Dept. of Transportation Monthly Newsletter
Connecting the DOTs...
January 2020
Join the Fun at the Great Aloha Run
By: Melanie Martin
Is your New Year’s Resolution to be more active, lose weight, or boost your fitness level? Then the Great Aloha Run is a perfect way to help you meet your goals.
Share celebration stories and photos while enjoying Papa John’s Pizza, HMS Host tossed salad and more! The registration fee is $45 and it’s $25 youth from 5 to 12 and seniors 65 years and older.
The Great Aloha Run is on Presidents’ Day, February 17, 2020.
When registering, please indicate “427” in the President’s 100 code field. 427 has been designated as our DOT code.
If HDOT gets 50 participants, we can be a part of an elite group of companies and organizations known as the Presidents’ 100 Club! Here are just a few of the benefits: • Team building • Group pride and spirit • A healthier you and a healthier community
After being motivated by Carole Kai on New Year’s Day, Ross Nakagawa of Airports Division decided to join the HDOT team at the Great Aloha Run!
Each Presidents’ 100 Club with at least 50 members will receive a goodie bag at the Hawaii Pacific Health Great Aloha Sports, Health & Fitness Expo. Each Presidents’ 100 Club with 100 or more members will have access to the Ho’omaika’i post-race party at the Aloha Stadium.
NOTE: If you already registered and did not add “427” in the Presidents’ 100 code field, you may still do so by emailing keane.akao@ unitedcerebralpalsyhawaii. org.
To register, click on the following link: www. greataloharun.com/registration/ HDOT is having a t-shirt design contest for special t-shirts that will be given to HDOT participants in the President’s 100 Club. The t-shirt design should be fitness-related and generic in nature so that we can wear it throughout the year to other wellness activities. Deadline to submit your design entry is January 30, 2020.
A Hui Hou, Elton!
By: Lynn Araki-Regan
Contents A Hui Hou Elton! ........................ 1 Join in the Fun at the Great Aloha Run ..................................... 1 Deputy Director Message ...... 3 T-Rex Takes a Vacay .................. 4 Airports .......................................... 5 Highways ...................................... 8 Harbors ........................................11 Shoyu Chicken Recipe ........... 12
Mahalo to Elton Teshima of the Statewide Transportation Planning Office for his 43-year service to HDOT and the State. We wish you the very best with your retirement. May all the years ahead bring you joy and relaxation. You deserve it!
Loud, Smelly Food and Irritating Co-Workers ............. 13 Blood Drive ................................ 18 Mind Your Muscles ................. 19 Life Is Short ................................ 20
CONNECTING THE DOTs Editor-in-Chief: Lynn Araki-Regan Managing Editor: Rae Nguyen Art Director: Frank Uratani Column Writers: Rey Domingo Melanie Martin PAGE 2
Contributors: Derek Chow Ross Higashi Martinez Jacobs Shelly Kunishige Rachel Roper Maaza Mekuria Anna Metcalfe Kevin Murata Kurt Sanehira Lisa Ellen Smith Neil Takekawa
Message from our Deputy Director
By: Ross Higashi
As the busy holiday travel season is winding down, I would like to begin with a huge mahalo to our airport employees who sacrificed their on-airport parking stalls in order to accommodate the parking congestion at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). The parking lot pinch has become more pronounced with the addition of more neighbor island flights, construction efforts and the growing popularity for electric vehicles. Your contributions have not gone unnoticed.
The Mauka Concourse and the Consolidated Car Rent-A-Center (CONRAC) projects at HNL are off the ground and will add efficiency and convenience to the traveling public. The Mauka Concourse is projected to be completed in a year and will add much needed gates and a new TSA checkpoint. The HNL CONRAC will house all the major rental car companies in one central location and is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2021. The CONRAC at Kahului Airport (OGG) opened for business in May 2019 on time and on budget.
