State of Hawaii Department of Transportation February 2021 Newsletter

Dept. of Transportation Monthly Newsletter

Connecting the DOTs...

February 2021

Outstanding Employees, Managers, Teams Honored

By: Lynn Araki-Regan

The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) congratulates all of the below listed nominees and awardees who were recognized during HDOT’s Virtual Awards Ceremony held on February 12. Mahalo to Darren Cantrill, Juli Chun, Shelly Kunishige, and Rey Domingo for helping to organize the event.

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

SUSTAINED SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE ANTONE KALILIKANE

Airports Operations Maintenance Worker III, AIR-M

MANAGER OF THE YEAR DAVIS YOGI Harbors Administrator, HAR

TEAM OF THE YEAR WIKI WIKI TEAM Highways Division

SPECIAL RECOGNITION DANA ABE Office Assistant IV, HWY-O

DARRYL AKAMINE Illustrator / Photographer, AIR-EG JOHN BURNS Airports Fire Fighter, AIR-M GEORGE PURDY Airport Fire Equipment Operator, AIR-M

Antone Kalilikane

Airports Operations & Maintenance Worker III, AIR-M

Nominated by Brian Kamimoto

CONNECTING THE DOTS NEWSLETTER TEAM HDOT

Employed with the HDOT Airports Division for 17 years, Antone Kalilikane is an incredible employee, a jack of all trades, repairing things so well -- from tractors, weed whackers chain saws, to taxiway/runway lights and pavement, building repairs, fencing, and the list goes on and on. His knowledge and “MacGyverism’s” saves the Airports lots of time and money, by performing repairs in-house rather than seeking outside help.

In a small community such as Moloka’i, where compliant vendors are hard to find, having the ability to do in-house repairs is invaluable. Repairs which may take a week or so to complete by a vendor, takes hours when done inhouse by Antone and his crew.

His MacGyver skills See AWARDEES on page 2

CONNECTING THE DOTs

Editor-in-Chief: Lynn Araki-Regan

Managing Editor: Rae Nguyen Copy Editors: Juli Chun Daniel Garcia Column Writers: Darren Cantrill Rey Domingo Melanie Martin

Contributors: Jade Butay Derek Chow Pamela Foster Rodney Gerard Kyle Gregg Martinez Jacobs Brian Kamimoto Tad Nakagawa Pradip Pant Rachel Roper Neil Takekawa Davis Yogi

Contents Outstanding Employees, Managers, Teams................. 1 Message from our Director ................................ 3 Administration .................... 4 Airports .................................9 Harbors ...............................13

©2021 Connecting the DOTs. All rights reserved.

Interested in submitting for next month’s newsletter?

Send your articles and high resolution photos to lynn.araki-regan@hawaii.gov by February 20, 2021.

Highways ............................18 Work Anniversaries ...........25 Arrivals & Departures .......26 What Do You Love?........... 27

AWARDEES continued from cover page

notwithstanding, Antone is every manager’s dream. He has a glowing demeanor, making managing of Antone an easy task. With so many issues in today’s workplace, we, as managers can breathe a sigh of relief when we receive the gift of an employee not weighed down with issues and constantly on the brink of causing problems at the workplace.

Antone is always readily available and willing to get the job done, and done well, and is a trait that he keeps on the front burner. We appreciate his quality of work and he remains busy and productive for the Airport and eagerly goes above and beyond his normal duties to bring further success to Moloka‘i Airport.

He provides resources to his crew and in turn produces a culture of employees with a higher skilled labor force that is loyal. Antone is courteous and friendly to his coworkers,

managers, tenants and travelers, makes coming to work much more pleasant than those who seek to cause disturbances or drama. Antone brightens the airport and leaves his ego and outside problems at the door in the name of being a good worker and tr to maintain a good work atmosphere. While he is not perfect and everyone has bad days, he manages to rise above the storm.

Making errors may or may not cause great problems, but when an employee honestly and earnestly explains an oversight or mistake he has made, you have a better understanding of the issue and, even better, you understand that your employee values his integrity and your trust in him. Case in point, Antone had

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AWARDEES continued to page 22

Message from our Director

Aloha HDOT ‘Ohana,

Thank you for opening this special February edition of our Connecting the DOTs newsletter. This edition is special because it includes profiles on the excellent HDOT employees recognized through the 2020 Incentive and Service Awards (ISAC).

Although we are recognizing a small segment of our approximately 2,600 employees through the ISAC, I’d like to thank all of you for working towards our mission to provide a safe, efficient, accessible, and sustainable inter-modal transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, and enhances and/or preserves economic prosperity and the quality of life. I know that’s a mouthful, which is why I’m glad I’m writing it instead of saying it. Our mission statement does capture the tremendous responsibility we have, and I like to remind myself of this responsibility frequently. Thank you for being a part of this system with me.

Typically, we gather together at our annual Ho‘olaulea to celebrate not only the ISAC awardees, but the work of the entire Department. The year 2020 was different; however, we won’t let that hold us back from celebrating the accomplishments of our coworkers and friends. Please read through this month’s newsletter to learn more about the impressive initiatives and tasks that we made happen together in 2020. Click here to access the video of the virtual awards ceremony, if you were not able to join the live event.

Deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine will make it possible for us to gather once it has been widely distributed and the pandemic is considered under control. In support of this I am reiterating the Governor’s recent message about the COVID-19 vaccination. I strongly encourage you to get the vaccine when the tier and group you belong to is notified. Last week, we provided the Department of Health a list of all employees, categorized by tier with subcategories in each tier: Tier 1a: Health care workers, Nursing homes Tier 1b: First responders, Frontline essential workers, Kupuna 75+, Correctional facilities Tier 1c: Individuals 65+, Individuals over the age of 16 with a high-risk of COVID complications, Other essential workers You will be contacted through email, or through your supervisor or HR office, by the vaccination provider should more information be needed or when an opportunity to receive the vaccine is available.

As you may have heard, the vaccination rollout has been very challenging due to supply and coordination.

We’ve all been impacted by COVID so we hope the vaccine will get us to return to a life of normalcy soon. As I mentioned in a recent email, the goal is to have everyone vaccinated and your cooperation in this effort is much appreciated!

As the vaccine makes its way in our communities, let’s continue to observe safety practices every day and follow the recommendations to avoid gatherings.

Of course, February is also when we recognize Valentine’s Day, Black History Month, and the Lunar New Year.

Some of you have shared what you love in this edition and I am almost as excited to read about what you’re passionate about as I am to eat some nian gao to celebrate the Year of the Ox. Let’s celebrate the New Year as we look back at our amazing accomplishments!

