Khammouane Chandara comes from a family of farmers whohave grown rice and corn in his native Laos for generations, buteven he was surprised at the fertility of La‘ i e ’s soils when hea rrived in the area 15 years ago. A cousin had called and convinced him to give up working in a factory in Kansas to becomea farmer in Hawai‘i. Today Chandara leases 19 acres from Hawai‘iR e s e rves Inc. that are planted in cucumbers, eggplant, bittermelon, papaya, and a maturing crop of banana tre e s .

“Business is good,” says Chandara. “Right now I have four familymembers working my land and our family is farming on HRI landacross La‘ i e. “

S u p p o rting farmers like Chandara emphasizes HRI’s commitmentto pre s e rving green space in the area and the agricultural traditions of Ko‘olauloa. HRI leases approximately 850 acres off a rmland and pasture to 38 tenants. The company fences fieldsand provides farmers with security, road maintenance, and wellwater for irrigation as part of its standard lease agreement. It alsohelps with land clearing and repairing water lines. Farm sizesrange from five to 50 acres, and crops vary widely, from cucum-b er, which is top of the market at the moment, to green beans,t a ro, papaya, bananas, basil, ginger, eggplant, cherry tomatoes,and corn.

“These are very hard working farmers,” says George Reid, HRI’smanager of municipal and mauka pro p e rties. “So it’s especiallygratifying to see them succeed on our land. Judging by the num-ber of new SUVs I’ve seen the farmers driving around lately, timesa re good.”

Fifteen of the 38 tenants on HRI land are Laotians. Most of themcame after hearing, as Chandara did, of La‘ i e’s fertile soils andthe economic benefits of farming in the are a .

“HRI has always support e dfamilies and family values,”says Reid. “But we nevercould have foreseen howour lands could help bringthese families together. Tosee that happen has beenone of the best parts of thework we do here . ”

Farming Familieshri pri d e

On November 1s t, Hawai‘i Reserves, Inc. turned over operational

transfer of the La‘ie Water Reclamation Facility and Collection

System to the City & County of Honolulu. The event was a

milestone in a process that began with an agreement between

HRI and the City nearly six years ago.

C o n s t ructed in 1997 at a cost of $20 million, the plant is a

t e rt i a ry treatment facility, wherein wastewater undergoes thre e

intensive treatment phases eliminating more than 99 percent of

impurities. Going forw a rd, the City will operate and own the

e n t i re system. As part of the agreement between HRI and the City,

initial hook up costs for all La‘ i e residents are being covere d ,

resulting in an average savings of thousands of dollars per lot.

Seventy five percent of the households in La‘ i e have already

connected to the system. That residential portion, together with

the larger institutional users, generates about 90 percent of the

wastewater in La‘ i e. The remaining unsewered areas will have an

o p p o rtunity to connect to the collection system that will soon be

built by HRI and ultimately acquired and funded by the City.

“The turn-over of the La‘ie wastewater facility to the City bene-

fits the community, the City, and the environment,” said Eric

B e a v e r, President and CEO of HRI. “Through this dedication,

the City gains a facility constructed without taxpayer or system

user dollars, and island environmental pre s e rvation is pro m o t e d

by one of the most advanced wastewater treatment plants in

the state,” he said.

“This agreement is another example of a successful public-

private partnership,” said Mayor Mufi Hanneman. He also

noted that the arrangement is a win-win outcome that

will give the City a modern wastewater treatment and

collection system in a community that was once serv e d

primarily by cesspools.

H R I ’s decision to relinquish the facility to the City was

based on its inability to create a sustainable operation

on a small customer base. When originally constru c t e d ,

the plant was intended to serve primarily Brigham Yo u n g

HO‘ O M UAH o n o r i n g t h e Pa s t . . . Bu i l d i n g t h e Fu t u r eHawai‘i Re s e rves Newsl e t t e r, Issue III Late Fall 2006

Hawai‘i Reserves, Inc.Turns Over Treatment Plant to City

University-Hawai‘i, the Polynesian Cultural Center and a few

homes for faculty and staff. The 1997 expansion resulted in a

s t a t e - o f - t h e - a rt facility serving a small customer base absent any

economies of scale. The City’s control of the plant and the sewer

hook ups for the entire community now ensure a growing cus-

tomer base in a system that is more likely to have the benefits of

City-wide economies of scale.

City operation of the facility is now managed by the Depart m e n t

of Environmental Services, including the low pre s s u re pumps at

individual residences. In late November La‘ i e residents will begin

to be billed by the City at regular City rates.

