Manoa Public Library, located at 2716 Woodlawn Drive, will close its doors for the last time at 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2009. They will hold a “Book Brigade” on Saturday, August 1, 2009 to make way for a new, larger, environmentally-friendly “green” library which has been in the making for nearly 30 years.
The community is invited to join in on this ceremonial walk carrying over a book from Manoa Public Library (2716 Woodlawn Drive) to the new portables at Noelani Elementary School (2655 Woodlawn Drive) which will serve as the interim library facility. Construction will take approximately two years to complete and the portables will be used as additional classrooms later.
The State will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council to sanction it as a “green” building. A LEED facility involves building with recycled products and material, and environmentally sustainable design features that include: reduced water use, renewable energy and natural lighting.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
9:00 am -10:30 am
Refreshments will be provided
Please contact Christel Collins, Manoa Public Library, at 988-0459 if you have any questions.
The recent announcement by the FBI that Kapolei will be the site of one of the largest law enforcement complexes in the Asia-Pacific regions is heartening news for a state with a troubled economy. While the new FBI complex is expected to house 230 staff, area businesses will benefit by providing goods and services to that staff, such as gas, food, office supplies, and other items.
Of all the public responses I witnessed in my first session as a State Senator, I do not think any surprised me as much as the reaction to the House and Senate’s passage of a concurrent resolution declaring September 24, 2009 as Islam Day in Hawai‘i. Nobody likes to pay taxes, so the response to legislative efforts to solve our budget crisis were to be expected. The issue of civil unions remains divisive across our nation, so the controversy there was understandable. But the outcry over a day to recognize the world’s second largest religion, with up to two billion adherent worldwide, shocks me and should serve as a reminder and a warning to our community that our precious Aloha is at risk.
Given our state’s current economic condition and the challenges we face in stretching our budget dollars to meet our community’s on-going needs, it should be clear that good management practices are not just desirable, but a fiscal and social necessity. We cannot let lax oversight or a desire to maintain the status quo threaten our financial security with a slow leak of financial resources.
We’re in a war with a nasty virus, the swine flu, but look out for other viruses that may be popping their head up in the near future. As in all wars, every theater or front requires a different strategy. Hawai’i, an island state, is completely different from the mainland with its large land mass that includes over 6000 miles of border with Canada and Mexico. Therefore, we require a different strategy than what the Centers for Disease Control is recommending. What we should be doing is learning from and emulating what other island states/nations are doing, like Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong who are taking aggressive, proactive screening measures at their points of entry.