As always, signing off with aloha for you and appreciation for the work you do for HDOT! Jade Butay Director PAGE 3

Administration Sakahara Leaves for Communications Post at C&C

By: Lynn Araki-Regan

Congratulations and best wishes to HDOT’s Public Information Officer Tim Sakahara who was recently appointed by Mayor Rick Blangiardi to serve as the City & County of Honolulu’s Communications Director.

Q: What was the highlight and/ or most memorable experience during your employment at HDOT?

Q: Could you describe your new position that you’ll be leaving HDOT to take on?

Tim: I will be joining Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration as his communications director. I am excited to continue serving the community, while also rejoining my former boss from Hawaii News Now. Mayor Blangiardi is a dynamic leader whom I respect and I want him to succeed. I realize there will be challenges ahead, but I am looking forward to working in a positive and transparent manner that will benefit the public.

Q: When did you first join HDOT and what was your initial impression of the organization?

Tim: I joined HDOT in January 2015 at the start of Governor David Ige’s first term. I quickly found the state worker stereotype was not accurate. I found people in all divisions who are extremely dedicated to their job and working hard to move the state forward. Emergencies can pop up at anytime and I was always impressed with how HDOT employees answered the call to duty.

Tim: I knew right away that there would never be a dull moment in my job. Just a few weeks after starting, there was a community meeting for a big project. There was the concern a former employee may show up at the meeting. An employee feared violence and even wrote a makeshift will as a precaution. I remember making sure a Sheriff’s deputy would be at the meeting just in case. Then I found out about an hour before the meeting’s start time that I would have to lead the presentation. I recall thinking this is nuts! Fortunately the meeting went well and there were no problems. After that there was one big event after another including an airport officer shooting a dog at HNL, an addict breaking the airport perimeter and then dying while being detained, two tragic fatal plane crashes, the Zipmobile malfunction, cruise ship shenanigans during the pandemic, and of course all things COVID-19.

Q: What might (someone) be surprised to know about you?

Tim: I do my best not to take anything personally. In this position, people often got angry with

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See SAKAHARA on page 5

Administration

SAKAHARA continued from page 4

me over a department issue or initiative, but I realize they are often just looking to vent. I am a firm believer of treating people as you want to be treated.

my funny/not funny humor. Dad jokes aside, I can occasionally be seen on the golf course or baseball field.

Q: Any parting thoughts?

Q: What do you do when you aren’t (working, volunteering)?

Tim: When I am not working or volunteering, I am trying to spend as much time with my family as possible. My kids are now 15 and 13 years old and I realize they will be off to college in the blink of an eye. I love making them laugh/cringe with

Tim: I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the many dedicated employees who have helped me and the DIR-P office. Often when I called, it wasn’t for good news, yet you still answered and helped as much as possible. The work you do makes a positive difference and I am proud to have been alongside you and representing the department

HDOT to Transition to New Time & Leave System Thank you very much to employees who have been taking the training on the new Time & Leave that’s soon to be in Employee Self-Service in the Hawaii Information Portal (HIP)! You will be able to start using Time and Leave on either March 8 or March 17, depending on your pay group.

time-and-leave/

By: Rey Domingo

• For Supervisors: https://ags.hawaii.gov/ hip/for-supervisors/

HIP’s new features will be available at http://execsso.hip.hawaii.gov/ using your hawaii.gov email address and password. For employees without a hawaii.gov email address and password, you may continue to use your employee ID and password that you’ve been using to access your pay statements.

Employees should know by now how to sign out for leave and request for salary exceptions in the pay period. If these do not apply in the period, no action is necessary from the employee. For supervisors, their training has included reviewing employee requests by the end of a period. In addition, supervisors will be asked to validate if they can ‘see’ all their employees and update the schedules of employees who are not on the standard 5 days a week/8-hour schedule.

Tutorials, guides, and a replay of training sessions are available on the HIP help page including:

Thank you again for your support and patience with the Time & Leave project!

•

For Employees: https://ags.hawaii.gov/hip/ PAGE 5

Administration

Top 4 of the Easiest Diets to Lose Weight With nearly 50 employees competing in HDOT’s Weight Loss Challenge, I thought this month’s wellness article should be about diets that help you lose weight easily. Here are a few I found that may be easy enough to try.

1.

Intermittent FastingAlthough I am not entered in the weight loss challenge, I decided to try intermittent fasting to see if it works, and it does. I follow the 16/8 method, which limits my calorie intake to 8 hours per day. I fast between the hours of 8 p.m. and 12 p.m. and then I eat in moderation between 12:01 p.m. and 7:59 p.m. According to healthline (August 5, 2019), “Intermittent fasting has been linked to anti-aging effects, increased insulin sensitivity, improved brain health, reduced inflammation, and many other benefits.” If you have underlying health conditions, such as diabetes or bouts of low blood sugar, please consult your doctor before doing this.

2.

Plant-Based Diets – I know, the first thing that comes to mind is, ”Do I need to eat like Bugs Bunny?” The answer is no. Eating plant-based foods may lead to losing weight and becoming healthier. However, it may be hard to cut off animal products “cold turkey” (no pun intended). Perhaps you may wish to consider becoming a flexitarian. A flexitarian eats mostly plant-based foods, but incorporates animal products such as red meat in moderation into their diets.

By: Melanie Martin

3.

Low Carb Diets– I’m sure you heard of the Atkins Diet or going keto, which means that you lower your carbohydrate intake and eat more foods that are high in protein and fat. According to healthline, “[A} review of 53 studies including 68,128 participants found that low-carb diets resulted in significantly more weight loss than low-fat diets. What’s more, lowcarb diets appear to be quite effective at burning harmful belly fat.”

4.

Paleo Diet – The idea behind this diet is to eat like our paleolithic ancestors. Many studies have shown that the paleo diet can aid weight loss. According to healthline, “The paleo diet advocates eating whole foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, and seeds. It restricts the consumption of processed foods, grains,, sugar and dairy, though some less restrictive versions allow for some dairy products like cheese.”

Whichever diet you choose to try, just remember to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. If you’re more of a couch potato, start small. Maybe walk outside for 10 minutes. If you’ve been exercising and hit a plateau (aka not losing any more weight), try high intensity training workouts, which are short, more intense workouts. When beginning any diet or exercise routine, please consult your doctor.

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Administration Security & Privacy in the Connected Home Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a smart home? You could monitor your entry doors with video doorbells, turn your lights on before you get home, or have a virtual assistant available to help with homework or to answer any question you may have.

By: Darren Cantrill

could be done to you, your family, and to your security and privacy?

I don’t mean to scare you, but I do want to provide a few tips that you can follow to better protect yourself from compromise.

