Dept. of Transportation Monthly Newsletter
Connecting the DOTs...
November 2019
And the Winners of DOT ’s Halloween Costume Contest are ... By: Rae Nguyen
Lots of entries came in for the DOT Halloween Costume Contest, and many brought lots of laughs, chills or simply awwws. Since it’s our first ever contume contest, the newsletter committee had the tough task to choose their top four favorites for individual and one for team entries. It wasn’t easy as there were 35 individual and 18 team entries. Congratulations to first place winner Melchor Travens, HAR-ESP for his finger-lickin’ good depiction of Colonel Sanders. Second place winner Brenda Strimpel, AIR-E for always coming 1st Place Winner: M elchor Tra to work as her whole self for the other days of the year. vens, H See COSTUME CONTEST page 17
AR-ESP
DOT Recognizes Employee Milestone By: Lynn Araki-Regan The Administration Division recently celebrated its employees who have dedicated their careers in public service and recognized their well-deserved achievement. Mahalo to the following for their years of service to DOT: Eric Lum Susan Uejo Ruth Yamato
30 years 10 years (not pictured) 10 years
Tenured em ployees Za chariah W were prese adsack, Ru nted with th Yamato certificate & Eric Lum of dedicati on by Dire ctor Jade B utay.
Zachariah Wadsack k 10 years
Winners Announced at SPOCon Awards By: Lynn Araki-Regan
Engineer/Section Head Fred Pascua from HWY-A and Sandra Inouye from Contracts office were Sandra Inouye & Fred honored with the State Pascua were honored at the SPOCon Awards Lu Procurement Excellence ncheon. Award at the SPOCon Awards Luncheon October 16 at the Hilton Waikiki Beach ch Hotel. The award is in recognition of their noteworthy contributions to procurement and contracting policy. Congratulations Fred and Sandra! We appreciate your hard work!
Enter Holiday Staff Photo Contest
By: Rachel Roper
The holiday season is just around the corner. Many of you will be busy baking, decorating your office spaces and deciding on holiday card poses as you ring in the season. If your office/section is interested in posting a holiday photo of your staff in the December issue of the HDOT newsletter, please send them to rachel.la.roper@hawaii.gov by November 31, 2019. We are looking forward to seeing your festive photos.
Contents
Halloween Costume Contest w winner ........................................... 1 DOT Recognizes Employee Milestones .................................. 1 W Winners Announced at S SPOCon Awards ....................... 2 Enter Holiday Staff Photo C Contest ........................................ 2 Message from Deputy Director Derek Chow .............. 3 Dr. Pant as State Planning A Administrator ............................ 4 Kansai University High Students Learn Harbors ......... 4 Airports .................................... 5-8 Harbors ........................................ 9 Highways .................................. 10 Avoid Holiday Stress ............ 11 Supervisors Conference ...... 12 Effective Safety Communication ..................... 12 ISAC Honors Employees ..... 13 Cheesy Scramble Eggs ........ 13 Kaua‘i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan ................. 14 Big Island Construction Career Day .............................................. 15 Payroll Beneficiary Functionality Available ........ 16 Fire Chief Mitchell Sits Down with Rusty Komori ................. 17 New Notification System .... 18 Sale! DOT Holiday Gear ...... 20
CONNECTING THE DOTs Editor-in-Chief: Lynn Araki-Regan Managing Editor: Rae Nguyen Art Director: Frank Uratani Column Writers: Melanie Martin
Contributors:
Cynthia Afuso Sarah Allen Derek Chow Juli Chun Kyle Gregg David Holland Shelly Kunishige Robert McLean Glen Mitchell Beulah Olanolan Rachel Roper Chris Takeno Ian Tierney, KYA Designs Chauncey Wong Yuen PAGE 2
©2019 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.
