six months, weather permitting.

Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when driving through this area since heavy equipment will be in use. Lane closures, and delays can be expected, and motorists should plan their trips accordingly.

Lane closures will only occur at night and/or on weekends.

There will be no lane closures from 5 am to 7 pm weekdays. No pneumatic hammer work will be permitted from 10 pm to 7 am. No vehicle backup alarms will be permitted from 6 pm to 6 am.

For a more detailed schedule information, please contact T&T Electric, Inc. at 935-9029.

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Start your Halloween fun off with a celebration of Kealakehe's recycling project at the Kealakehe Transfer Station. Join project participants on Monday, October 31 from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m. for an event dubbed "Trash or Treat."

The event marks a milestone for the area's recycling efforts over the past year. Since the Kealakehe Recycle project began in October 2004, more than 660 tons of traditional recyclables, not including metal or green waste, have been diverted from our landfill.

This West Hawai`i recycle project has evolved in response to community input. Project goals included:

• maximum recovery of resources
• on-island reuse
• composting and recycling
• involvement of the commercial sector in recycling
• compliance with state waste management goals.

A two-stream sort method at Kealakehe simplified recycling, and the landfill diversion rates climbed.

Originally contracted to Business Services Hawaii by Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB) and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Recycle Hawaii was contracted to provide education and training for the project. Since June 2005, County of Hawaii has managed the facility.

"HIEDB congratulates all parties involved that have helped make the Kona pilot demonstration project a success," said project manager Skylark Rossetti. "The project proves that with just two recycle containers in your home, we can all make a difference for our island."

The Halloween afternoon event is sponsored by County of Hawai`i, Environmental Protection Agency, Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, Recycle Hawai`i and Business Services Hawaii.

Please RSVP to Skylark Rossetti or Liz Barton at HIEDB at 935-2180.

Drive mauka towards the police station off of Queen Kaahumanu Highway in Kona and travel a short distance beyond the Hawaii Humane Society.

HIEDB (Hawaii Island Economic Development Board) is a private non-profit corporation organized in 1984 for the purpose of furthering balanced economic development and job creation on the Island of Hawaii.

For information on the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, please contact the HIEDB office at 935-2180.

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Hawai`i County is currently recruiting citizen volunteers to serve as commissioners on the Cost of Government Commission.

This Commission was created by Charter amendment in 2000. The Commission serves for a period of 11 months only, and is empaneled one year after the Mayor is elected into office.

Their mission is to study and investigate present operations within the County of Hawai`i, and make recommendations to the Mayor and Hawai`i County Council on how improvements in County government may be made.

Amid rising demands placed on the County, limited resources and the need to provide our citizens the very best service, the importance of this Commission is evident. Please consider volunteering your time and life experience to help your County government to better serve you and your fellow citizens.

Completed applications can be dropped off at the above County offices.

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Residents can once again recycle many of the same types of items that they used to bring to the now-closed Community Recycling Center on Railroad Avenue in Hilo.

At the Hilo Transfer Station (just beyond the HI5 Redemption Center), residents can now recycle the following:

• Cardboard and brown paper bags
• Newspapers and magazines
• Glass (mayo jars, wine bottles, etc.)
• Aluminum (pie tins, etc.)
• Plastics #1 & #2 (milk jugs, detergent bottles, etc.)
• Office paper (white, ledger, colors – no brights)

Got recycling questions? Call the County Recycling Specialists at 961-8527, 961-8549 or 961-8554.

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Waimea area residents can now recycle non-HI5 glass and other recyclables at the Waimea Transfer Station, just opposite the transfer station chutes.

Two separate containers are accepting the following:

• Glass – all non-HI5 glass, such as mayonnaise jars and wine bottles;
• Mixed Recyclables – flattened cardboard and boxboard, newspaper and magazines, mixed office paper, junk mail, phone books, rinsed aluminum and tin cans, plastics #1 and #2 (rinsed & no caps).

What happens to these recyclables?

The glass is crushed and used on the Big Island. The mixed recyclables are bailed and shipped to mainland sorting facilities, where they’re earmarked for new product markets.

Got recycling questions? Call the County Recycling Specialists at 961-8527, 961-8549 or 961-8554.

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With the Pacific hurricane season now upon us, it is very important for all of our Hawai`i residents to be familiar with hurricane preparedness measures.