The Internet of Things (IoT) movement is introducing these features into our homes by rapidly connecting these types of devices to the Internet and in doing so, can sometimes leave our security and privacy at risk. Let’s look at some of these concerns and how we can take certain steps to protect ourselves.

Virtual Assistants: Many people have an Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Siri, or Microsoft Cortona (and sometimes a combination of many of these together). These devices analyze your past commands and try to anticipate your needs. Sometimes, in spooky and scary ways.

These devices can also be linked to accounts to purchase goods or services; make changes in your house such as turning off alarms, turning on lights; be linked to other accounts that have access to your schedule and/or read your email.

Smart Home Devices: Many homeowners have video doorbells, smart light bulbs, smart electric plugs, security cameras, smart speakers and displays, all talking to each other while also sending data to the manufacturer. What?

Did you just read that these IoT manufacturer’s gather data from their devices? They do, and it’s mainly to gather near real-time data on how their products are used, by location, by time, and how often. Now imagine if that information was compromised to a bad actor – how much damage

1.

Devices become smart because they collect a lot of personal data – do your research!

2.

If you don’t need to connect a smart device to the Internet, don’t.

3.

Change all default usernames (if can) and passwords immediately upon configuring.

4.

Isolate ALL IoT (Internet of Things) devices from other devices on your network by creating a separate WIFI network just for them. Use completely different IP addresses to ensure they can’t communicate with your computer and portable devices (except for one mobile device to manage them).

5.

Always keep your device firmware and patches up to date. When researching and selecting which devices to purchase, ensure they offer auto-updates from the manufacturer.

6.

Replace devices when they are no longer supported by the manufacturer, as patches will no longer be issued, which leaves your devices in a compromised state.

7.

Know what data the device or app wants to access on your phone.

8.

Use caution when using any social sharing features with these apps.

9.

If possible, keep your work and personally connected devices separate.

While IoT devices are great to have around and can help with many tasks, don’t risk your security and privacy for convenience.

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Administration

STP Receives 2nd Round of COVID-19 Transit Relief Funding On December 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA) was signed into law. It provided funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19. It included $900 billion in supplemental appropriations for COVID-19 relief, $14 billion of which was allocated to support the transit industry during the COVID-19 public health emergency. HDOT, through the Statewide Transportation Planning office, received $23,309,632. As a condition of the CRRSAA, priority will be given to support payroll and operating expenses. Similar to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,

Learning Made Easy!

Have you ever wanted to learn something new?

How to communicate more effectively with your coworkers or properly write a letter or email? Or how to sanitize your workspace and flatten the curve with social distancing during COVID-19?

Well, you now have the ability to do all that with the new Learning Management System (LMS) that the Department of Human Resource Development’s (DHRD) Learning and Development Division has recently launched for the HDOT. This new cloud-based LMS is Adobe Captivate Prime which focuses on the learner’s experience. It’s ideal for those who want effective and easy to access training with a click of a button.

To sign into the new LMS, simply open a browser (preferred: Edge of Chrome. Mozilla is okay) and then type on the address line: captivateprime.adobe.com/primetimehawaii *Hint: Save as a favorite.

You will then need to login using your hawaii.gov information. The LMS is user-friendly and many

By: Pradip Pant & Tad Nakayama

the supplemental funding will be provided at a 100-percent federal share, with no local match required.

A total of $2,841,510 will be used to support the transit programs for Kahului, Maui (small urban area), and $20,305,252 is targeted for transit programs serving the islands of Kaua’i, Hawai’i, and Maui (rural areas). This Act also provides funding of $162,870 for private non-profit groups that meet the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities.

By: Juli Chun

of the training sessions are short, easy and informative. You even have your own Learner’s Dashboard that keeps a record of all the training that you have done as well as tracks your progress.

This is a system that is responsive and described as one of the best for eLearning.

DHRD’s Personnel Program Manager Patricia (Patti) McDonald is conducting trainings on how to use the new LMS. She covers all the different ways that the departments can utilize it to train their personnel. The following classes are available this month (February): DATE TIME SESSION

2/18/21 2 pm 0033

2/23/21 2 pm 0034

2/25/21 10 am 0035

2/25/21 2 pm 0036 Please register through your Division’s HR offices. We will update you on the March training classes and want to encourage you to take your learning experience to another level.

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Airports Meet a Fire Fighter, Pilot, & Police Officer Virtually every child growing up has dreams of becoming a pilot, a firefighter, or a police officer. Lana’i Airport ARFF Lieutenant Michael Curtis had those same dreams growing up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Michael somehow managed to fulfill all of his childhood dreams.

By: Brian Kamimoto

with the Federal Fire Department at Pearl Harbor.

And in 2009, Michael began his ARFF career.

Michael grew up wanting to be a pilot in the military, a firefighter, and a police officer. He comes from a military family. Every male member on both sides of his family served along with a few female members. Michael’s grandfather was in the Navy during WWII and a firefighter and police officer in ensuing years. Michael’s father was a pilot in the military. No one pushed Michael to join the military or civilian professions. His family says he takes after his dad and granddad, so they weren’t surprised of his choices. While Michael was stationed in Hawaii, he met his wife Laura. She’s from Kaneohe and when he got out of active duty, he couldn’t convince her to move to Arkansas. I wonder why? There was all the squirrel you could eat! They’ve been together for 25 years now.

In civilian life, Michael is an ARFF Lieutenant stationed on Lanai. His path to becoming a firefighter began in 1999 with the United States Air Force Reserves. In 2002, Michael was employed

Besides his ARFF career, Michael is a Lieutenant Colonel with the Hawai’i Air National Guard. He serves as the Commander, 154th Security Forces Squadron, stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam. He is responsible for providing combat ready Security Forces for rapid deployment in support of both the Federal Government and the State of Hawai’i in law enforcement, security, antiterrorism, force protection, and integrated base defense.

Lt Col Curtis enlisted in the Navy in February 1993. He graduated from Gunner’s Mate “A” School at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, in February 1994 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor onboard the USS Salvor (ARS-52). Lt. Col. Curtis then enlisted in the Air Force Reserves at Hickam Air Force Base in June 1999. He graduated from the Fire Protection Apprentice Course at San Angelo AFB, Texas in May 2000. After graduating from Wayland Baptist University, Lt Col Curtis attended the Academy of Military Science at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base, Tennessee and was

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CURTIS continued to page 11

Airports Operation Staying Alive Commended for Saving Lives

By: Pamela Foster

Operation Staying Alive, the DOT-Airports AED Program started in 2006, and celebrated its 50th Survivor on January 15, 2019. Two years later, our favorite survivor continues to appreciate every minute of his “ Good Life”. Annually, Mr. Schmidt and his wife enjoy their vacation on Kaua‘i, although this year, due to COVID, this was not possible. Nevertheless, he continues to keep Hawai‘i in his heart and sent this letter to the airport and his responders thanking them for his second chance at life.

his team, after the airport event at Gate C1 ten days earlier.