Message from our Deputy Director
By: Derek Chow
Why Hawai‘i’s Harbors are Important Ia am proud to be the DOT Deputy th Director for D Harbors H Division. Since S arriving in January J 2019, I have come to appreciate all of the variety of tasks performed by Harbors Division employees on Oa Oahu, Kaua‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, Lana‘i and the Big Island.
supporting economic viability and security. In addition, all goods shipped from the U.S. mainland to Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and other areas throughout the Pacific Ocean are also first shipped through Hawai’i.
Hawai‘i’s Harbors belong to a transportation network that includes highways and airports systems. Together, these systems transport people, goods, equipment and materials safely and efficiently.
Many outside of Harbors Division may have very little awareness and appreciation of Hawai‘i’s Harbor System. In fact, I will bet that most people don’t really think about how goods are delivered to store shelves.
Transportation infrastructure is vital to the economic prosperity and sustainability of Hawai’i. Only when these systems work in coordination can DOT effectively serve our communities.
It is the good work of Harbors Division employees, maritime partners and ground transportation system that ensure goods are distributed throughout the Pacific.
Given the national security shift to deal with threats from China and North Korea, Hawai‘i’s Harbor System, which supports these areas in the Indo-PACOM region, is even that much more important.
Harbors Division’s 250+ employees in operations, engineering, administration and law enforcement, work tirelessly to ensure that goods being delivered to Hawai‘i is done efficiently and safely.
An earlier study estimated that 80% of all goods consumed in Hawai’i are imported, and 99% of all imported goods are delivered to Hawai‘i by waterborne transportation. Hawai‘i’s reliance on waterborne commerce raises harbors infrastructure and maritime activities as critical infrastructure and industries
Hawai’i uses a just-in-time approach in the delivery and consumption of goods, that is,
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See DEPUTY DIRECTOR page 9
Dr. Pradip Pant Joins DOT ‘Ohana as STP Administrator By: Lynn Araki-Regan Welcome, Dr. Pradip Pant, to our DOT ‘Ohana! Pradip is department’s new Statewide Transportation Planning (STP) Administrator effective November 1.
in i urban and regional planning with the emphasis on o transportation planning, ttransportation economics, ttransportation safety, and ttransportation resilience.
Jade Butay and Lynn Araki-Rega n announces Dr. Pradip Pant (center) as Transportation Pla nning Adminstrator.
Pradip has a total of 26 years of experience in the engineering, transportation and urban and regional planning field representing government, academia, and consulting engineering firms. He worked for 12 years in the Government of Nepal, first as an engineer and transportation planner and later as an administrator.
Pradip serves as an P Assistant Editor for A Transportation Research T Interdisciplinary In Perspectives (TRIP), an P international journal in published by Elsevier. p
Most recently, Pradip worked as an Assistant Director for Training Development and Research at the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC), University of Hawai‘i. This included project administration and coordination of Pacific Southwest Region (PSR) 9 University Transportation Center (UTC).
His academic and research focus has been
Kansai University High Students Learn Hawaii’s Harbors
By: Lynn Araki-Regan
Students from Kansai University High School in Osaka, Japan visited with Harbors Division Deputy Director Derek Chow as part of their foreign study program. The purpose for the visit was for those students interested in transportation to learn about Hawaii’s harbors and transportation system.
During their stay in Hawai‘i this month, students have visited local companies and other organizations for their fieldwork. Mahalo to Derek for his hospitality! PAGE 4
Airports KOA’s Unexpectedly Loses Polly Zangerr By: Chauncey Wong Yuen It’s with heavy hearts to announce the sudden passing of KOA’s beloved Assistant Airport Superintendent Pauline “Polly” Jo Zanger. She was cherished by anyone who knew her, her easy smile and jovial personality. She was just 57 years old. “Good ‘ole faithful, reliable Polly.”
down the hall with my squeaky Skechers.
Rounding the corner, I’d always received a warm and welcoming, “Helloooo...!” from Polly peering out from a desk piled high with classification folders that surrounded her.