The County of Hawai`i’s Civil Defense Agency reminds the community that all areas of our Island of Hawai`i can be prone to hurricane hazards.

Residents must be aware that all parts of Hawai`i Island could be exposed to hurricane hazards, despite a common belief that our mountains of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa shield parts of the island from hurricane winds.

We hope our residents will take the time to familiarize themselves with hurricane preparedness measures by reading the County of Hawai`i’s Hurricane Preparedness Guide.

The Hurricane Preparedness Guide is now available on the County’s website . To access the Hurricane Preparedness Guide, click on http://co.hawaii.hi.us/cd/hpg/main.html . There is also a link to the Civil Defense page http://co.hawaii.hi.us/directory/dir_defense.htm .

If you’d like a hard copy of the Hurricane Preparedness Guide, copies will be available from the Civil Defense Agency after July 1.

For further information, contact the Civil Defense Agency at 935-0031.

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The County of Hawai’i’s beverage container redemption sites have new hours of operation beginning August 1. There is a new site that recently opened in Hawi on Saturday, August 20. Hawi now has official certification and is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am-4:30 pm, closed from 1-1:30 pm for lunch.

Qualifying Beverage Containers:

What’s IN: Eligible (redeemable) beverage containers include: soft drinks, soda, water, juice, tea and coffee drinks, and low alcohol content drinks (beer, malt beverages, wine coolers, mixed spirits) in metal, glass or #1 & #2 plastic, 64 oz. or less.

What’s OUT: Ineligible (unredeemable) containers include: milk, wine and liquor containers.

Qualified beverage containers may be redeemed for cash at the following locations:

**Transfer Station centers closed daily from 1:00-1:30pm for lunch.**

Please contact Atlas Recycling LLC at 935-9328 (Hilo) or 329-6868 (Kona) for further information about additional scrap value paid on aluminum cans and their mobile redemption sites in rural communities.

Certified redemption centers are now accepting flattened aluminum and plastic HI5¢ beverage containers.

Flattened containers are weighed at redemption sites to determine deposit payment. The public is reminded that reverse vending machines will not accept flattened or crushed containers.

Please call the Recycling Specialists with the Department of Environmental Management, County of Hawai’i, at 961-8527 or 961-8549 for information about the HI5¢ program or visit:

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Construction work to widen Kuakini Highway, from Palani Road to Hualalai Road, commenced on November 8, 2004.

Kuakini Highway will be widened to four lanes for automobiles, including two through-lanes in each direction, and a pocket lane for left turns where appropriate. In addition, there will bicycle lanes on both sides throughout most of the project. The construction will last 18-24 months.

One lane will be open at all times from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. while construction is in progress. Outside of these hours, one lane in each direction will be open.

The contractor, Hawaiian Dredging, will work with the adjacent businesses and residences to assure that a reasonable access to the businesses and residences will be maintained throughout the construction period. However, motorists traveling in the area should drive with caution.

We are most grateful for the public’s patience and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

The public is invited to a weekly update on the Kuakini Highway, Palani Road to Hualalai project every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Kona Mayor’s West Hawai`i Office conference room at Hanama Place. Light refreshments will be served.

Representatives from the contractor, Hawaiian Dredging, and the County, Public Works Department are available at the meetings. Everyone is welcome at these informal "talk story" sessions.

A large project map and a complete set of plans are available for reference at the Kona Mayor's office.

Information is also available via the County website at co.hawaii.hi.us.

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Or call our 24/7 Job Hotline: 961-8618

Click on employment opportunities to download all of the forms.

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Celebrate County Trail Revitalization Day on Saturday, October 8 by hiking in Hawai`i's historic districts with the E Ma Na Ala Hele hiking and trail advocacy group. All hikes are free and are led by experienced hike leaders. Hikes will be offered in the districts of Ka'u, Kohala, Puna and Kona.

For all hikes, please bring a day pack with two quarts of water; snacks and lunch, sunscreen, and light rain gear. Wear hiking shoes, socks, shorts, a shirt, sunglasses and a hat for sun protection. Please note: no participants will be allowed to hike in rubbah slippahs.

• Ka`u District hike: led by Betsy Morrigan

This hike covers about 3.5 miles along the coast from Punalu`u to Kawa.