Aloha, Pam and Jenna, and my responders at Daniel K. Inouye Airport....

How grateful I continue to be, day by day for you, the AED Institute, AED placements around the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, emergency personnel and first responders at the airport — and volunteer strangers who dropped to the floor to save my life as I fell in cardiac arrest on January 15, 2019.

Two years ago today, January 24, 2019, I received a triple Coronary Artery Bypass Graft at Kaiser Permanente Moanalua Medical Center, under the hands of cardiothoracic surgeon Nicholas Dang and

The very day after my cardiac arrest, you both came to my room at Kaiser to wish me well and tell me I was the 50th survivor of a cardiac arrest since you began AED placements around Hawaiian airports. Wow, what a great sight to see you and to hear your uplifting wishes.

Your visit, with your happy smiles and aloha, set the tone for my upbeat medical recovery. My mindset went from feeling fearful to upbeat because of your outreach to me that very next day.

And, three weeks later, you arranged for the wonderful sendoff at the airport, the celebratory public gathering that brought together so many of those responsible for saving my life.

But there was more: the wonderful surprise one year to the day after my cardiac arrest as Jan and I arrived again at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (on January 15, 2020) to change planes incoming from Kauai to connect with HA20 to Sacramento! Assembled were

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STAYING ALIVE continued to page 8

Airports STAYING ALIVE continued from page 7

airport first responders and Hawaiian Airlines personnel and staff who had assisted me a year earlier —including Chris Ohta, the gate agent who ran to get the nearby AED— and I was able to meet him and thank him personally!

Thank you for being you, and for all you do and have done, to assist people who have been struck by cardiac arrest and have lived because they were also struck by the power of an AED positioned around Hawaiian airports. Kudos and mahalo ten thousand times over for all of us who have benefited from your vision, hard work and education.

I would like to make a donation, as in the past, to commemorate this anniversary of my “rebirth” and “renovation.” In the past I have donated to kids4CPR, and I can do that again—but am touching base to see if you would suggest any other program or group affiliated with, or recommended by, the AED Institute.

In gratitude, Dick Schmidt Sacramento, CA

Survival rates of community cardiac arrest average 5-10%, although our Hawaii airport survival rates are 75-80%. Mr. Schmidt understands that he beat the odds and so happy to be alive because of the quick responding bystanders, our easily accessible AEDs, and the Airports ARFF and professional responders, Kaiser Hospital, and so many others.

Join us for a FREE class so you too, can learn CPR, how to use our AEDs, and become confident that you know how to respond should you be faced with this kind of an emergency.

Visit https://aedinstitute.enrollware.com/ to view the schedule and to register for an upcoming course. Feel free to bring a friend or family member. The more who know how to respond, the more lives that will be saved.

CURTIS continued from page 9

commissioned in the Hawai’i Air National Guard in September 2003. Upon graduating from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in July 2005, Lt Col Curtis spent the next decade flying air refueling missions throughout the world as a member of the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron.

He currently has over 28 years of experience in the Armed Forces, logging over 2,100 hours, including 350 combat hours in a T-37, T-1 and KC135R and has deployed multiple times in support of Operations Noble Eagle, Enduring

Freedom, Inherent Resolve, and Freedom’s Sentinel. Michael has been awarded the Air Medal and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

In Michael’s “spare” time, he’s trying to learn to play bagpipes, reading (mostly ancient/medieval history, Netflix, and traveling the world.

He’s been to around 80 countries while his wife, who is a flight attendant, has been to around 100.

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Airports

Meet a Retired Coastie -- Ekahi Lee Ekahi Lee took quite the scenic route to becoming an airport firefighter. Within months after retiring from the U.S. Coast Guard after a 20-year career, Ekahi was hired to become an airport firefighter under the journeyman firefighter program.

By: Brian Kamimoto

Ekahi’s most recent stop in the Coast Guard was the Officer in Charge at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Maui in Māʻalaea from 2015 to 2020. Prior to reporting to Station Maui, Lee served as the Executive Petty Officer at Coast Guard Station Cortez in Bradenton, Fla.

Born and raised in Kaneohe, Ekahi enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard soon after graduating from James B. Castle High School. During his enlistment, Ekahi traveled the world doing search and rescue and enforcement. It was during this time that Ekahi realized his job, as a public servant, enabled him to make a difference in people’s lives. That drive to make a difference, led Ekahi to be an airport firefighter after his Coast Guard career.

Maui District Fire Commander Scott Pires said, “Ekahi has obtained his National and State of Hawaii EMT License and assisted with Recruit class 36 with water rescue, firefighter safety, communications and Firefighter II Hose line evolutions portions of the class. He assisted on the last day generally referred to Hump-day on fire operations scenarios. He has a 200,000-ton operator’s certificate and certified to instruct boaters safety course to obtain Captains license.

Although retired from active duty Coastguard, he still volunteers and manages the Coastguard auxiliary Maui and coaches High school student from Seabury High school.”

Chief Pires also quoted a saying by Edward Croker, “When an individual becomes a firefighter his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished. What he does after that is all in the line of work.”

As the Officer in Charge at Station Maui, Ekahi was tasked with oversight for operations within and around Maui County. The area of responsibility includes waters surrounded by all four islands of Maui County (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, and Kahoʻolawe), including Molokini Crater, which is a popular destination among snorkel and dive tour groups.

Station Maui cover areas up to 50 nautical miles from Maui County including the northern shorelines on the “Big Island” of Hawaiʻi.

Crews from the Station Maui provide safety, security, and environmental protection for many maritime users, often partnering with the Maui Police and Fire Departments, Ocean Safety lifeguards, NOAA and the Coast Guard Auxiliary for response efforts.

Also listed on Ekahi’s resume is actor. In Hawaii 5-0’s inaugural season, Ekahi stayed in character and played a Coast Guard Officer. For those that want to see Ekahi in action, the Hawaii 5-0’s episode was named Lana I Ka Moana.

Ekahi currently reside in Kihei, with his wife, Kanoe, daughters, Melia & Emma, who attend Kamehameha Maui, and son, Keahi, who attends Kamalii Elementary School.

