News from the Honolulu Rail Transit Project

HART WEEKLY eBLAST | November 17, 2017

HART HELPS WAIPAHU CELEBRATE ITS 120th BIRTHDAY!

Be sure to join the HART Team this weekend as the town of Waipahu celebrates its 120th anniversary ! The Waipahu Community Association i s hosting the celebration on Saturday, November 18 at August Ahrens Elementary School's Tucker Field. The event gets started at 3:30 pm with food vendors, live entertainment, fun family activities, and a drawing for a trip for 2 to Las Vegas!

Waipahu was founded back in 1897 as a quaint plantation town. Now, more than a century later, it's poised to become one of the very first communities on Oahu to host stations for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.

The HART Team is happy to be part of the festivities to share information and answer questions as residents eagerly anticipate the rail's interim service slated to begin in 2020.

For more information, check out the flyer or logon to www.wcawaipahu.org.

Come on out and join the fun!

See you there!

HART CEO ANDREW ROBBINS ADDRESSES THE ROTARY CLUB OF HONOLULU

HART's Executive Director and CEO Andrew Robbins was the keynote speaker at this week's meeting of the Rotary Club of Honolulu at the Royal Hawaiian. Robbins has been

making the rounds visiting with various business and civic groups around Oahu to expound on the benefits of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project and his efforts to deliver the project quickly and efficiently.

In particular, Robbins spoke about his initiatives to employ risk reduction strategies in the managing of project costs. He also shared his plans to

explore the use of so-called P-3 options or, public-private

partnerships, to help further mitigate project expenditures. Robbins also answered questions from those in attendance and provided updates on construction as guideway work moves into the area fronting the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

The Rotary Club of Honolulu includes 160 business, civic, and community leaders who commit to "service above self" in helping contribute to a better world through thoughtfully planned community projects.

PACIFIC CENTURY FELLOWS TOUR HART'S RAIL OPERATIONS CENTER

As excitement builds for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project, more and more prominent groups are lining up to get an up-close look at the Project's first set of trains. The latest is the prestigious Pacific Century Fellows Program. Some thirty members of the program's 2017 class toured HART's Rail Operations Center recently, joined by a handful o

f Fellows from Saipan. The 'ROC' serves as the Rail Project's home base, situated between Leeward Community College and Waipahu High School.

After a brief informational session, the Fellows enjoyed a tour of the Operations Facility and one of the Project's two initial trains. When operational, a total of 17 trains will be running during peak commute times with an additional train on stand-by should the demand call for an increase in capacity. Counting the two additional trains held in reserve at the ROC, the Honolulu Rail Project will have a total of 20 trains at its

disposal.

The Pacific Century Fellows Program identifies, encourages and helps to develop and strengthen island leaders. Modeled after the White House Fellows Program and founded in 1996 by former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, the Pacific Century Fellows are chosen by a blue-ribbon panel. Fellows explore and investigate critical issues facing Hawaii in such areas as crime, education, environment, quality of life, the military, and the economy.

READ THE LATEST PROGRESS REPORT ON THE HONOLULU RAIL TRANSIT PROJECT

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Each month, the HART Board of Directors receives a comprehensive report on the current status of the rail project. The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation believes it is essential to keep the public up-to-date on the project. Therefore, each monthly report is open for public review.

Click here to review the latest report.

DID YOU KNOW...?

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving Day is the one day of the year with the most reported home fires caused by cooking equipment. Safety in the home is always important but especially on a day that traditionally sees groups of friends and families gathered, including children. Kids love to join in and help with the preparations of Thanksgiving dinner, and the NFPA has compiled a list of recommendations to help keep kids safe on the Thanksgiving holiday:

Stay in the kitchen while cooking to keep an eye on kids and anything cooking on the stovetop
Stay in the home while cooking and check foods frequently
Keep children away from the stove, at least three feet away at all times
Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause severe burns
Keep the floor clear, so you don't trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags
Keep knives out of the reach of children
Be sure electric cords from appliances are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child
Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children - up high in a locked cabinet.
Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle.
Make sure your smoke alarms are working.