I’d tell her that every so often, especially when she bailed me out from a difficult situation - whether it’s following up with a customer or a construction project detail or complying with a FAA Part 139 Polly was an animal lover and was fond of bull inspection finding terriers and racing horses. or updating a manual. There was seemingly no end to the details that Polly managed. She always did so with kindness, grace, patience, firmness as apropos but more often - with raucous laughter.
leys in Hawaii. Polly enjoys Har
If I needed a sounding board on bo any topic, an I’d head over to o Polly’s P offi o ce. It was w always a dead giveaway g as a I strode
Polly was kn own for her sunny smile and persona lity.
I’d I grab a handful of M&M’s from the glass jar nearby and f launch into conversations l sometimes so long, I would s apologize for taking her away a from her work. f We W envisioned, contemplated, strategized and often s complained about why things c were the way they were but w never lost sight of moving n forward. f
When I thought I was on the wrong track, she’d assure me that I was doing what’s right. Polly was always supportive. She was the encourager that every leader needs. Those leaders who receive such encouragement are indeed blessed. Polly’s illness came suddenly while she was on a visit with family on the mainland. I went to visit twice at her home town of Bowling Green, Ohio. At first her symptoms were unclear but after subsequent strokes, prospects for her full recovery were deemed poor.
PAGE 5
See POLLY ZANGER page 6
POLLY ZANGER continued from page 5
But she wowed us all by responding well enough with her hands, toes, eyes and head nods for us to know that she was still hanging in there. Since she couldn’t speak, I prayed that God would visit her in dreams and show Himself strong to her. While alone with her one afternoon, I asked, “Polly, did God visit you?” Her eyes widened as she looked straight at me and nodded up and down decidedly that He did. It was as if she’d seen something frightening but grand. I asked if she loved God. She did the same thing.
Airports
Not only was her response of great comfort to me but even so for the airport community who had gathered back home to pray for her daily. She stopped responding the day I left and was moved to hospice that afternoon. She passed peacefully two weeks later on September 30, 2019. We held a memorial at KOA with messages and songs on October 15, 2019. We planted a kukui tree, dropped 1,000 orchids from a helicopter and composed a mele entitled, “E Polly” in her honor.” We miss our beloved sister but we know without a doubt that she is with God and that we’ll see her again. Thank you, Polly - we will see you again. Mai poina mākou e Polly!
E Polly She came to us to visit
Smiling with former property ma Ackerman.
nager George
Hele mai ‘o ia E ‘ike iā mākou Ua noho ‘o ia No ko māua kaikuahine Mino ‘aka mau Maika‘i me nā po‘e He kūlike ka‘oia‘i‘o
Stayed to be our sister Smiling always Good with people Reliable Faithful
Aloha e, aloha e Ha’o makou ia ‘oe e Polly Aloha e, aloha e Mai poina mākou e Polly
Aloha e, aloha e We miss you a lot e Polly Aloha e, aloha e We won’t forget e Polly
Hanging loose with Polly, Chauncey Wong Yuen and Craig Bisgard
Polly posing with U.S.
Selfie Time!
House Rep Tusli Gabb ard. PAGE 6
Airports HNL Got Down and Dirty for Two-Day FOD Walk and Recycle Event By: Ian Tierney of KYA Designs g About 175 volunteers scoured two miles of airport ramps to pick up rubbish Oct. 16 for the Fall 2019 Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Walk at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Divided into 5 teams, FOD was collected at the Aloha Air Cargo, Terminal 1, Ewa, Central and Diamond Head Concourse. It wasn’t just all work and no play. In fact, donations from 22 airport tenants, business partners and government organizations awarded 98 door prizes to the lucky winners who participated in the raffle. Overall, more than 500 lbs of trash was collected. The second event was the Recycle Drive, sponsored by the DOT. Bulky furniture, electronics, appliances, paper, plastics and other waste items were accepted. About 22 organizations brought their waste items to the recycle drive.