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Harbors COVID-19 Harbors Division Lends a Helping Hand With the threat of COVID-19 spreading from abroad, passenger vessels were left stranded and seeking a port to have foreign, domestic, and Hawaiian residents to disembark at. Pier 2 at Honolulu Harbor filled that vacuum by accepting these stranded passengers and assisted them on their return home. On March 24, 2020, appreciating the HDOT efforts to let the NCL Jewel dock in Hawaii, a passenger that was on the ship when it was refused entry to ports in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Western Samoa, American Samoa, French Polynesia (Tahiti), and New Zealand wrote:

In reading the Star Advertiser’s articles a few days before arriving in Honolulu, I read a lot of strong negative comments from its readers opposing cruise ships coming to Hawaii, much less disembarking its passengers in Honolulu. It made me reminisce the ugly protestor acts the SuperFerry received years ago while trying to start business in Hawaii. I remember seeing folks on surfboards and on canoes wading in the water at the entrance of Nawiliwili Harbor blocking the SuperFerry. I imagined this exact scene happening, only difference would be that it be the entrance to the Honolulu Harbor.

By: Davis Yogi

a resident that could be a neighbor or family member.

COVID-19 Testing and Vaccinations

Without passengers, Pier 2 was transformed to support the State, City and County of Honolulu’s COVID-19 response. The Harbors Division support of the City and County of Honolulu’s surge COVID-19 testing on September 14, 2020 accounted for almost 1,000 residents.

As the State of Hawaii continues onto the next phase of the COVID-19 response and to re-start the economy, Harbors Division assisted the Legislature and Department of Health in establishing a vaccination point of dispensing (POD) site at the Pier 2 cruise terminal. The DOH provider, Hawaii Pacific Health, launched the POD open to the public on January 18, 2021, Martin Luther King Day. The Oahu Harbor District Manager, Neil Takekawa, led Harbors Division’s support to the State’s COVID-19 vaccination POD .

…State of Hawaii, HDOT, and its Harbors

Administration was the first place I

wanted to thank. Without your actions,

we may now be on our way to the mainland.”

Much Mahalo,

The sentiment shared by this resident was overwhelmingly satisfying, because it is a result of all of us doing our best and lending a hand to

Hawaii Pacific Health (HPH) conducted a dry run in administering the vaccine on January 15, 2021 to make sure things go smoothly before opening to the general public. HPH utilizes its vaccina-

PAGE 13

Harbors tion app to schedule vaccination appointments and are administering almost 2,000 vaccines daily with a goal of increasing the numbers up to 4,000 vaccinations a day when ample quantities of vaccines become available. As of January 23, 2021, it was reported more than 10,400 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the Pier 2 POD with more than 6,100 going to Kupuna ages 75 and older.

Harbors Division’s History of Serving the State

Throughout the pandemic, the Harbors Division and its sister HDOT Divisions continue to support the flow of commerce. A 1994 DBEDT study revealed that about 80% of all goods used in Hawai’i are imported (Size and Growth Potential of Hawai’i’s Maritime Industry, Lee & Olive, 1994) and of this amount, 98.6% of the goods are brought in through our commercial harbors system. The critical importance of the Harbors Division is to support the import of goods through Matson, Pasha, and Young Brothers.

Having a run on the shelves and re-stocked with essential goods during the pandemic is not and should not be lost on anyone.

Pier 2 was not always a passenger terminal. The Historic Hawai’i Foundation uploaded an illustrative history of Pier 2. Until airplanes began regularly flying to Hawai’i, passenger ships were the only way to get everything and everyone to and from the islands. When a ship sailed or steamed into Honolulu Harbor, Hawai’i’s newspa-

pers reported the shipping news daily, Honolulu Harbor was of primary importance in daily life for decades according to Historic Hawaii Foundation at its May 11, 2016 Annual Meeting held at Aloha Tower.

Pier 2 Transformation During early 2000, Pier 2 cargo warehouse was transformed into a passenger terminal. The approximately $30 million improvements to add air conditioning, an elevator and escalators, restrooms, and security camera created an improved passenger ship terminal with Norwegian Cruise lines calling Honolulu home.

During 2009 and completed during 2010, the Harbors Division renovated the traffic flow, installed carpeting, improved the interior design, and erected wayfinding signs for passengers.

The theme of the terminal was inspired by the heritage tourism theme that is translated to “an island is a canoe and a canoe is an island” transformed the warehouse to a welcoming of passengers to Hawai’i.

As cargo ships arriving on scheduled voyages servicing our island communities, the commercial harbors are along the coastlines of our community; but we are out of sight and sometimes out of mind.

The Harbors Division continues to work quietly and diligently to ensure the safety and health and its economic engine needs of Hawai’i continues. Hawai’i’s history and all the Harbors Division’s efforts to work for others tells its own story – though it be a memory or a whisper, we work for you.

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Harbors Harbors Welcomes Cyrus Pattermann A warm welcome to Harbors Division’s newest member to the Oahu District Team, Cyrus Pattermann, Construction and Maintenance Superintendent VI. Cyrus grew up in Lake Mary, Florida.

He is the son of Scott Pattermann from Naperville, Illinois, and the former Emily Acosta of Baguio City, Philippines. Cyrus enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at the age of seventeen after graduating from Seminole High School, Sanford Florida in 1994.

He was promoted through the rank of sergeant and selected for the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program in 2002. Cyrus attended the University of North Florida earning a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management in 2005. He commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and was assigned the Combat Engineer Officer military occupational specialty. Cyrus deployed to combat in Iraq and Afghanistan four times. He held various command, staff, and joint service billets during his military career. Captain Pattermann’s last duty assignment was the Facilities Maintenance Officer for Marine Corps Base Hawai’i. He was responsible for the oversight and maintenance of 900 facilities and 4,600 acres of property while leading a civilian workforce of approximately 130 personnel and a detachment of Navy Seabees. He retired from active duty in 2016 and returned to Florida.

Cyrus started a new career in the commercial construction field after retiring from the Ma-

By: Neil Takekawa

rine Corps. He started as a project engineer for Manhattan Construction Company and was promoted to superintendent after numerous hospitality, healthcare, and entertainment projects. His most notable project was the $1.2 billion Texas Rangers Globe Life Field Baseball Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Cyrus’ love for the Pacific and admiration of the Hawai’ian culture inspired a return to O’ahu in November of 2020. He is the father of two children Andrew and Samantha. Cyrus is an avid surfer. His other hobbies include standup paddleboard, fishing, and golf.

Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Harbors?

Cyrus: The people! I really enjoy working with our Harbors Maintenance personnel and all of the Harbors staff. The staff encompasses a wide spectrum of experience and diversity. It truly is a privilege working with this group of dedicated civil servants.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Cyrus: Looking forward to establishing new professional and personal relationships. Also look forward to enjoying some time in the water and on the beach!