There are big things happening in the Airports Division in 2020, including addressing two of the biggest complaints at the airport, which were regarding Wi-Fi and restrooms. I am happy to report the Wi-Fi at HNL was recently ranked the fastest of any airport in the country! People are able to get free and unlimited Wi-Fi coverage throughout the airport. Regarding the number two complaint, renovations have been made to the restrooms in the Ewa and Diamond Head concourses, and work is currently underway to improve 52 sets of restrooms throughout Terminal 2 at HNL. It is a project we are all relieved is getting done. There is tremendous progress on the modernization projects happening around the state.
It features an electric tram to deliver customers to and from the terminal to the rental car counters and has been recognized for its energy and environmental design. Enclosure of the exterior walkways from gates 1-15 will be starting in July 2020 to increase hold room and restroom capacity. Estimated completion is December 2021. Additional restroom improvements continue and should be completed by December 2020. See DEPUTY DIRECTOR MESSAGE page 6
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Airports
Safeguarding the Skies *
By: Jessica Else of The Garden Isle
With measles reported in at least five U.S. airports this holiday season, the outbreak in Samoa and more direct flights from the mainland to Lihue Airport, staff have to stay vigilant to keep disease from spreading.
including crash fire rescue staff, to be on a heightened awareness for measles.
That means keeping everyone in the visitor industry refreshed on how to identify and respond to communicable illnesses in passengers, something that Oahu physician James Ireland coordinates for the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Ireland has been working with HDOT since 2000. He and his team meet every three months to consider the communicable diseases in circulation and make sure that airport personnel across the islands are up to speed on response and identification protocol. “There’s always a ‘disease of the month’ that’s of concern,” Ireland said Thursday. “Lately, with the outbreak in Samoa and the reports from the mainland airports, it’s measles.” The Samoa measles outbreak has been traced back to July 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and in November, Ireland’s team sent out reminders to airport personnel, * Permission to reprint The Garden Isle copyrighted material in this publication does not in any way imply affiliation with or endorsement by The Garden Isle.
In early December, a medical team from Hawaii flew to Samoa to help combat the contagious virus and to help with vaccinations. That’s about the same time airports in Chicago, Texas and Virginia began reporting travelers with measles. Now, with increased media exposure of the spreading of measles, Ireland says protocols in place will help keep everyone up to date on response. “Flight crews are trained to recognize the signs of ill passengers, and they know what to look for on all the neighbor islands,” Ireland said. “The aircrafts can radio ahead and airport fire rescue are on standby.” This year, there were four reported cases of travel-related measles in Hawaii, including three visitors and one resident. In 2018, there were no reported cases of measles in the state. An advisory was sent to physicians in November, and healthcare providers are reminded to be vigilant, he said. Measles cases are rising around the world, See SAFEGUARDING on page 5
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Airports
Active Shooter Presentation Peaks Interest, Concerns
By: Rae Nguyen
It was a full house for the Active Shooter Tabletop Presentation held Dec. 5 at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International ARFF station. Airline carriers, car rental tenants and even other government agencies learned of incidents that resulted in mass casualties. Presenter David Bell, Assistant Airport Superintendent and Airport Tactical Officer Dave Sommers posted grim stats that included limited beds at the local hospital and varied response times from Hawaii County PD.
From left: Airport Police Dav e Sommers, Asst. Airport Sup erintendent David Bell, retired Hawaii Fire Capt. Sea n Sommers and Civil Defens e Officer Josh Black
The tabletop also served as a think tank with attendees divvied up into groups and sharing their initial emergency response. Ideas and suggestions would then be taken back to their respective employers to implement into their emergency safety plan.
“Depending on circumstances, HPD may not have enough time to get to us,” said Sommers. “Police would also need to take care of the rest of the community and can’t pool all their resources to just one location.”
Another tabletop exercise is planned for early next year.