Robert Valentine, the treatment plant supervisor who has been

in charge of the plant for nearly a decade, said that operational

transfer has been smooth. “The La‘ie plant is a fairly sophisti-

c a ted system, but the handover has gone off pretty much without

a hitch. It’s great that this municipal operation is now being

handled by the City. ”

“ Through the years, we’ve been pleased with the cooperation

we’ve received from the City, and look forw a rd to working with

them as we move forward on other important projects that will be

a boon to La‘ i e,” said Beaver. “I’m also grateful to our whole team

at HRI – Robert Valentine and plant personnel, Jeff Tyau, Jace

McQuivey and others who have and continue to work tirelessly on

this project—the entire team has been excellent.”

Looking Toward the Future

Running With The Rebels

Aloha! On November 1, the City & County of Honolulu officially took over wastewater operationsin La‘ i e .

For many years, this transferp rocess occupied much of oure n e rgy and re s o u rces, an eff o rt that substantially benefits the c o m m u n i t y. As part of the t r a n s f e r, La‘ie residents are not

being charged hook up costs for the initial installation, the Citygains a $20 million dollar state-of-the-art facility at no charge, andthe wastewater system significantly improves the Laie environment.

The completion of this transfer now allows us to look to and focuson the future. HRI projects that bode well for sustained and sensi-ble growth include a master-planned community at Malaekahana, arevised land use plan for La‘ i e, the redevelopment of the La‘ i e Innsite, continued test plantings of tropical hardwoods for the maukaarea, including koa, and various other planning initiatives.

In particular, we are moving forward on our affordable workforcehousing project at Malaekahana. We are in discussions with the

state about its possible involvement to help expedite the entitlement and permitting process so that working families and residents may obtain housing and homeownership faster. The draftmaster plan for that area is near completion and you will begin tohear more about it.

Permitting for the La‘ i e Inn has begun. This exciting venture willprovide jobs, greatly enhance our visitors’ experience, broaden thePolynesian Cultural Center’s offerings, support BYU Hawai‘i ’s program, and strengthen the local economy. Through culturally-a p p ropriate design and careful landscaping, the pro p e rty willbecome an attractive destination while maintaining a favorableisland-themed, rural pro f i l e .

We are looking forw a rd to 2007 as a year to focus on the futureand ask for your input and support as we build a brightert o m o rrow together.

R. Eric BeaverHawai‘i Reserves Inc. President

Frank Kamae Jr. has been around basketball all his life. He playedin high school—first in Kahuku and later in Germ a n y, where his father was stationed in the military—and coached youth teamson the Mainland in Georgia before re t u rning to his hometownof La‘ i e 10 years ago. When his daughter Tihane, now 11, began to play in the local Police Activities League (PAL) six years ago he began coaching her team. Little did he know that stint wouldevolve into becoming founder and head coach of the RunningRebels, a Ko‘olauloa girls basketball club with 24 players betweenthe ages of 10 and 13.

“We needed something to give these girls to do,” says Kamae.“ T h e y ’ re at an age where they can get into trouble if they don’thave something positive to belong to. Boys that age have all kindsof sports options, but for the girls soccer was the only game intown before our club started up.”

This is the first year the Running Rebels—named for Kamae’sfavorite college basketball team at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas—have gone to a year-round schedule. They nowpractice three times a week at La‘ i e Park and play in dif-ferent PAL leagues at different times of the year. Thatgenerally means one long drive a week on game days.Island Transporter, a La‘ i e-based ground transportcompany, gives the team a discounted rate for use ofa van. A local embro i d e ry company, Made in La‘ i e ,p rovides the team with uniforms at cost. AndKamae, who works as a maintenance technician forHawai‘i Reserves Inc., volunteers his time withoutcompensation, going up against paid coaches at

many of the other clubs around the island.

“Seeing the girls compete and improve is my reward,” says Kamae.“Many of them have developed into real talents—just as good asthe private-school kids.”

The Running Rebels hope to play in a tournament on the Big Islandnext year and compete in a Mainland tournament in two to threey ears, funds allowing. Each player must maintain a “C” average in school to stay with the team and that standard rises to a “B”average at the seventh- and eighth-grade level.