Special thanks go out to the DOT-A Oahu District Maintenance Baseyard team who brought 12 staff members and a forklift to help unload the waste. Impressively, 33 vehicles were unloaded, 200 cubic yards mixed waste collected and 18 refrigerators AC’s collected. Next planned cleanup events is slated in Spring 2020. For more info, visit: http://airports.hawaii.gov/hnl/ airport-info/sustainablehnl/
New Faces at Daniel K. Inouye Airport Ne By: Beulah Olanolan
A Airports Division welcome new student interns making a difference at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
Mae guyen, Chasity From left: Ha N DOT. in jo r lla “Jos” Vi Real and Josiah
Ha Nguyen is in the process of earning her BBA in Marketing, Human Resources and International Business. Chasity-Mae Real is pursing a BBA in Marketing and Management. Josiah Villar is studying to get her BBA in Human Resources Management. All A three students are currently attending University of Hawai’i. PAGE 7
Airports Airports Step Up to Pilot for Procurement Business By: Sarah Allen Process Review
The DOT Airports’ System has volunteered to be the first State department to participate in a review of their internal procurement policies and procedures for the purposes of finding efficiencies and becoming ”system-ready” for our new eProcurement Vision.
The eProcurement Vision is the implementation of a robust eProcurement System covering the entire procurement lifecycle — from Planning to Conclusion — for the Executive branch as well as optionally for all other Hawaii CPO Jurisdictions. Before we can provide a great system, we must be sure we have processes that can transfer from the manual or hybrid way we are doing it now to this new digital landscape.
The State Procurement Office (SPO) joined DOT Airports this week with Civic Initiatives.
We believe there are many opportunities to achieve cost savings and efficiencies as we re-imagine our internal procurement processes and policies, and we are excited to be first in the Executive Branch to do this kind of review to be ready for implementing the eProcurement system Vision.” The review should be completed by December this year. Other Departments will follow this review and implementation plan. The intent is to conduct research to develop a robust solicitation, to develop our funding model and create an implementation plan for all 21 Executive Branch departments.
We collaborated step-by-step through each part of the procurement process, covering all procurement types, workforce organization, workflow reviews, and forms. Ford Fuchigami, DOT-Airports Administrative Services Officer and a passionate champion for a 21st Century Airport system, stated: “We are working as one team, developing a future state for the Airport System in how we deal with the full life-cycle of procurements and contracts.
departments especially SPO is asking these departments, the larger, more complex departments, to sign up for their place in the line to ultimately assist us in smoothly transitioning from a hodgepodge set of systems and manual processes into a quicker, more efficient, transparent procurement system.
PAGE 8
DEPUTY DIRECTOR continued from page 3
Harbors
goods are delivered to distribution and retail outlets with little warehousing or storage. This creates constant demand and limited supply, but greatly reduces costs to the consumers.
improvements, and just as important, maintenance. These improvements will ensure the reliability, efficiency and navigation safety throughout the system. It is clear that Hawaii’s Harbors must adapt to industry needs, economic changes and stay in step with technological advances.
Recently, I attended the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), which serves to facilitate partnerships amongst port entities throughout the Western Hemisphere. Harbors Division has been a member of AAPA for some time now.
As I came on board, my focus areas were PEOPLE, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO OUR CUSTOMERS and QUALITY. These remain my focus areas as I incorporate strategic engagements with the industry, law makers, communities, and agencies such as the Maritime Administration, US Army Corps of Engineers, and regulatory bodies.
I was pleased to find out that Hawai’i’s port infrastructure needs are being addressed amongst all the activities of the AAPA.
I am fortunate to be at the helm of Harbors Division and working with employees doing their very best to provide the products and services to the maritime industry so that they are able to deliver goods to sustain our communities.
In fact, the AAPA CEO will be visiting Hawaii’s Harbors this December, which will be a great opportunity to reinforce the importance of Hawai’i’s Harbor System. In the conference, there was much discussion about partnerships with all modes of transportation and between government and the private sector.
I am confident that we are meeting today’s needs and challenges, and will also meet future needs and challenges.
Many ports shared their successes and lessonslearned, and offered assistance in areas where they have struggled or experienced challenges. AAPA also serves as an advocate for ports and industry with the U.S. Congress and Administration.