Meet at 9:00 a.m. in the parking area at Punalu`u Beach. We will see interesting small and large anchialine ponds, the beautiful surf break and the "ice pond" at Kawa and a large heiau near Kawa. For more information, please call Betsy Morrigan at 328-8911.

• Kohala District hIke: led by Mike Shewmaker

This hike covers 3.5 miles and includes Mo'okini Heiau and Kamehameha's birthplace.

Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Old Coast Guard Station parking area. The hike will begin from the Airport at Upolu Point. From there it is approximately 1.8 miles to the Mo'okini Heiau. For more information please contact Michael Shewmaker at 960-3677.

• Puna District hike: led by Toni Thomson and Councilman Bob Jacobson.

Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the intersection of the S. Glenwood Road and the Volcano Highway. For exact directions to the meeting place in Glenwood, please call Toni Thomson at 982-9287. This hike features a cool elevation, upland forest trail with native tree species and some open pasture.

• Kona District hike : led by Ruby Tzimeas

This hike covers four to five miles along the shore at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park.

Hikers should meet at 8:30 a.m. at the "new" visitor center for Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park. The visitor center is accessed from the Queen Ka¹ahumanu Highway near CostCo. The trail passes many interesting sites, including a small ritual slide, fish ponds, and a "Queen's bath". For more information, please call Ruby Tzimeas at 987-0200.

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The Hilo Bay Watershed Advisory Group is seeking volunteers for a cleanup project of 4 Mile Beach in Keaukaha on Saturday, October 22. This community effort to clean up and record debris is part of the Make a Difference Day 2005 commemoration.

Where: Along 4 Mile Beach from James Kealoha to Carlsmith Park off Kalanianaole Ave.

When: Saturday, October 22, from 9:00 a.m.

Gloves and litter bags will be provided.

For further information, call Carey Yost at 982-7292, email: kidsdivein@usa.com. Check out the project homepage at http://www.soest.hawaii.edu/seagrant/hilobaywatershed.php.

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A Firewise workshop on brushfire safety will be held Saturday, October 22, 2005 from 9 am to 3 pm at the Konawaena Elementary School Cafeteria in Kealakekua. The workshop is free.

Please bring your own bag lunch.

This information-packed workshop, taught by Denise Laitinen, the Firewise Community Coordinator for Hawaii, will cover key components of how to protect your home from brushfire.

Homeowners will learn why some homes are destroyed in a fire while others survive, how to create defensible space around a home to prevent it from burning; as well as how to use simple and easy landscaping practices to reduce your risk to brush fire.

Firewise Communities is a national program that works with community members to protect themselves against wildfire. Since 1987 the Firewise program has educated communities and encouraged action to minimize home loss to fire in the wildland urban interface, which is anywhere wildlands and houses meet.

Firewise is a collaborative effort of multiple organizations, including the fire department, government agencies, and will be hosted by the South Kona Community Emergency Response Team (SKCERT) and Neighborhood Watch.

Waikoloa residents created a Firewise Committee more than two years ago and held a community workday in July to clear brush along the mauka boundary of the neighborhood, which reduced the brush fire threat.

To sign up for the free Firewise workshop, please contact: Brenda Ford at 323-2323; email: labford@turquoise.net. For more information on how you can make your home Firewise, contact the Firewise Community Coordinator at (808) 281-3497 or by e-mail at dlaitinen@firewise.org.

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The West Hawai’i Fisheries Council, a community-based marine advisory organization, will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, October 20, 2005, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the Hawai`i Big Game Fishing Club at Honokohau Marina in Kona.

The Council has several vacancies. If you would like to apply to represent a stakeholder group on the Council, please attend this meeting or email marnih@turquoise.net for an application.

The mission of the West Hawai`i Fisheries Council is to manage fishery activities to ensure sustainability, enhance nearshore resources, minimize resource depletion and manage conflicts of use. The Council was set up to serve as the community resource to formulate and recommend West Hawai’i fisheries management policy. The aim is to enhance the marine environment for the Division of Aquatic Resources and the Board of Land and Natural Resources.

The Council has 25 members, chosen from stakeholder groups in West Hawai`i as well as nine active committees that are always seeking new members. All of the interested ocean community is cordially invited to the Council meetings on the third Thursday of every month.

For more information please contact: Marni Herkes at 987 2171 or marnih@turquoise.net.

