FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     June 30, 2006   Release M-75-06

 CITY AWARDS CONTRACT FOR WINDWARD DRIVER LICENSING OFFICE

            Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann today announced the City has awarded a contract to Stan’s Contracting, Inc., to create a Windward Oahu driver licensing center in existing building space at the Koolau Center, formerly the Temple Valley Shopping Center, in Ahuimanu.

            Stan’s Contracting bid to do the job for $96,700, the lowest of three bids submitted for the project. Work could be completed as early as December.

            “The lack of a driver licensing center in Windward Oahu is something residents of that area have mentioned repeatedly since the one at the Kaneohe Police Station closed two years ago,” said Mayor Hannemann. “We heard their pleas and looked at many locations before we found one that meets the community’s needs, safety criteria and our budget. We are happy to return full driver licensing services to the Windward side with this new center.”

            The center will be located in 3,000 square feet of now-vacant space next to Times Super Market. The space will be leased for $3,068 per month. When the center opens, it will have six license examiners and will be the sixth location on Oahu where applicants can sign up to take driver license road tests.

            The previous Windward driver licensing office shared space with the Kaneohe Police Station. It was closed in 2004 to allow for police station renovations. The City administration at the time chose not to reopen the licensing facility, citing safety concerns about the location, lack of parking in the lot it shared with the Kaneohe library, and lack of staff for it.

            Windward residents who already have licenses have been able to renew them at satellite city halls. However, the closest places to take road tests were in Kalihi or Pearl City.

            Stan’s Contracting also submitted the low bid to renovate the Pearlridge Center Satellite City Hall, $154,700. Completion is scheduled early next year. The satellite will be closed for two months for the work.

            Jeff Coelho, director of the City Customer Services Department, said, “The Pearlridge renovation will accommodate a new point-of-sale cashier system that will greatly increase convenience for our customers. The new system will allow customers to conduct their transactions and pay for them at one window, rather than having to get into another line to make payments.”

            In addition, the renovation will enable the Pearlridge satellite office to begin offering  driver license duplicate and renewal services that were previously precluded by space limitations.

            Coelho noted that the Customer Services Department has placed all satellite city hall and motor vehicle licensing forms on-line, so the public can print them and fill them out ahead of time.  These forms can be found on the Satellite City Hall Forms On-line web page, http://www.honolulu.gov/csd/satellite/forms.htm.

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Contact:

Bill Brennan, 527-6928

Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767