To all Harbors Division employees, thanks for all the great things that you do and keep up the great work. To our sister highways and airports divisions, maritime industry, and communities, we are your partner.
Hawai’i’s Harbors System has to remain relevant now and in the future. Harbors on all islands are going through a transformation that includes over $400 million in modernization and capital PAGE 9
Highways Building Leadership within Highways In September, the Highways Division held a three-day training that brought together staff from across the Division. The purpose of the training was to strengthen attendees’ facilitative skills with a specific focus on collaborative leadership.
Mission To provide a safe, efficient, accessible and sustainable intermodal transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods and enhances and/or preserves economic prosperity and the quality of life.
essential to carrying out the Hawaii Department of Transportation’s mission to provide a safe, efficient, accessible and sustainable intermodal transportation system that ensures the mobility of people and goods, and enhances and/ or preserves economic prosperity and the quality of life.
ACCOUNTABILITY/ TRANSPARENCY/ COMMITMENT, INTEGRITY, SAFETY and SERVICE were identified by the group.
The skills presented will not only assist in conducting productive meetings, promoting leadership, and building relationships but many attendees commented that the skills could also be applied to their personal relationships with friends and family. Donna R. Ching, founder of the Pacific Center for Collaboration and the workshop developer and facilitator, designed the agenda to include a mix of lecture, discussion, and group exercises. This format created a positive environment for learning, practicing skills, and strengthening relationships among attendees. As many of us have attended or led challenging meetings for our projects, the attendees were able to embody their roles with ease while Donna pointed out tips for making meeting participants feel heard/legitimized, handling disruptive behaviors, gathering effective input, and ensuring the meeting accomplished its intended outcome. A half day of the workshop was set aside for attendees to identify core values that are
By: Rachel Roper
Based on those core values, attendees articulated example behaviors to illustrate how each could be carried out within the Highways Division. We all play a definitive role in providing the life supporting vein of our transportation system that allows for the mobility of people and goods to flow. Carrying out our jobs allows essential items like toilet paper to get distributed from the ports to the stores where we will go to buy it, ensures people can visit family and friends or go to the doctor or work, and helps build Hawaii’s economic vitality. Each of us is a critical component of keeping Hawaii operating and maintaining quality of life for residents. Due to the success of the workshop, another will be held early next year.
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Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress By: Melanie Martin L Let’s face it. The it holiday h season s is i a very stressful s time for t many of us. It doesn’t help that retailers like Costco start displaying holiday decorations earlier and earlier each year. Sometimes the stress and pressure of the holidays can seem overwhelming and downright unbearable. Here are some tips to help minimize stress during the holidays: • Take care of yourself Stay active and exercise. Research has shown that exercise releases endorphins, the “feel good” chemical in your brain. Exercise will also help to ward off that holiday weight!
• Learn to say “no.” Sometimes we say “yes” to things we don’t have time to do, or don’t want to do. It is okay to say “no” to family, friends, and co-workers when you are unable to participate in a project or activity. If they love and respect you, they will understand! • Stay on budget. Decide how much you can spend during the holidays. Develop a budget and stick to it. If you come from a large family or have many friends that you exchange gifts with, instead of buying everyone a gift, draw names and get a nice gift for a few people rather than many. This will shorten your list and calm your nerves. • Acknowledge your feelings. The holidays are not a happy time for everyone. We may miss a loved one who recently passed or feel lonely because we are away from our families during the holidays. • Reach out for help if necessary. If feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress persist, it’s okay to get professional help. WorkLife Hawaii is HDOT’s Employee Assistance Program contractor and you can speak to a counselor for free. On Oahu, call (808) 543-8445; neighbor islands, call toll-free (800) 994-3571.
Be mindful of your food and alcohol consumption and remember the operative phrase, “everything in moderation.” Also, ensure that you get enough sleep. • Set realistic expectations. Many of us have the notion that everything must be perfect. Setting realistic expectations on what you can get done and what you will not be able to do will help to destress during the holidays. “Eh, no worry beef curry! No need to be perfect!”