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new position?

Cyrus: I’ve been blessed with decades of interaction with people from very diverse backgrounds. These experiences have enabled me to communicate and collaborate in support of common goals!

PAGE 15

Harbors E Komo Mai Julie Char!

By: Davis Yogi

Please welcome Julie Char as the Disaster Preparedness Program Specialist for Harbors.

Julie received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawai’i, and completed her Masters of Science in Public Relations at Boston University. She has over 15 years of experience as a digital project leader overseeing builds of intranets, corporate websites, and mobile applications. With her experience, she revised and expanded training presentations for hurricane preparedness, tsunami preparedness, and emergency procedures for the Harbors. Julie has been part of the Oahu District for the past year, initially hired to support landside cruise ship operations. Since the suspension of cruise ship sailings, Julie has focused on reviewing and supporting all the harbor districts and support with understanding the State’s Emergency and Supplemental Proclamations and supporting all districts with understanding the various county emergency orders. In addition, with the CDC issuing guidelines for the return of passenger ships, her efforts on planning for the healthy and safe resumption of cruises, integrating requirements and recommendations from the CDC and industry organizations.

Julie has been part of the Oahu District for the past year, initially hired to support landside cruise ship operations. Since the suspension of cruise ship sailings, Julie has focused on reviewing and supporting all the harbor districts and support with understanding the State’s Emergency and Supplemental Proclamations and supporting all districts with understanding the various county emergency orders. In addition, with

the CDC issuing guidelines for the return of passenger ships, her efforts on planning for the healthy and safe resumption of cruises, integrating requirements and recommendations from the CDC and industry organizations.

Julie knows and understands the harbor districts.

The districts trust her work ethic and thoroughness.

While emergency planning and preparedness may appear different, Julie has throughout the pandemic has been involved in emergency planning and preparedness – she will do just fine!

Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Harbors?

Julie: Understanding how the various agencies work together to prepare Hawaii for potential disasters.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Julie: Another hurricane-free season and vaccinations for all.

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new position?

I was a project manager by profession. Problem-solving and mitigation were a large part of my responsibilities.

PAGE 16

Harbors Getting to Know Bronson Barbosa Welcome to Bronson Barbosa who recently joined the Harbors Division as a Harbors Engineer III in the Construction Section!

learning curve rises so that I can grow commutatively and educationally.

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new position?

Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Harbors?

Bronson: The most interesting part of my new job at Harbors is the environment and the employers. Everyone is very open, which makes the work place feel like home.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Bronson: In this new year, I’m looking forward to enhancing my skills through the process of learning. I want to be able to show that my

Bronson: The experiences from my background as a Contractor Project Engineer definitely helped me adjust to my new position. The reason for this is because it will help me to understand the Engineering side of the workplace since I already have the experience/ knowledge as a contractor. The correlation between the two will better myself to have a greater connection with the contractors that we work with.

PAGE 17

Highways HDOT Launches New Storm Patrol Online Learning Series

By: Rodney Gerard

The Highways Division, Oahu District’s Storm Water Management Program recently launched a new online video series focused on teaching keiki about protecting our ocean, rivers, and streams from pollution. Inspired by the popular Hawaii Storm Patrol: New Recruits booklet, the new Hawaii Storm Patrol Online Learning Series is designed for teaching third-grade students about Hawaii’s storm drain system and highlighting the importance of preventing litter, debris, chemicals, and other pollutants from entering the storm drains.

The virtual modules feature four engaging, animated videos that feature the following content: • The Water Cycle • How Hawaii’s Storm Drains Work • Different Types of Pollution • The Impact of Storm Water on Our Ocean and Near Shore Waters Characters from the booklet star in the new series and offer tips to protect the environment, and each video is followed by a short quiz to help young viewers retain information. Students

who complete the online learning series become an official recruit of the Hawaii Storm Patrol and can download a specifically designed background to use for their virtual classes and activities.

An instructor’s guide is also provided to help parents and teachers utilize the online learning series in a remote learning or classroom setting.

The free series is available online at https://www. stormwaterhawaii.com/sp-video/.

While the series was designed for third-graders, it is appropriate for learners of all ages. If you know a student or teacher who may be interested in learning more, please email us at info@ stormwaterhawaii. com.

PAGE 18

Highways FUN FACT: The Cost of Snow & Ice Lucky we live Hawaii?

While we do experience weather related events, unlike other states, we don’t really have to worry about snowy and icy conditions on the road.

A survey conducted by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 2015 asked State Departments of Transportation how much they spent on winter related operations and maintenance. AASHTO received respons-

By: Rachel Roper

es from twenty-three states, which added up to over $1 billion.

Pennsylvania reported the highest total of $272 million in expenses that included 2.5 million man hours in response time. While New Hampshire reported a much lower total of $46 million, they plowed an estimated 2.5 million miles of roadways!

Getting to Know Vanessa Lau Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Highways?

Vanessa: As Highways Division’s Fiscal Management Officer, the most interesting part of my job is learning all fiscal aspects to support the Division because of its unique nature, dynamic environment, and is an enterprise fund of the State of Hawaii. It really amazed me that our busy division handles over 300 federal and/or statewide projects simultaneously.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Vanessa: I am looking forward to the new financial management system contract that was recently awarded and executed. Additionally, I am excited to help assist the software developer to create an integrated cloud based financial management system. The new system will improve business performance by streamlining and/ or automating processes for Budget, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Asset, Procurement, Project/Grant, Federal Billing, Human Resource and Time and Labor.

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new positions?

Vanessa: Prior to Highways Division, I held various financial management positions with comprehensive business experience in the private and public sector for over 25 years. With the skills and experience that I have acquired, I will implement improvement for accounting practice and procedures in fiscal office.

PAGE 19

Highways Highways Welcomes New HR Officer Congratulations and welcome to Elizabeth “Kapua” Kenui who recently joined HDOT as Highways Division’s HR Officer.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Highways?

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new positions?

Kapua: Automating HWY-SP

Kapua: The various branches and districts under DOT HWY.

Kapua: A good upbringing and 29 ½ years in the military.

Introducing Ericson Bautista E Komo Mai to Ericson Bautista, Highways’ new office assistant in HWY-S! Q: What is the most interesting part of your new job at Highways?

Ericson: As an Office Assistant, I find the eSign application to be an extremely handy tool.

Other jobs I have worked for have an “archaic” system as far as moving documents along to be approved or signed. I am glad that we (the DOT) utilize this application; being able to track a document without the actual movement of physical paper is amazing.

Q: In this new year, what are you looking forward to?

