Mayor welcomes Waiākea Warriors baseball champions home (May 12, 2012)
Mayor Kenoi – a proud 1986 Waiākea grad – was at Hilo Airport to welcome home the Waiākea Warriors baseball team, 2012 state champions!
Kēōkea Beach Park earthquake repairs, accessibility upgrades completed (May 12, 2012)
Hundreds from the Kohala community gathered on May 12 to celebrate the reopening of Kēōkea Beach Park after the completion of $1.4 million in repairs and accessibility upgrades. To show their appreciation for Mayor Kenoi and all his support of the Kohala community, over 500 community members penned their names on papers that were strung into a lei of mahalo to the Mayor.
Mayor Kenoi highlights Big Island products (May 8, 2012)
As part of KITV’s morning news Island Hopping series, Mayor Kenoi was on the air showcasing some of the finest products the Big Island has to offer. The small businesses that create these products are the engines that power our economy.
Reed’s Bay Beach Park reopens (Apr. 28, 2012)
A thoroughly renovated Reed’s Bay Beach Park was officially reopened Saturday morning during a blessing ceremony that attracted about 100 park users, dignitaries and passers-by to the popular Hilo facility. Mayor Billy Kenoi joined other elected officials in welcoming people back to the Banyan Drive park, upgraded for safety and accessibility.
County rolls out plug-in hybrid vehicle fleet (Apr. 24, 2012)
One more step in reducing our island’s dependency on fossil fuels, the Kenoi administration rolled out the first five vehicles of a greener County fleet. The Chevy Volts will plug in to charge their batteries at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, using power generated by the Civic Center’s 250 kW photovoltaic array – in other words, a trip of less than 30 miles will use no fossil fuels.
Improved Gilbert Carvalho Park reopens (Apr. 12, 2012)
Mayor Billy Kenoi and Hilo Councilman Donald Ikeda joined Carvalho family members in the blessing ceremony for the park’s new off-street parking area located mauka of the baseball field. Both elected officials were complimentary of eachother’s efforts in reaching this point.
Councilman Ikeda also presented Ruby Carvalho, widow of Gilbert Carvalho, with a framed copy of a 1955 County Council resolution naming the park after him. Although he passed away at age 25, Gilbert Carvalho was described in the resolution as “Hawai‘i’s greatest athlete.”
Machado Acres Park opens in Waiākea (Mar. 16, 2012)
Despite reductions in the size and cost of government over each of the four years that Mayor Billy Kenoi has been in office, the County has continued to open new parks and recreation facilities. Machado Acres Park is the latest, a 7.9 acre park on Keone St. in the Machado Acres Subdivision. From the story:
“A park is a pu‘uhonua,” Mayor Billy Kenoi told attendees. “It’s a safe haven for our children to go to get away from drugs, gangs and violence. It’s a safe place to build a healthy community.” Generations of park users will be able to benefit from the wonderful area, Kenoi added.
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West Hawai‘i Civic Center awarded LEED Silver Status (Mar. 8, 2012)
Environmentally friendliness was central to the design of the $50 million, 80,000 square foot West Hawai‘i Civic Center, completed by the Kenoi administration in 2011. This commitment was recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council with their awarding of LEED Silver certification. From the story:
“This tremendous achievement underscores county government’s commitment to sustainability,” said Hawai‘i County Mayor Billy Kenoi. “We are proud to receive this certification from USGBC as it shows that we are leading by example in our quest to reduce our carbon footprint and create a more environmentally friendly Hawai‘i Island.”
Another mile of Ane Keohokālole Highway to be completed (Feb. 8, 2012)
Through hard work, collaboration, and prudent management, the Ane Keohokālole Highway in Kona will run, at opening, from Palani Rd. to Hina Lani St. – that’s twice as long as planned, for the same amount of money! From the story:
Mayor Billy Kenoi was smiling so big he was nearly in tears. That’s because on Tuesday, it was announced that Hawaii County will be able to complete an additional mile of the highly anticipated Ane Keohokalole Highway - referred to as phase 1 A – since so far the massive project has been on time and under budget.