Take steps to prevent holiday stress by recognizing your triggers, such as financial pressures or having too much on your to-do list, so that you can combat them before it consumes you. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!
PAGE 11
DOT Supervisors Conference Well Attended
M More than 170 managers and ssupervisors learned different m methods to succeed at the DOT Supervisors Conference D a at the Hawai‘i Convention C Center in Oahu on October 18. 1
Eff ffeecti tive ve Safety Communi Communicati a on
Submitted by: David Holland
Here are a few tips to establish and maintain effective safety communication, as important to the workplace as personal protective or other piece of equipment essential to a task.
interrupt when communicating with or listening to others. Do not insult, scream, raise your voice, or belittle others while correcting incorrect safety p procedures. Stay calm.
• Listening. This includes not only listening to words spoken but understanding what is being done around you, the needs of others and the overallll working ki environment. • Body Language. When delivering safety messages use assertive body language and maintain direct eye contact. Pay attention to the body language of others as you are listening to their words or they are listening to your words. • Be Respectful. Do not appear impatient or
voice i off
T The bottom line is to listen w with all your senses for clues tto the thoughts and emotions expressed by body language and e others. t
Modeling the three points above help others adopt the same behavior. From Lancour, Dana G. “Barton Malow Toolbox Talks.” Build It Safe - No Exceptions. P. 7 May 2015. Web. 24 Aug. 2016. Toolbox Talking Points. http://www.bartonmalow.com/documents/ Safety-Week-Toolbox-Talk-1.pdf
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2019 ISAC Honored Employees p y at Kauai’s Ho‘olaule‘a
There was fun, food and friendly faces as we honored outstanding ISAC employees and teams Oct. 23 at Kaua‘i’s Ho‘olaule‘a. The DOT recognizes employees who celebrated their work anniversaries and those who had perfect attendance. Mahalo everyone for all yyour hard work!
Recipe of the Month: Cheesy Scrambled Eggs By: Robert McLean
How about my world’s famous scrambled eggs. Serves 1. ¼ onion minced 1 can of mushroom pieces ½ stick of butter (margarine is okay) 3 eggs mild cheddar cheese bar cut into 1/2 inch pieces ¼-1/2 cup of milk Sauté both mushrooms and onions together with butter. While mushrooms/onions are cooking, crack open three eggs into a bowl. Add milk into raw eggs and whip the mixture til there is foam on top and the color is a uniform pale yellow.
Heat up a frying pan with melted butter from the e mushrooms/onions mix and pour the egg mixture into the frying pan. Let it set on medium heat for about a minute. Then mix the eggs together until the eggs are cooked. Before eggs are fully cooked, add cheese into eggs. You can tell because the color of the eggs is a bright yellow, the mixture is very fluffy and there is cheddar cheese streaks in the egg. Serve hot and enjoy the start of a good day.
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Kaua‘i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan
By: Chris Takeno
The draft Kaua‘i Seabird Habitat Conservation Plan (KSHCP) was developed as a requirement to the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) and corresponding Hawai’i law under Chapter 195D, Hawai’i Revised Statues for the incidental take of endangered and threatened species. Under the ESA, “take” is defined as to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect, or attempt to engage in any such conduct (16 USC §1532(19)). The endangered and threatened species covered in the KSHCP are: Newell’s shearwater, Hawaiian petrel, band-rump storm petrel and the green sea turtle.
nceville Princeville Resort Kaua‘i; Kaua‘i Marriott Resort; Kaua‘i Coffee Company, LLC; Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort; County of Kaua‘i; Hawai‘i Department of Transportation and Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. Each participant has properties (or in the case of NCL a ship) which must adhere to the requirements in the KSHCP; pay for the construction and management of the seabird preserve; and annually report minimization activities and seabird monitoring.