Ericson: I am excited for the potential in growth as an office worker and all the knowledge that I can acquire. My supervisor, Dayna Madison, has said that this department in particular is a great place to build my experience. As long as I stay

willing, I hope to expand my knowledge of this department’s workflow. I also look forward to improving myself, personally.

Q: What experience(s) from your background has helped you adjust to your new position?

Ericson: From 2016 to 2019, I worked as an Admin Support Clerk/Admin Assistant through a couple of staffing companies. Though my assignments through the staffing companies were temporary gigs, the various types of offices and industries allowed me to broaden my knowledge. I also had the pleasure of being assigned to work at the City & County’s Environmental Services, Wastewater Division. Working for gov-

PAGE 20

Highways ernment offices is a completely different animal.

It opened my eyes to a lot of new things that I never learned in the private sector previously. I learned that there is a hierarchy in the office, and I needed to learn where my boundaries were.

As far as the work, I learned that accuracy and

meeting deadlines is very crucial, especially if the Mayor would ultimately have to sign off on the documents I would submit. Working at the city (albeit, temporarily) helped me to have a little insight on what to expect when I was hired with the HDOT.

Hawaii Statewide Transportation Plan Virtual Public Meetings Scheduled Feb 17, 18, & 20 The Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) will be holding virtual public meetings on the update of the Hawaii Statewide Transportation Plan (HSTP) on Feb. 17, 18, & 20. The HSTP looks at the future of transportation for the next 25 years and will update the State’s long-term transportation goals and policies for air, water, and land. The HDOT will be holding a series of virtual public meetings to share an overview of the HSTP and gather public feedback on goals, objectives, and emerging trends for the Plan.

The virtual public meetings will be held using Microsoft Teams. Meeting information is as follows: Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. - Click here for Microsoft Teams meeting link or call 1-808-829-4853, Conference ID: 503 657 516# Thursday, Feb. 18, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Click here for Microsoft Teams meeting link or call 1-808-829-4853, Conference ID: 890 038 022# Saturday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.Click here for Microsoft Teams meeting link or call 1-808-829-2853, Conference ID: 765 850 718#

The purpose of the meetings is to share an overview of the HSTP and to collect public feedback on goals, objectives, emerging trends, and our future for the Plan. Information on the current HSTP can be found at https://hidot.hawaii.gov/ administration/hawaii-statewide-transportation-plan/ For more information about the project, please visit https://arcg.is/1KmHSP or contact Tomo Murata at (808) 831-7984 or masatomo.murata@ hawaii.gov or Kathleen Chu at kathleen.chu@ outlook.com.

To request language interpretation an auxiliary aid or special services (e.g. sign language interpreter, materials in alternate format), please contact the HDOT Public Affairs Office at 808-5872160 or dotpao@hawaii.gov prior to the meeting date. Please submit requests in a timely manner to allow an adequate period to fulfill requests.

Text telephone (TTY) users may use the telecommunication relay service (TRS) to contact HDOT. Upon request, this notice is available in alternate formats such as large print, braille, or electronic copy.

PAGE 21

AWARDEES continued from page 2

mistakenly thought that a shipment of taxiway/ runway sign panels were missing a couple of panels. After several weeks of phone calls and emails trying to track down the missing panels, the “missing” panels were discovered on another pallet. He immediately called the vendor and apologized for his mistake. He took ownership of his mistake when he easily could have hidden his mistake.

Congratulations to the other Employee of the Year nominees: Joshua Mahuna Airport Firefighter - AIR-H Nominated by Lt. Shonne Sasaki Rae Nguyen Secretary II - AIR-H Nominated by Chauncey Wong-Yuen Blayne Nikaido Planner VI -STP Nominated by Pradip Pant Ryan Oura-Nakoa Airports Fire Fighter, AIR-M Nominated by Lt. Patrick Hamilton

Throughout the years, Davis has provided much needed and irreplaceable guidance and coaching in all areas of operations and administration. He is a positive leader that empowers his team to work towards success, as well as care for their personal well-being.

He is knowledgeable in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Hawaii Administrative Rules as well as other rules and regulations related to the Harbors Division and the workings of the State of Hawai’i.

Davis is well-versed in all aspects of the Division.

When COVID-19 hit the islands, Davis led the Harbors Division operations, as all commercial harbors remained open to continue to service shippers. The “lifeline” to the islands never stopped. He instituted an Area Command that meets daily to exchange important information dealing with the entire Division. This Area Command is made up of all operational districts (Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai), the Disaster Preparedness Program Specialist, Procurement, Finance, Budget and HR personnel. He effectively and clearly communicates his ideas and thoughts in these team meetings. If and/ or when problems arise, Davis will investigate them immediately and respond rapidly. His knowledge and experiences allow him to be a great asset to the Division.

Davis is also tasked to provide information explaining the Division’s financial situation to both the legislature and to the Hawaii Harbor Users Group (HUGGS). His excellent communication skills and ability to respond to feedback make him the perfect conduit to pass on this vital information. He displays a cooperative spirit while performing his duties.

MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Davis Yogi Harbors Administrator Harbors Division Nominated by Robert Crowell, Christopher Murphy, Jeff Hood, Duane Kim

Davis’ s ability to motivate his team within the Harbors Division has enabled this Division to continue to operate without any major glitches.

Davis has exceeded reasonable expectations of the administrator position by taking a See AWARDEES on page 23 PAGE 22

AWARDEES continued from page 22

“hands on” approach of performing lesser roles in the absence of important staff, notably Property Management. A functional property management section initiates, reviews, renews leases which provide revenue to operate the Harbors system. The process to perform these duties includes presenting the information to the DLNR board for approval, soliciting and managing real property appraisal services, discussions with tenants, etc. The property management section, as far back as 2005, had not been performing many of these duties which had a negative effect on Harbors revenue as well as increasing discontent amongst the tenants. Despite not having a background in real estate, Mr. Yogi took it upon himself to learn what needed to be done, soliciting contracts for real estate appraisers and providing clear and concise directions to the property managers to execute. Two of the three property managers left and the supervisor, after multiple counselings and clear guidance being provided, was terminated. Mr. Yogi subsequently took on an even more intimate role with property management, pressed personnel to bring new property managers on board quickly, and provided training to the new property managers how to perform this important function. At this time, the Property Management section, although not able to complete all of the duties, have made great strides towards updating all of the leases which has provided additional revenue for the Harbors system to repair existing structures and fund future improvements. If Mr. Yogi had not taken this approach and relied on lower level managers to continue to not address this issue, Harbors would continue to not realize appropriate returns from it’s real property assets. e Congratulations to the other Manager of the Year nominees: Melanie Martin Civil Rights Coordinator - OCR Nominated by Randall Landry

Marvin Moniz Airports District Manager - AIR-M Nominated by Brian Kamimoto Peter Pillone Commercial Harbors Manager - HAR-OC Nominated by Neil Takekawa

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Wiki Wiki Team - DEP-HWY Nominated by Ed Sniffen The assignment/objective was to streamline the hiring process for DOT Highways Division.

