FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                April 20, 2005

Release M-33

CITY OPENS HALAWA BASEYARD FACILITY

            HALAWA – Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann participated today in the blessing and grand opening of a newly refurbished building that will house the City Department of Facility Maintenance Road Maintenance Division’s administration and most of the department’s Automotive Equipment Services Division.

This relocation of 10 people in Road Maintenance administration and 60 in Automotive Services represents the final major move of DFM personnel from the Kewalo Corporation Yard in Kakaako to the Halawa Corporation Baseyard Facility. The relocation cost $5.9 million in all, including the costs of soil remediation for underground storage tanks.

Today’s ceremony involves what used to be part of the old MTL Halawa bus complex, which was developed by the City in the 1970s as one of its two bus maintenance facilities.

With the advent of more and larger buses, the bus system, now operated by Oahu Transportation Services Inc., outgrew the old facilities. Maintenance and repair operations at Alapai were moved to Middle Street in Kalihi, and, five years ago, bus operations at Halawa were moved to Manana in Pearl City.

Meanwhile, the state had sought for years to get the City to move out of Kewalo, to make way for the Ward Extension project. Two years ago, the City Department of Facility Maintenance moved some of its operations from the Kewalo baseyard to Halawa.

While today marks the final big shift for that department, others are waiting their turn. Work is underway in Halawa for new headquarters for the Department of Environmental Services’ Division of Collection System Maintenance.

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Contact:  

Laverne Higa, director, Department of Facility Maintenance, 692-5054