activities such as:
KSHCP addresse addresses
• the placement and operation of light structures that can cause disorientation of fledgling and adult seabirds, and honu hatchlings; • the placement and operation of new or future lights that have similar effects; and • conservation measures to mitigate the impacts of the taking on the covered species. In addition, a seabird preserve will be constructed and managed near the Kalalau Valley rim on Kaua‘i for the net recovery benefit of the species affected. The KSHCP has eight participants collectively under one conservation plan: NCL; The
One goal of the KSHCP is to minimize take impacts to the seabirds caused by nighttime lighting to the maximum extent practicable (MEP). Artificial lights disorients seabirds at night, especially young birds (or fledglings) who take flight for the first time. They have been observed flying around light sources and known to collide with power lines (or other objects), or eventually tire and land. This phenomenon, especially for fledglings is called “fallout,” and the fallout season is midSeptember to mid-December. If a downed or injured bird is not found and recovered in a timely manner they can be easy prey for feral cats. Some of the measures to minimize take impacts are to turn off lights if not needed; use shielding See SEABIRD HABITAT page 16
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Helping Hawai‘i’s Youth Build Their Future: Big Island Construction Career Day By: Melanie Martin On October 24, nearly 650 students, teachers and counselors packed the grounds of the Civic Auditorium in Hilo to attend the Big Island Construction Career Day. HDOT is a proud sponsor of the career fair for high school students, which has been held annually for the last 13 years. Students from about a dozen public, private and charter high schools attended the event. Some traveled almost two hours from the west side to participate. All participants received a backpack filled with a hard hat, safety glasses, earplugs, level, tape measure, pen and a Career Guide. Everyone also received a delicious bento lunch.
Students had fun with crane simulators provided by the Operating Engineers. In the Trades/Exhibits area, participants competed in skill building competitions to learn about the various professions in the construction trades such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, and masons. The event was made possible by HDOT and many private sponsors that contributed money, manpower, and other resources to provide an awesome experience for the students.
Students rotated through two areas: 1) Heavy Equipment and 2) Trades/Exhibits. In the Heavy Equipment area, students operated and/or drove the construction equipment under close supervision by qualified personnel.
Special thanks to Heidi Medeiros, Clinton Yamada, Marcia Soares, and the Maintenance Crew of the Highways Division, Hawaii District for their hard work in coordinating the event. A huge mahalo also goes out to the Hawaii Department of Education, Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund, Isemoto Contracting and over 100 volunteers for their commitment and tireless dedication to this worthwhile event. The next Construction Career Day will be held on Maui on November 15th at the University of Hawai’i, Maui College.
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Payroll Beneficiary Functionality Now Available in HIP Have you thought about what would happen to your unpaid wages and earned leave in the unfortunate event of your death while still employed in state service?
beneficiary.
It may be likely that wages are still owed to you at the time of death. Upon hire, State employees are required to complete a designation of payroll beneficiary identifying an individual(s) or entity they wish to receive their unpaid wages and the value of their unpaid leave should they pass away while in state service. This designation on paper was centrally stored within the Department of Accounting & General Services Division. Effective November 1, 2019, the Hawai’i Information Portal (HIP) is the State’s primary system of record for the payroll beneficiary information.