“Winning a tournament together would be great,” says Kamae.“But our real goal as a team is to get all of our girls into college—whether they end up playing basketball or not.”

f rom the pre s i d e n t

hri pri d e

The voice of Ko‘olauloa belongs to an extraord i n a ry group ofkupuna who have been entertaining the community for 11 years:the Nani La‘ i e Serenaders. The Serenaders have perf o rmed atcountless weddings, backyard l u a u, funerals, communityfundraisers, and many other social events, and their renditions of the songs of Old Hawai‘i have helped to keep that genre ofmusic alive for the next generation.

M a rtha Kalama, a longtime La‘ i e resident who passed away lasty e a r, formed the Serenaders after several of the gro u p ’s membershad perf o rmed separately at a wedding at Turtle Bay Resort. Her idea was to create a community service group that would visit people who were housebound through illness or old age andlift their spirits with music. The group of 11 originally called itselfthe Lanihuli Serenaders but changed the name to avoid confusionwith the Lanihuli Hawaiian Civic Club once that club started its own singing ensemble. The Serenaders have built a vast repert o i re over the years but their favorites are the melodies ofOld Hawai‘i, songs like “Nani La‘ i e” (their standard openingnumber), “Henehene Kou ‘Aka,” and “Pupu o Ni‘ihau.” Theyalso sing in Samoan, Maori, and English—tunes like “LovelyHula Hands” and “I Don’t Like Shoes.”

“ We don’t sing parts,” says Auntie Thelma Kamae, anoriginal member and the gro u p ’s current leader. “Ifwe all sing soprano that’s okay. We just focus onh a rm o n y. ”

The Serenaders range in age from seniorcrooner Wylie Swapp, 85, to Puleono LanaB u rgess, 59. Each person must be able to playan instrument as well as sing. The group typically brings four guitars, one bass, andup to six ‘u k u l e l e. Because their stamina isn’twhat it once was, the serenaders limit theirp e rf o rmances to one hour, and practice only

once a week on Monday evenings. Says Kamae, “We tell the peo-ple who ask us to sing, ‘We ’ re old. Don’t wear us out.’”

The serenaders have had a long association with Hawai‘iR e s e rves, Inc. The company has supported their perf o rm a n c e sat La‘ie Shopping Center for the HRI Summer Bash and duringthe Christmas holidays, when the serenaders have a tradition ofsinging to shoppers before sharing a meal together at La‘ i e C h o pS u e y. In August, they sang at HRI’s dedication of an historicalmarker at the former site of the old Lanihuli Home. Paying gigs like these have enabled the serenaders to buy matchingmu‘umu‘u and aloha shirt s .

The gro u p ’s songs, however, do more than entertain and lift spirits. They bind a community together. The serenaders havesung at many of the most important life events in the community,and they sang for their founder, Martha Kalama, at her bedside aweek before she passed away.

“She was weak but she reached up and took my hand,” saysKamae. “I’ll never forget what she said: ‘Your voice is getting b e t t e r.’ That’s why we really sing. To bring our voices out.”

Water service in La‘ie recently became much more reliable thanksto a new water main and backup tank installed by The La‘ i eWater Company, a subsidiary of Hawai‘i Reserves Inc. The watermain construction, which finished in October, took two years andreplaced 15,000 feet of pipe, primarily along KamehamehaH i g h w a y. The old cast iron pipe, which was originally laid whenLa‘ i e was first developed, was between two and six inches in diameter and subject to corrosion. The new pipe is 12 inches in diameter, allowing for increased water flow, and made of

high-density polyethylenethat doesn’t corro d e .

The new watermain also made itpossible to install35 fire hydrantsalong the highway.

“This is great forthe community both

in terms of providing reliable water service and fire pro t e c t i o nalong Kamehameha H i g h w a y,” says Jeffrey Tyau, HRI’s dire c t o rof engineering and utilities. “The old lines were under stress; thenew lines have the capacity to serve the community now and inthe future . ”

The new backup water tank will also help deliver water more reliably by adding additional storage capacity. Constructed ofstainless steel, the tank holds 200,000 gallons, which will allow for uninterrupted service even when the company’s main, 2-million-gallon tank is undergoing maintenance—a part i c u l a r l yi m p o rtant fail-safe in the event of a fire. The backup tank sitsbeside the main tank on a hilltop behind the La‘ i e q u a rry. This location enables gravity-based water pre s s u re throughout the entire system.

“The bottom line is these new enhancements to La‘ i e Wa t e rC o m p a n y ’s system will help us keep pace with growth and keepour community safe,” says Tyau.

building for the future

lucky you live La ‘ i e

Hustle and Flow

Nani La‘ie Serenaders: Singing the Old Songs