Harbors

COVID-19 Harbors Division Lends a Helping Hand By: Davis Yogi

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.

…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,

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 .

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 a resident that could be a neighbor or family member.

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-

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 newspapers 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.

Harbors

Harbors Welcomes Cyrus Pattermann

By: Neil Takekawa

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. 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!

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.

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!

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 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?

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.