By: Cynthia Afuso
The payroll beneficiary designations completed in HIP shall supersede all prior hard copies of beneficiary statements. ments You will need to collect your beneficiary information in order to complete your designation, such as their name, social security number or Tax ID, address and phone number. For more information refer to: Payroll Beneficiary Online Employee Self-Service Instructions at http://ags.hawaii.gov/hip/ files/2019/10/Beneficiary-Designation.pdf Comptroller’s Memorandum: Payroll Beneficiary Process at http://ags.hawaii.gov/wp-content/ uploads/2019/09/CM2019-18.pdf
All current employees have the opportunity to log into HIP and designate their payroll SEABIRD HABITAT continued from page 14
to direct light towards the ground and minimize horizontal output; use of dimmable lights; and train workers on downed seabird awareness and proper handling. On October 7-8, Deputy Director Lynn ArakiRegan and myself travelled to Kaua‘i with representatives from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, DLNR, KSHCP participants, and members of the Endangered Species Recovery Committee to review selected sites. The site visit was to review minimization measures in place, and to familiarize ESRC members with site conditions. We saw some innovative light minimization techniques: motorized shades to block
interior lights from lobby picture windows at the Princeville Resort; Nawiliwili Harbor demonstrated dimmable high mast lights controlled by handheld wireless device; and walkway lights replaced by tiki torches at some resorts. Currently the draft KSHCP is under public comment period until November 7, 2019. The draft KSHCP can be found at the following website: http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/Other_ TEN_Publications/2019-09-08-KA-DHCP-KauaiSeabird.pdf DLNR news release on Newell’s shearwater: https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/blog/2019/10/24/nr19176/
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Fire Chief Mitchell Sits Down with Television Personality Rusty Komori By: Glen Mitchell After my presentation at the HDOT Supervisors Conference, I was approached by Rusty Komori to be interviewed on his television show, Beyond The Lines on Think Tech Hawaii Channel. Rusty had heard of my presentation at the Supervisors Conference and wanted to know more about HDOT ARFF and how/why our leadership models have been successful. Click on the link to the program filmed October 28, 2019: https://youtu.be/ZvY2yNHPhIg
Rusty Komori, author of Beyond the Lines an d Oahu ARFF Fire Chief Glen Mi tchell
COSTUME CONTEST continued from page 1
And there was a three-way tie for 3rd place: Stan Louis, HWY-O, Steven Yoshida, HWY-TD and Ka Chun Eric Wat, HWYDS. Team winner: Disney Crew, DIR.
Chun 3rd Place Winner: Ka Eric Wat, HWY-DS
Winners received gift cards and bragging rights for the whole year. Congratulations!
3rd Place Winner : Stan Louis, HWY-O
Team Winner : Disney Crew, DIR PAGE 17
2nd Place Winner : Brenda S trimpfel, AIR-E
3rd Place Winner: Steve Yoshida, HWY-TD
New Notification System for Updates on Airports, Harbors, Highways By: Shelly Kunishige There’s a new way to receive the latest information on Hawaii’s Airports, Harbors, and Highways. From Monday, Aug. 19, 2019, notices from HDOT on topics such as scheduled roadwork and emergency road closures has been sent through the GovDelivery system. Anyone can sign up for notifications through the website at http://hidot.hawaii.gov Director Jade Butay explained:
“This service will help HDOT reach the public more effectively to warn of construction or emergency closures. We hope people make use of it in addition to the notification systems established by the counties like HNL Info, Blackboard Connect, Civic Plus, and Connect CTY.” HDOT formerly published news releases and roadwork notices through its website and a
statewide email list. The roadwork lists will continue to be posted on the HDOT roadwork page at http://hidot.hawaii. gov/highways/roadwork/. The email listing was migrated to the GovDelivery notification system. The signup page can also be accessed directly via https:// public.govdelivery.com/accounts/hidot/subscriber/new.
HDOT’s Statewide Transportation Planning Office hosted a bon voyage luncheon to wish Engineer VI Ryan Fujii all the best as he prepares to move on to his next adventure. He begins work at the Federal Transit Administration overseeing projects in Hawai‘i, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa and Guam.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell declared October 31, 2019 as “Be Safe, Be Seen” Halloween Pedestrian Safety Day. According to the latest federal highway safety data, children are three times more likely to be struck and killed by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year. For all those on our streets on Halloween and on all other days throughout the year, Hawaii Department of Transportation reminds the public to please proceed with caution. PAGE 18
A big mahalo to Harbors Division, EUTF, vendors and service providers, as well as DOT’s Workplace Wellness Lead Warrior Melanie Martin and her team on a very successful Wellness Fair held on October 30 at Pier 2 Terminal. We received rave reviews from the nearly 200 attendees about the variety of vendors, assessments that were offered, giveaways, as well as the free flu shots.
Congratulations to HDOT’s Contracts Office, also known as the “3 Blind Mice,” on winning the Halloween costume contest held at the Administration Division’s Halloween party held on October 31.
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