Aloha,
I hope you and your family are well. I enjoyed my first Legislative
Session at the Capitol. During the interim, I'll be busy following-up
on your concerns and researching different ideas for bills to
introduce next year. Here's an update of some of the things
I've been working on:
University of Hawaii – West Oahu
Probably the best news of the 2007 legislative session is the
$135 million in funding that was approved this year for the
new University of Hawaii – West Oahu (UHWO) campus. As
you might remember, last year this funding didn't make it into
the budget, which was a great disappointment to our community.
This fall marks the inaugural freshman class at UHWO. The university
is leasing space at Island Pacific Academy and hopes to get
at least 100 students enrolled. The funding in this year's budget
will help put in the infrastructure and 4 buildings. The initial
phase of the campus will be located on the Diamond Head side
of Kapolei Golf Course. Construction will begin in early 2008
and the new campus will open its doors in the Fall 2009. Initially,
UHWO will have about 1,500 students but that number will increase
as campus development continues.
We are lucky to have Dr. Gene Awakuni as the Chancellor of
UHWO. He’s a man on a mission and he’s passionate
about making UHWO a university that we can all be proud of.
UHWO will create educational opportunities for thousands of
Leeward residents, decrease traffic congestion and will also
help to spur our economy.
Funding for Waikele Elementary School
I was pleased that many District 19 schools received much needed
funding for repair and maintenance in the State Budget. Waikele
Elementary received $100,000 to expand the faculty parking lot.
Honoring Jacob Caskey
It was an honor to present Jacob Caskey, a Waikele Elementary
School 5th grader in Ms. Darlene Eguchi's class, with a certificate
from the State Senate at Waikele Elementary's Courtyard Celebration
on June 7th. I recognized Jacob for receiving the prestigious
recognition of Honorable Mention in the Hawaii Education Association’s
(HEA) annual Creative Writing Festival. Jacob won the award
for his short story, “I Believe”. The story displayed
his creativity and imagination and allowed him to outshine many
of his competitors. The statewide contest was open to all 4th-
6th grade students in Hawai’i public schools. Jacob’s
“I Believe” was published in the annual edition
of Write On, HEA! and can be found on my website at www.mikegabbard.com.
Listen-Story
I held my first listen-story meeting in the Waikele community
at Waikele Elementary School on Saturday, June 2nd at 9am. This
was a successful meeting that allowed me to hear the concerns
of area residents. I'll be holding additional listen-stories
in the community as a way of making sure that I know what you
want done at the Capitol. I'll keep you posted.
And finally, mahalo for your input and support during my freshman
season as a state senator. If I can help you in any way, please
call 586-6830 or email me at sengabbard@capitol.hawaii.gov.
Thanks for the privilege of serving you!
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