DHRD agreed to do a pilot project Wikiwiki Hire Program for hiring Engineers in the Highways Division - only if highways could show the resourcing and commitment to ensure success. Success was to be able to onboard a prospective hire within 5 days of recruitment.

Vacancies have always been an area of concern internally and with the legislature. The Division is always defending the need for positions, has had positions cut due to the length of vacancy or lose out on potential hires to due the lengthy hiring process. The Senior Managers at the DOT Highways Division collaborated with DHRD in March 2019 to develop the process and guidelines for the Wikiwiki Hire Program.

Robin Shishido took the lead to start writing up the internal expedited processes that DHRD required for the pilot. All senior managers were involved in this effort from the beginning. Each Senior Manager was trained to be an Associate Recruiter. Being an Associate Recruiter means taking on the responsibility of the entire hiring See AWARDEES on page 24

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AWARDEES continued from page 23

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

process including defending the hire should there be a grievance.

Dana Abe Office Assistant IV, HWY-O Nominated by Sam Rombaoa

On April 15, 2019, the Wikiwiki recruitment for DOT Highways was posted on DHRD’s website.

On April 25, 2019 the first list of applicants were provided to DOT Highways. The first interview was conducted on April 26, 2019 and the applicant was hired on April 29, 2019. In the past the hiring process would take 6 to 9 months.

With the Wikiwiki Hire Program an applicant can get hired within a few days. In the first two months of the program the Highways Division has conducted 30 interviews and made 10 hires.

Now, the obstacle to hiring is no longer the process, but how quickly we can encourage the right people to apply into the division.

The success of this pilot project is vital to meeting DOT Highway’s commitment to the legislature to fill vacancies, and more importantly, our commitment to the public to deliver on the system improvements that will positively impact quality of life. The commitment by the Senior Managers has gained the trust of DHRD. We will continue the pilot program and are benefiting from improvements to hiring processes outside of the pilot. In the near future, we will look to expand the Wikiwiki Hire Program to other classifications within the Division.

Congratulations to the other Team of the Year nominees:

Darryl Akamine Illustrator / Photographer, AIR-EG Nominated by Airports Division John Burns Airport Fire FIghter, AIR-M Nominated by Donny Nolasco George Purdy Airports Fire Equipment Operator, AIR-M Nominated by Guy DeSilva Connecting the DOTs Newsletter Team Nominated by Lynn Araki-Regan

ent/objective was to streamline the hiring process for DOT Highways Division. DHRD agreed to do a pilot project Wikiwiki Hire

Program for hiring Engineers in the Highways

HNL Pass & ID Office, AIR-OO Nominated by Steven Maruyama Lane Closure Team, HWY Nominated by Gina Belleau

aml

Maui AOC Team, AIR-M Nominated by Brian Kamimoto

Harbors Division Custodial Unit, HAR-OCG Nominated by David Lee PAGE 24

Mahalo for Your Years of Service!

PAGE 25

ARRIVALS and DEPARTURES and Each month, we feature this section in our newsletter called “Arrivals and Departures,” spotlighting new employees (Arrivals) and departing/retiring employees (Departures). It is an honor to welcome the new employees and congratulate the retiring employees and wish both groups the best in their future endeavors.

ARRIVALS NAME KRISTINA MAGCAMIT SHARON H. ESPEJO BRIANNA L. FUJITA

E Komo E Komo Mai! Mai! TITLE

HUMAN RESOURCES SPECIALIST IV FISCAL OFFICER I ENGINEERING AID III

DEPARTURES NAME JOHN KOTLABA III SAMUEL YARBROUGH

DIV/ISLE HWY/OAHU HAR/OAHU HWY/OAHU

DATE 01/15/21 01/19/21 01/19/21

Mahalo Nui Loa! TITLE DIV/ISLE AIRPORT OPERATIONS CONTR II AIR/KAUAI JANITOR III AIR/OAHU

PAGE 26

DATE 01/04/21 01/19/21

What Do You Love?

Juli Chun (Administration): “I love my annual Waikiki Hotel slumber parties with my sorority sisters! We share food, fun and laughter while we explore Waikiki together. Many great memories!!!”

Ericson Bautista (Highways: “I Love When I See

True Random Acts of Kindness. To me, Hawai’i today is not the same Hawai’i I remember when I was a kid (many decades ago lol).

We are living in a society of misconceptions and irrational values. A society: Where being “bad” is cool, and being kind is weak.

Where being a “real man” means to be overly-macho and treat women as inferior.

Where we are quick to criticize and even quicker to condemn.

Where instead of having accountability, we point fingers.

Where we only do good when we are being watched.

Where we teach our kids to be bullyingly tough, but not compassionate.

Where we seek to be understood rather than be understanding.

Rachel Roper (Highways): “I love my home, Hawaii. I especially love having the mountains and ocean as my playground, the nice weather year round, the ono food, and the concept of ‘ohana.”

We need kindness now more than ever. Being kind is good for our soul.”

Lynn Araki-Regan (Administration): “Having learned Japanese classical dancing since age 7, I love and look forward to dancing at upcoming obon festivals to honor my ancestors and other loved ones.”

PAGE 27

Dale Hall (AIR-O):

“This is my youngest daughter who I’m proud of because of her accomplishments in healthcare. She is my Hero, as she is an RN working at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto; she and other of nursing staff have been diligently giving out the COVID-19 vaccines. This pic was her 1st day in giving the vaccines; so far she’s given hundreds to veterans in the northern California area.”

Adrienne Crowell (Airports) “I LOVE this TEAM. Truly unique and so considerate of others. We recognize and understand each other’s kuleana and respectfully give support. We work hard at balancing our workloads. When one falls, another will come to aid. We encourage new ideas. We make time to laugh, to share, to vent, to cry, to listen, to teach, to eat. We enthusiastically participate in Foodies 101, Kaua’i Style! Always a different dish! We recently adopted a new slogan, “Don’t Be Busy… Be Productive!” With all the hardships we are facing today, it’s nice to come to work knowing someone’s got your back. Take care and stay safe, everyone!”

Melanie Martin (OCR): “Our pandemic driven home renovation included the construction of a new she shed which I absolutely love!”

PAGE 28

Derek Chow (DEP-H):

“My dogs make me laugh and smile everyday. The two used to chase each other around the sofa. So funny.”

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