SAFEGUARDING continued from page 4
according to the Associated Press. The United States in 2019 reported its highest number of cases in 25 years, and last year protracted outbreaks caused four European countries where measles had been eliminated to lose that status, the World Health Organization reported this month. The partnership between HDOT, the state Department of Health and CDC matured about 10 years ago because avian flu was going around, and the relationship has been “pretty robust” since then, according to Ireland. “It all started with (figuring out) how to screen passengers for avian flu and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) when that
was a concern,” Ireland said. “Now we have procedures ready for everything, so to speak.” Ireland said the current measles outbreak isn’t quite as concerning compared to other communicable diseases that have been in circulation, like SARS, ebola or avian flu, because many in Hawaii are already vaccinated for measles. “Hawaii has high vaccination rates with pockets of people in the counties that don’t vaccinate,” Ireland said. “With these high vaccination rates, if measles were to be introduced, most people wouldn’t get it.”
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Airports
DEPUTY DIRECTOR MESSAGE continued from page 3
ticketing and queuing space starting in June 2020. We also have worked with the USDA Wildlife Services program and the DLNR to protect the nene goose from bird strikes. The program implemented the use of border collies to safely relocate the endangered geese away from the runway areas and has been successful.
Also on Maui, our team has held community meetings regarding the Kahului Airport runway reconstruction project, which includes constructing a temporary runway that is parallel to the current runway so all operations can continue uninterrupted. The terminal modernization project at the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole is nearing completion. This project will centralize the security checkpoint and the baggage handling system to add greater efficiency for staff and the traveling public. Our team in Kona also continues work on the permanent Federal Inspection Station (FIS) which will benefit our international travelers.
Statewide, our sustainability projects are helping the environment and saving money with the installation of 24,700 solar panels, HVAC and transformer upgrades and the replacement of all light fixtures with LED’s. In total, the $200 million investment is guaranteed to save more than $600 million over the 20-year life of the contract. It is the largest investment in energy savings of any state in the country. I am proud of the work the Airports Division has accomplished and look forward to many more improvements that will help move our Airports System forward over the course of the new year. Together we are renovating and building facilities we can all be proud of. Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!!!
The FIS is designed to meet the latest US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Airport Technical Design Standards for Passenger Processing facilities. In Hilo, restrooms on the ground floor are slated to begin renovation in July 2020. At Lihue Airport, planter boxes fronting the ticket lobby will be demolished to enlarge the PAGE 6
Airports
35th Recruiting Class Graduation Adds Firefighters to County of Maui Dept. of Public Safety and SOH ARFF By: Martinez Jacobs
County of Maui Department of Public Safety and State of Hawaii Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Joint Training Center 35th Recruit Class Graduation at Maui Beach Hotel. The rigorous 22-week Fire Recruit training initiated on August 2, 2019 through December 27, 2019 Recruit Training Program. All recruits upon graduation received the Pro Board various certification leavels Pro Board Professional Certification • NFPA 1001 Fire Fighter I • NFPA 1001 Fire Fighter II • NFPA 1072 Hazardous Materials Awareness • NFPA 1072 Hazardous Materials Operations • First Responder Emergency Medical Note: The (10) ARFF personnel will remain on 40-hour work week from December 27 to January 10, 2020 to receive 80-hours of Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Professional Certificate. Thereafter, each will be assigned to 56-hour work week at various ARFF stations.
Kahului Airport Keoki Lovato Justin Manglallan Dennis Walsh Dave Walsh Dave Walin Keoni Rosete Kahone Speed Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole Charles Akao Hilo International Airport Travis Voeller Lihue Airport Briggs Agu
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Highways HWY-P Welcomes Three New Employees By: Rachel Roper He has done computer modeling of hydraulics, water pollution, and sedimentation; lab and field research and data collection; development of underwater surveying technology, and scientific diving during his first engineering career on the mainland. Jonathan is now returning to engineering after doing other things since moving to Hawaii almost 25 years ago, including working as a full-time public school science teacher for most of that time.
veric Abella and Richard
From left: Jonathan Lott, Ma Wollenbecker
More recently he worked as a commercial tour bus driver, substitute teacher, stagehand, tour guide, and Waikiki Hospitality Ambassador.
The Highways Division, Planning Branch recently welcomed three new employees. Maveric Abella and Jonathan Lott join the Planning Survey Section and Richard Wollenbecker joins the Systems Planning Section.
