HART VIRTUAL CONSTRUCTION MEETING UPDATE: DEC. 1 – Join HART and its construction partners for a virtual meeting on Tuesday, December 1, 1:30pm – 2:30pm. You’ll get construction updates for in the Airport and City Center sections of the project. Send your questions in advance to info@HonoluluTransit.org or submit questions and comments during the livestream.
ALA MOANA PLAZA DEVELOPMENT AT CITY COUNCIL: DEC. 2 – Developer Brookfield Properties seeks interim approval for a 400′ tower and 7.0 FAR density building at Piikoi & Kona that would be allowable under a draft Ala Moana Transit Oriented Development Plan that has not yet been approved by the City Council. Resolution 20-315 would allow this project to go forward by approving the Interim Planned Development-Transit permit and is being heard by the zoning committee on Wednesday, December 2, at 9am. If the measure is passed by the committee, it will next be heard by the full Council on December 9. To see the agenda and submit testimony, click here. A number of concerns have already been raised about the project, including sea level rise, traffic, safety, view corridors, minimal community benefits, limited number of affordable units, parking spaces, and the lack of a park or open green space. To review the developer’s plan, click here.
KAKAAKO PRIVATE STREET LAWSUIT CLOSING ARGUMENTS: DEC. 3 – Closing arguments in the Kakaako streets lawsuit are scheduled for December 3, 2020 beginning at 9:00 AM. When parties connect to Webex to participate in a court hearing, the parties must access the court room link here. You can listen in on the closing arguments before the Honorable Jeffrey P. Crabtree.
UNEMPLOYMENT CONCERNS:
$500 HAWAII RESTAURANT CARD – Some of you have contacted us about not receiving the $500 Hawaii Restaurant Card (HRC). Although rare, about 1.6% of HRCs were returned this past Tuesday due to incomplete (e.g., missing apartment numbers) or outdated addresses on file in the claimant’s portal at the state Department of Labor. Cards that are undeliverable are returned by the U.S. Postal Service and the recipient’s account is notated as ‘undeliverable.’ To ensure that cards go to the correct address, you can:
Call Money Network’s toll-free customer service number at 800-352-5202.
Report the card as lost or stolen and a call center agent should assist you. There is no charge for the first replacement card, but each additional replacement after that costs $3, to be deducted from the card balance. The deadline to spend the money is Dec. 15, with no extension announced. After that date any money left on the card would be returned to the state.
LABOR DIRECTOR ADDRESSES CLAIMANT FRUSTRATIONS– The state unemployment office continues to forge on in tackling as many claims as they can before the CARES money runs out by the end of the year. Some highlights include the following:
If you’re worried about your payments stopping on Dec. 26, the date when the PEUC and PUA benefit programs end, know that any weeks for which you already filed and have not been paid out due to pending status, you can still be paid out, even if the determination is made after Dec. 26. You just cannot file claim certifications for weeks after Dec. 26. for these programs.
If you are worried about whether the EB20 benefit program will expire on Dec. 26, know that it DOES NOT. EB20 does not trigger off until Hawaii goes below the 5% unemployment rate. Hawaii is currently at 14%, the highest in the country, so it does not look like it will end anytime soon.
BLOOD BANK OF HAWAII SEEKS CONVALESCENT DONORS TO ATTACK COVID-19
Donating convalescent plasma is a simple way to give back to the community and also battle against COVID-19. Convalescent plasma, which contains antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients, is currently considered an experimental treatment authorized by the FDA. If you’ve contracted COVID-19 and are interested in donating your plasma to help others, see below:
US POSTAL SERVICE: MAIL YOUR HOLIDAY PACKAGES EARLY
The U.S. Postal Service is preparing for an increased number of gifts being mailed this holiday season because of the pandemic. Consumers concerned about COVID-19 exposure don’t have to leave home to ship their packages. Learn about the Click-N-Ship feature here. For more time-saving tips, click here. The following are shipping deadlines for Hawaii for your packages to reach loved ones by Christmas Day:
Dec. 15 — Hawaii to/from mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
Dec. 21 — Hawaii to/from mainland Priority Mail Express
ALA MOANA CENTER SHOPPING SURVIVAL
Ala Moana Center is getting back to normal for the most part. Its parking lots are no longer empty. Although most shops have reopened their doors, you may have some questions, like:
