County Could See New Road Funds; Rep. Hirono Touts Local Value of Stimulus Bill

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County Could See New Road Funds; Rep. Hirono Touts Local Value of Stimulus Bill

Road projects in Hawaii County will likely need to be on a state project list in order to be funded through the federal stimulus bill, Congresswoman Mazie Hirono told West Hawaii residents Friday morning.

Hirono, D-2nd, Hawaii, said the $125 million in highway improvement funding will be distributed to projects on the state Department of Transportation's State Transportation Improvement Program list. Hawaii is slated to receive about $1 billion in federal funds through a variety of funding formulas, tax credits, alternative and sustainable energy use initiatives, grants and other programs.

Congresswoman Maize Hirono discusses plans for the midlevel road in Kona with Bo Kahui of the Kaniohale Community Association. - Laura Shimabuku | Special To West Hawaii Today Speaking specifically about a proposed mid-level connector road in Kona, which is not on the STIP list, Hirono said she knew that the West Hawaii community views the connector road as a high priority.

"I know your mayor is working to get that on the state priorities list," she said. "Those (STIP) projects are the projects that are going to be the candidates for the money."

The projects that could get funded must be "shovel-ready," a term Hirono said meant ready to be contracted within 90 days. The contract should be for construction, not design.

The Congresswoman defended the $787 billion economic package to critics, including at least one at Friday's meeting.

"Economists -- centrist, left or right -- say we cannot do nothing," Hirono said, while also adding, "It's not going to be the answers to all our troubles."

She could not say whether the stimulus package, the largest in U.S. history, would be the last such package.

"We already have about an $11 trillion deficit in our country," she added, in response to questions about Americans repaying the stimulus funds through taxes. "I did vote for this because I believe we have to do this."

Michelle Conrey, Big Island regional manager for Altres Staffing, asked Hirono what help the package will offer to laid-off workers. Conrey said she sees some workers several times a week as they stop at her office to ask if any new positions have become available.

Workforce development money is included in the package, Hirono said, as is money to extend unemployment benefits and to help people go back to school for more job training. About 70 percent of the estimated 3.5 million jobs saved or created under the plan will be in private businesses; the remainder would be government jobs, including teaching positions and others, she said.

The exact time line for releasing the funds hasn't been determined, though Hirono expected that to happen soon, she added.

What about businesses that want to encourage state government to use the stimulus money to be more innovative in designing projects, asked Todd Lewis, president of Akamai Information Management. He wondered, he said, if there would be a way to creatively respond to project requests, rather than through the typical request for proposals process. He said he could see state buildings, for example, incorporating new technology that would monitor energy use to create more efficient buildings.

In Hawaii, Hirono said, the best way to apply the stimulus funding for innovative technological services would be to continue to look at expanding alternative energy sources and sustainable energy usage.

"There's money in this bill for modernizing energy grids," she said. "There's money for expanding broadband access in rural areas."

A key in making the money stretch will be coordinating projects, such as having crews working on a road project in one area also work on a building project in the same area, she said.

"It's really important for us to be working close together to maximize this money," Hirono said. "It requires a coordinated effort by everybody."

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