His hobbies include bike riding and racing, running, and surfing. He is “retired” from triathlon racing and hopes to spend more time on and in the ocean.
Abella graduated from Kamehameha High School and recently graduated from Columbia University with an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering.
Wollenbecker graduated from Maryknoll in 2010 and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2014 with a BS in Aerospace Engineering.
She is looking forward to becoming the new Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) coordinator in Planning.
His hobbies include sailing, rocketry and video games.
Maveric was born and raised here on Oahu, and is excited to be back home doing her favorite things: surfing, hiking, SCUBA, and pretty much anything outdoors. Lott graduated with a BSCE from the University of Maryland with a concentration in Water Resources and a MS from the University of Florida in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering.
During the summer you can usually find him sailing around Kaneohe Bay on Friday evenings from Kaneohe Yacht Club. The largest successful rocket he’s launched was the Barber Pole, which flew to 5000 feet. During college he designed several experimental rocket motors up to I class, with only one dramatic failure.
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Highways
Transportation Performance Management: What Does it Have to Do with Me?
By: Maaza Mekuria
has signed on to “Vision Zero”: a goal of zero fatalities. The statistics are grim at this time (average of 103 fatalities per year over the five years that data is available.) No one wants a life to be taken away due to preventable crashes. A few years ago the terminology was changed from “accidents” to “crashes” to reflect that these sad events are truly preventable if all the parties acted carefully and responsibly.
Transportation Performance management is what the federal government uses to measure how Hawaii is performing in terms of meeting the stated goals of safety, system preservation and mobility in our state.
Our responsibility in preventing these crashes is to design, maintain and operate safe, and efficient infrastructure.
The three measures are like the three legs of a stool, which if not properly balanced, makes it difficult to remain properly seated. Similarly, a good travel experience is dependent on safety, roadway infrastructure quality and travel time. We need a well-designed and maintained infrastructure to arrive at our destination safely, and we need to get there in a reasonable time. Check out how Hawaii stands up against all the states in these three areas at the Federal Highway Administration website at https:// www.fhwa.dot.gov/tpm/reporting/state/state. cfm?state=Hawaii
We have a long way to go but setting our eyes on that prize helps us move in that direction everyday. One of my favorite Proverbs is “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Setting our “eyes on the prize,” with the goal to eliminate roadway fatalities, is one way to say we are committed to making a difference in the lives of about a million and a half residents who call Hawaii home and also millions of visitors that come to enjoy their favorite destination. In the coming year, each of us in HDOT can make a difference in Transportation Asset Management by striving to improve the critical infrastructures to deliver the best performance and travel experience, to every person in Hawaii.
The data is part of the annual submission that HDOT Highways provides to the Feds. Our collective efforts make for quality travel experience to our customers. In order to improve Hawaii’s road safety, HDOT
Data courtesy of FHWA website (visited at Dec. 23, 2019 7PM)
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Highways
Hawaiian ‘Green’ Concrete: Recycling Byproducts from Local Power Plants By: Kurt Sanehira Dr. Lin Shen, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and research assistant, Reza Mirmoghtadaei, Ph.D. Candidate, at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, have conducted innovative research on geopolymer concrete, a type of sustainable concrete, which provides ways of recycling byproducts from Hawaiian power plants and mitigating carbon dioxide emissions. Geopolymer (inorganic polymer) concrete is a new type of concrete materials that utilizes industrial byproducts such as “fly ash,” as a substitute for Portland cement, the most commonly used materials after water on our planet.
From left: UH Professor Lin Shen, UH Research Assistant Reza Mirmoghtadaei and Project Sponsor Brian Ikehara, HWY-LS
surpassing 2.6 billion tons per year and growing at a rate of five percent per annum.
Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufacturing is a significant contributor to CO2 emissions, and it was estimated that 5% to 8% of all human-generated atmospheric CO2 comes from the cement industry.
Geopolymer concrete has the potential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions, provide a durable and sustainable substitute for OPC, conserve thousands of acres of land currently used for landfilling of coal combustion products, and protect aquifers and surface See GREEN CONCRETE page 12
Worldwide production of OPC is presently
Data Sharing Platform Helps Enhance Efficiency Hawaii DOT is improving efficiency through data sharing. Among the tools used to enhance efficiency is a web-based data sharing system called Socrata.
By: Kevin Murata
Watch the stories of DOT employees who have found the Socrata Data Platform beneficial on this YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=UoyBC8o8WyM&feature=youtu.be). If you have any comments or need more information please drop an email to Kevin Murata or Gina Belleau in HWY-A.
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Harbors Harbors Celebrates Holidays, Employees On December 19, 2019, Harbors Division employees gathered to celebrate the holidays and to recognize employees’ years of service and perfect attendance. The time was filled with laughter and praise, and provided time for employees from Harbors Admin and the District/Base Yard to connect. There were great foods, homemade desserts, games and raffle prizes, but the best prize of all was staff’s 8 days of Christmas song to Deputy Director Derek Chow. The wishes for the 8 days till Christmas included admin time off, eSign, and new equipment.
Removing Derelict Vehicles a Priority to Maintain Safe, Efficient Navigation By: Neil Takekawa
On June 20, 2019, the Kulamanu, formerly known as the Windjammer Cruises’ Rella Mae, departed Honolulu Harbor for the last time. The vessel was towed to a facility at Kalaeloa Barber Point Harbor for final preparation for disposal at sea. Then on July 11, 2019, the vessel was towed 19 miles south of Kaena point and sunk in about 8,570 feet of water.
dismantle the vessel and sell the parts, dispose of the vessel or even turn it into a restaurant. You may recall the bow of a boat was used at the former Sam Choy’s on Nimitz or the Oceania Floating Restaurant at pier 6. The winning bidder for the Kulamanu chose to dispose of the vessel by scuttling at sea, cutting strategic holes in the bow and filling the vessel with water.
After years of neglect by the owner, the Kulamanu deteriorated into a threat to the safe operations of Honolulu Harbor. Harbors Division impounded the vessel after the owner defaulted. After an unsuccessful attempt to auction the vessel, Harbors Division secured a contract for removal of the vessel from Honolulu Harbor.
Although it is a sad end to a vessel, removing derelict vessels from Honolulu Harbor has been a priority for Harbors Division as Honolulu Harbor is the hub of the hub-and-spoke system to deliver goods throughout the state. Derelict vessels during a storm or hurricane can sink in the harbor blocking traffic and stopping commerce, not just for Oahu but for the entire state. Harbors Division has successfully removed 36 vessels from Honolulu Harbor in the last 2 years at great effort by the Oahu District personnel. However, it is this coordinated diligent effort that is needed to keep our harbors operating.
Harbors Division takes a slightly different tact for derelict vessels, which is to remove the vessel and provide a final disposition report. This allows the bidders to develop creative ideas such as to refurbish the vessel for resale,
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Recipe of the Month: Sticky Shoyu Chicken Sure to be a crowd-pleaser, this mouth-watering chicken dish is savory and easy to make. Ingredients 1 cup sugar 1 cup low sodium shoyu ¼ cup sesame seed oil 4 slices of ginger 5-6 smashed cloves of garlic 1.5-2 lb of chicken wings chopped green onions Mix sugar, shoyu, oil, ginger and cloves. Brown chicken in pan on medium-high heat and cover with mixture and simmer uncovered. Occasionally flip chicken. Finished when sauce is reduced into a glaze. Garnished with chopped green and serve.
GREEN CONCRETE continued from page 10
bodies of freshwater via the clearance of fly ash landfills, specifically in Hawaii. Performance wise, this novel material features comparable or better mechanical properties and durability than OPC such as higher resistance to sulfate attack, less creep, high strength, rapid strength gain, and comparable shrinkage. Compared with OPC, geopolymer concrete costs less and could achieve up to 90% in life cycle greenhouse gas reduction. The results of this research project provides new knowledge of different types of fly ashes with impurities in the geopolymerization process and may benefit the expanded use of various types of waste materials including slag and red mud in manufacturing of geopolymer and Portland cement concrete. PAGE 12
By: Dexter Espinueva
Loud Breathing, Sniffling. Smelly Foods Irritate Co-workers
By: Rey Domingo
Don’t you hate it when your co-worker breathes too loudly? And you will surely scream if your colleague raps her fingernails on her desk one more time.
