April 2006 | Online Edition @ smallbusinesshawaii.com
Sewer System Investment | Health Savings Accounts
Honolulu Taxpayers Investing
Money Into Repairing Sewer System
By Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann
Honolulu’s sanitation projects-meaning sewers and other waste disposal-will account for the largest single item in our capital improvement budget for the 2007 fiscal year. We raised sewer fees last year and vowed to use that money for sewer work and nothing more. As you can see, we’re delivering on that promise.
We’re completing upgrades to the Sand Island Waste Water Treatment Plant, valued at 176 million dollars, the Kalaheo Avenue sewer project, and the Ala Moana pump station modifications.
Last year, we announced plans to replace 6,600 feet of sewer line on Lewers Street and Ala Wai Boulevard at a cost of 30 million dollars; design is under way and construction is expected to begin in early 2007. The Saint Louis Heights sewage project, announced last year, is also expected to begin about the same time. That work will involve 45,000 feet of sewer line and cost 20 million dollars.
A project to begin in a matter of months is the long-awaited and, to some, much-dreaded Kapiolani Boulevard project, which involves replacing underground water and sewer systems that are more than 70 years old. The success of this project, and all the sewer work for that matter, will depend on cooperation, communication, and an understanding public, which I know Board of Water Supply Manager and Chief Engineer Clifford Lum and his City colleagues will encourage and support during what will be a lengthy construction period.
Sewer reconstruction in the Wanaao Road and Keolu Drive areas of Kailua, with a price tag of 31 million dollars, will begin in the middle of 2007. We’ll be working on sewers on Renton Road, Halona Street, Kaneohe Bay Drive, and Houghtailing Street. We’ll be improving sewers in Waimalu, Kalihi, Nuuanu Valley, Wilhelmina Rise, Waialae Iki, Kuliouou, and Waimanalo. We’re making an emergency replacement of the Niu Valley force main, and doing similar work at Fort DeRussy. We’re strengthening the Hart Street pumping station and the Honouliuli and Sand Island waste water treatment plants-and these are just the big projects.
I suppose any mayor would much rather be talking about, say, new parks and gyms today, but I think you’ll all agree the decidedly unglamorous priority of sewers is far too important and pressing to be ignored any longer.
This is a portion of the mayor’s 2006 state of the city address.
The mayor’s entire State of the City speech is at http://tinyurl.com/ll4uc
Health Savings Accounts Dropping Premiums
By Dick Rowland
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE) reports (2/17/06) that “Ehealthinsurance, which is the nation’s largest seller of on-line individual health insurance policies, found that the premiums for its HSA (Health Savings Accounts) qualified plans dropped by 15 percent in price, from 2004 to 2005.”
Now consider that HMSA has just applied for a 3.8 percent rate increase.
Then consider that our employers cannot offer the HSA qualified plans because of Hawaii’s Prepaid Health Care Act.
Are we being locked in without choice in a high cost box designed by (who else?) government?
Here is a glimmer of good news however, businesses without employees including “Mom and Pop” businesses can apply for the HSA option right now.