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The 2005 Carousel of Care-Caring for Family, Caring for Yourself conference, aimed at offering practical help to caregivers, will be held on November 30 at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm.

This conference offers a wealth of information for caregivers, featuring expert speakers, resource exhibits of local agencies and organizations and volunteer coaching.

This conference aims to help caregivers get through their daily routines safely and easily. Moreover, the conference provides an opportunity to network with other caregivers.

Volunteers from the community coach the caregivers in a variety of leisure activities like art therapy, scrap-booking, tea ceremony and flower-arranging, and provide therapeutic services like massage, Healing Touch, and music therapy.

When it started back in 1999, the Hawaii Community Caregiver Network (HCCN), assisted by the Hawaii County Office of Aging (HCOA) and the Alzheimer’s Association had a pretty good idea that family caregivers needed as much help as they could get.

Caregivers are the true heroes of health care in our nation.

HCCN recognizes that caregivers need to preserve their own health and maintain a balanced lifestyle and designed this all-day caregiver conference to help caregivers do just that. According to the response that first year and every year for the past seven years, they were right.

Caregivers need to share experiences and learn what works and what doesn’t. They can take comfort from others who empathize with the emotional roller coaster ride they all experience.

Deadline to register: November 14. Space is limited and attendance will be on a first come, first served basis.

For more information or an enrollment application, please call the Hawaii County Office of Aging at 327-3597.

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FREE MULCH is now available at both the Hilo and Kailua-Kona (Kealakehe) Transfer Stations. At the present time, no loading fees are being charged, although the public is advised to ask the operator for loading assistance. There may be a short wait time if the operator is busy.

The public may drop off green waste at either facility between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm seven days a week. Loading assistance is available at the Hilo and Kailua-Kona processing sites Monday through Saturday.

Residents are encouraged to contact any of the local trucking firms to arrange for delivery of large loads of mulch to their homes or places of business. Although there is no charge for the mulch and loading fees are waived, the public will need to pay their own delivery charges as negotiated with a local trucking firm.

EKO Composting Systems has assumed the operations of the County of Hawaii’s green waste drop-off and pick-up areas at the Hilo and Kailua-Kona (Kealakehe) Transfer Stations as of July 1, 2005.

The County is working on the development of a composting facility at the materials recovery area of the West Hawai`i Sanitary Landfill, which will also include receiving bays for used cooking oil and grease trap waste. When the new composting facility is completed, EKO will commence the production of high quality, U.S. Council certified, compost.

In addition, EKO Composting Systems along with partner company Pacific Biodiesel will be initiating the capture of waste oils for the production of biodiesel.

The public should be aware that there are size requirements that must be met in order to drop off residential and commercially hauled green waste at the processing facilities at Kailua-Kona and Hilo green waste yards.

These size requirements must also be followed for any green waste dropped at the Keaau Recycling and Reuse Center, as well as for any green waste disposed of at one of the County’s 21 residential solid waste transfer stations.

At this time, no pallets may be delivered to the green waste processing facilities although the County intends to begin receiving pallets for chipping starting next year.

If loads delivered to the green waste drop-off sites and/or County transfer stations do not meet these criteria, the other option will be to dispose of the load at either the County’s South Hilo or West Hawai’i Sanitary Landfills. Green waste loads that do not meet acceptable requirements will be charged a special handling fee of $85/load in addition to the tip fee of $65/ton IF taken to either County landfill.

For further information, please contact the County’s recycling coordinator at 961-8942.

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Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge will be celebrating its 20th anniversary during its annual open house on Saturday, October 15.

Reservations are now being accepted to participate in hikes through portions of this first-of-its-kind refuge set aside to protect Hawaii’s unique rainforest birds and their habitat.

Residents and visitors are invited to hike through the Pua ‘Akala Tract, which harbors a high-elevation rainforest. It is home to many native birds such as ‘i‘iwi and ‘elepaio, and significant numbers of endangered species including the Hawai‘i creeper and Hawai‘i ‘akepa.

A historic 110-year old koa cabin also will be open for viewing.

Visitors will be met by refuge staff and tour leaders at the Pua ‘Akala Barn anytime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. They will receive a briefing on refuge management objectives and strategies and a description of the plants and animals the Refuge protects. Rainforest hikes of varying lengths will be offered.