Ever missed a deadline, arrived late to a meeting or took a longer-than-allowed lunch break? Some workers would like to slap a fine on such behavior.
So, what’s with the guy at the desk next to yours? Did he bathe in a vat of cologne?
About 65% people surveyed think a fair fine structure would make everyone much more accountable for their actions.
What habits do your coworkers have that drive you around the bend?
Here are the fines surveyed employees said they would levy for the behaviors they rated as the worst:
These are their top 10 cringe-worthy habits, according to a recent survey:
• $28 for not meeting a deadline (79%). • $24 for being unnecessarily rude or offensive (72%). • $20 for not attending a scheduled meeting (66%). • $14 for making or taking multiple personal phone calls during working hours (64%). • $10 for showing up more than 5 minutes late to a meeting (58%). • $12 for taking a longer lunch break than allocated (53%). • $6 for showing up more than five minutes late to work (45%). • $8 for dressing inappropriately or sloppily (40%). • $5 for saying they’ll attend a work social and then not showing up (37%). • $3 for allowing a personal phone to ring during a meeting (31%).
• Loud or open-mouth chewing (70%) • Strong smells such as food, body odor, and too much cologne or perfume (68%) • Coughing, sneezing or sniffling (48%) • Rhythmic tapping (43%) • Loud music (42%) • Colleague’s messy desk (36%) • Loud breathing (32%) • Clinking cutlery (27%) • Loud typing (26%) • Anti-social co-workers (16%) Not surprisingly, many of the bad habits dealt with hygiene and cleanliness – or the lack thereof. More than half – 54% – wanted a workplace policy that bans employees from heating up smelly foods and a whopping 93% said food left in the office fridge should be removed within a week. Workers also can’t stand colleagues who return from workouts less than daisy-fresh.
As for how the money from the fines would be used, the majority think it should be used to improve workplace aesthetics. The workplace is like a second home for many employees.
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T-Rex Takes Vacay to Kauai By: Lisa Ellen Smith Not an everyday thing you see at the airport. I had the opportunity to see the arrival of a dinosaur here at Līhu‘e Airport. She was dressed coming off the jet bridge, through baggage claim, and the curbside terminal, bring smiles wherever she went. I wanted to share the smiles she brought to us here. Happy holiday season!
Safety Commendations Awarded to United, Delta and Hawaiian Airlines
By: Anna Metcalfe
d
Tarpey of Unite tor Jade Butay, Jeff From left: DOT direc niz nager, Marvin Mo Airlines and OGG ma
Mahalo to Hawaiian Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Airlines for leading the way on our enhancing our safety and Security program!
From left: Jade Butay, Patricia Has t of Delta Airlines and Mar vin Moniz
rvin Moniz
iian Airlines and Ma
wa Reid Shigeoka of Ha
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Director & First Deputy Visit Kapolei, Kauai, Hilo Offices In the past few weeks, Director Jade Butay and First Deputy Lynn Araki-Regan visited HDOT offices in Kapolei, the Highways baseyards, Kauai, Maui, and Hilo. “Hoping to meet with our Kona offices in the near future,” said Deputy Director Lynn ArakiRegan.
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Join us for an
OPEN HOUSE to Gain Confidence and Find your Voice
Come for the food, stay for the fun, and learn how to: * Gain Confidence * Communicate and Lead * Put Your Thoughts Into Words * Develop Better Speaking and Presenting Skillls
TRANSPORTATION TOASTMASTERS OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, January 14, 2020 Noon to 1:00 p.m.
869 Punchbowl Street, 5th Floor Conference Room To RSVP, email TransportationToastmasters@gmail.com