The hikes will be led by biologists and staff familiar with native Hawaiian flora and fauna. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the refuge greenhouse and learn about the forest restoration program. Cultural resource protection, weed control projects and the University of Hawaii’s field station will also be highlighted.

Participants must arrange their own transportation to the Refuge. A four-wheel-drive vehicle is required for the two-hour drive from Hilo, Waimea, or Kona.

This trip is not recommended for young children or those who may have problems with the long rough ride, rugged terrain, and primitive facilities.

Visitors should come prepared for wet chilly weather and bring their own lunch, water, binoculars, and rain gear.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling the refuge office in Hilo at 933-6915 by October 12.

Directions and additional information will be mailed to all participants.

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The Kailua-Kona Lions Club is organizing its First Annual Flea Market, Car Show & Swap Meet on Saturday, October 22, from 7 am-4 pm at The Swing Zone in Kailua-Kona.

We are actively seeking people who have something they want to sell, crafters, and musical groups who want to show their talent. In addition, any group can hui together to sell those items that have been gathering dust around the house and garage all these years.

One person's trash may be another person's treasure.

The Car Show will feature all types of vehicles from antiques, hot rods, custom cars and pickups to motorcycles and low riders.

The cost to rent a 10x10 ft space is $20 for the entire day. Proceeds from the space rentals benefit local high school seniors through the Lions Scholarship Fund. For information, call Sonia at 329-7133.

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Under a new law effective January 2005, all recreational thrill craft (personal watercraft) operators must complete a certification class offered by an accredited institution of higher education on the safe use and operation of a thrill craft.

Hawaii Community College OCET will offer this course on Saturday, October 29 in Hilo and Kona from 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Tuition is $109. Please call 974-7531 for more information and to register.

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The Hilo-based Japanese Community Association of Hawaii is putting out a call for Hawaii residents to share their personal internment stories at the Japanese Culture Day in Hawaii celebration on November 19, 2005, 10-2 pm at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin Sangha Hall.

The story of Hawaii residents who were taken from their homes and relocated to internment camps on the U.S. Mainland during World War II is an important family story in the Japanese-American community. This occasion is an opportunity to share those experiences.

Anyone interested in sharing his or her personal story is invited to send in a written submission using the following questions:

• What is your most vivid memory of internment?
• How did internment affect your life afterwards?
• What lessons did you learn from the experience?
• What would you like to share with future generations?

The committee is planning for several relaxed settings in which the people who have stories to share can "talk story" prior to the Japanese Culture Day on November 19.

Later, several will participate onstage at Sangha Hall in a facilitated talk story session led by Randy Hirokawa, UHH dean of arts and science.

Those with a story to share should send their written submission by September 26, to Japanese Community Association, P. O. Box 1124, Hilo, HI 96721 or fax to 935-8314. Please Include your full name and contact information.

There will be a display of personal mementos during the Japanese Culture Day in Hawaii.

The event will also offer demos and displays including Tea Ceremony, bonsai, ikebana, traditional crafts such as oshibana, chigiri-e and shishu, as well as mochi-tsuki, kendo, and Japanese food. Entertainment includes taiko, koto, song and dance, as well as, Calligraphy and Shichi-go-san Kimono Dressing for children ages 7-5-3.

For more information, please contact Jan Higashi at 961-6848.

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(All project schedules based on weather permitting.)

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Motorists are advised of the following lane closures and work locations as contractors begin installing a fiber optic cable conduit system in the Hilo area. From Monday, October 17th through Friday, October 21, Willocks Construction will be boring and trenching in the following locations:

• Along Waianuenue Avenue onto Kaumana Drive between Pu‘uhina and Hala‘i Streets – (Intermittent lane closures and lane diversions)

The work will start at 8:30 am and continue until 4:00 pm Monday through Friday, weather permitting.

Motorists are advised to use caution while driving through the work area and to allow for extra travel time.

Contractors are in their 2nd week of work and estimate the work to be completed at the end of February 2006.

For further information, please contact Chuck Eckman (Resident Engineer), Mid State Consultants, at 640-9509. Mahalo for your patience and cooperation.

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We encourage everyone to use web-based calendar links. Please add your own events to the respective calendars so others can get the word and not conflict with your plans.

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Hawai‘i County ... a nice place to live.