Biking and walking along the Koolauloa coast to go to school, work, or visit family and friends will soon become easier and safer. A 7,400-foot path linking Laie and Kahuku is planned for the mauka (inland) side of Kamehameha Highway in Malaekahana.

The land is owned by Hawaii Reserves, Inc. (HRI) of Laie. Pending permit approvals, the groundbreaking will be by summer’s end.

As part of Envision Laie, a community planning process for Laie, workshop participants expressed support for a network of bike paths and sidewalks connecting destinations within the community and keeping cars off the road. Laie is already pedestrian and bike-oriented.

“Our quality of life is getting a great boost with the Malaekahana bike path,” said Pane Meatoga, Laie Community Association president. “This Envision Laie project is an investment in our community’s safety and wellness, and it can help ease transportation concerns.”

“Our goal with the Malaekahana bike path is to begin creating a region where cycling and walking are made easy, safe and accessible for all ages – especially our school kids,” said R. Eric Beaver, president of HRI.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann praised the newly announced project. “This project complements the City’s Honolulu Bicycle Path Master Plan for bicycle-friendly neighborhoods, where biking becomes a viable and popular travel choice for students, commuters, families and visitors. It’s wonderful to see this kind of partnership between a private entity and the larger community to help improve the safety and health of residents.”

The meandering path, nearly a mile-and-a-half long, will be set back about 15 feet from the highway. It will run between the Kahawainui and Malaekahana bridges. The 8-foot-wide path is a collaboration between HRI, the Laie Community Association (LCA) and community residents. HRI will provide the land and materials; LCA, residents and local businesses will provide labor.

“It’s a community partnership project, and we invite residents, neighbors, family and friends to help out. The work will be a lot of fun and something we can all feel good about,” said Meatoga.

Neighbors in the Kahuku community are excited about the project, according to Ralph Makaiau, Kahuku Community Association president.“ We’re looking at helping out with the Malaekahana path and exploring ways to create something similar from Kahuku to the Turtle Bay area and beyond,” he said.

Envision Laie represents a diverse group of residents and stakeholders of Laie, Kahuku, Hauula and Koolauloa who are working together to study Laie and plan for its future possibilities, especially a future that protects quality of life and emphasizes the values of the people who live in the Koolauloa region. For more information, visit http://www.envisionlaie.com.

[The actual mileage was a little under the total Weber and the others estimated as they set out from Costa Mesa, California, as pictured at the right.]

Weber, 53, explained that up until 2005 he was basically a runner and had completed a number of marathons, "but then I started having a lot of injuries that just wouldn't go away. That's why I bought a 27-speed road bike, and for a couple of years I would run and bike."

Then in 2008 another long-distance cyclist from Laie — Eric Marler, Executive Vice President of Hawaii Reserves, Inc., who road cross-country in 2008 —"sparked my interest," Weber said. "In late 2008 I really started training seriously for this."

"Back then I was doing maybe 200 miles a week," Weber continued, noting he often rode from Laie to Dole Plantation near Wahiawa — a distance of about 50 miles round trip — "Monday through Friday, and Saturday I would do something longer. But then in the last six months or so of the end of 2009 I started riding around 300 miles a week."

In addition to the adventure and exercise, Weber said he undertook the journey to help raise funds for the nonprofit, volunteer-run Spastic Paraplegia Foundation co-founded by his brother: "The somewhat rare disease has confined my brother to a wheelchair," he added. He also pointed out only one of his 15 other fellow riders used the trip for fund raising.

"I paid a company who facilitates cross-country rides, so any money donated goes to the foundation." The company escorted the bike riders across the country in two vans — one for the mechanic and the other carrying luggage.

Weber recalled he and his bike flew to Los Angeles — research showed bike fees ranged from about $100-$200 each way, and the group left Costa Mesa on May 18. "We started with a wheel-dipping ceremony in the Pacific Ocean," he said. "At the end we also rode to the beach at Tybee Island, east of Savanna, Georgia, and dipped our wheels into the Atlantic."

Asked to describe a typical day on the road, Weber said, "We would wake up around 5:30 each morning, eat breakfast at the hotel at 6 o'clock, and then we would start riding. After 30 or 40 miles, we would stop and get some food — Granola bars, bananas, refill our water jugs. Then after another 30 or 40 miles, we would stop for lunch. There was one day, however, where we rode a total of 144 miles, and we had three stops." He added that all the participants had to be able "ride fast — about 15-20 miles an hour. In other words, it was for people who were dead serious about going fast. We averaged about 15 miles per hour, but one day in Texas with tailwinds we averaged over 22 miles per hour."

"We'd usually finish riding around 3 or 4 o'clock, check into a hotel, shower and eat dinner. Most of the time I went to bed between 7:30 and 8 o'clock at night: My legs weren't really tired, because I was in shape, but my body was physically beat. I brought along all these books, thinking I would have all this free time. Ha!" He also pointed out he lost about 10 pounds during the ride, "and when my wife saw me, she said I looked anorexic."

Weber said riding up a 10,000-foot mountain in Arizona was one of the hardest parts. "There were steep switch-backs, and it snowed on us," he recalled. "I hadn't brought any winter clothes, and it was freezing. Another difficult thing, when we got into the rural South, was it seemed that everybody owned a dog and we were getting chased every 5-10 minutes and, of course, we would have to sprint to outrun the dogs."

"There were also plenty of other times when it was just hard. One hard day, for example, we had strong headwinds. That was just plain discouraging. We also rode through a lot of poor and dying communities. That was a real eye-opener for me."

He added that during his cross-country journey he used every one of the 27 speeds on his bike, but never had a flat tire, "although one guy had 11."

"Otherwise, most days were fabulous, and they always seemed to end up on a good note. Most of the time we were riding on state highways and country roads. It was amazing," Weber said.

"When we finished, everybody was super-ecstatic: It was very difficult physically, but it was a fun trip. Everybody got along well," he continued. However, he admitted that by the last three-or-four days, "I just wanted to get home."

Weber, 2,884 miles later at the Atlantic Ocean
on the beach of Tybee Island, east of Savanna, Georgia

Asked if he would repeat his ride, Weber quickly said, "No. With all the training, it was a big sacrifice for my family. The last few months I was cycling four hours a day, plus more on Saturdays. It was worth it, for once, but otherwise this was just a one-time deal."

Asked about his future cycling plans, Weber said he's going "to try running again, to see how it goes. I'm not going to be doing anything extreme."

"I also learned you've got to persist. For example, my daughter called and asked what I did when it snowed, and I said we just kept going. That's a good lesson."

For more information on Weber's ride and the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, read his blog at http://rideforspf.blogspot.com.

— By Mike Foley
Photos courtesy of Mike Weber

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann addresses the IAAP Chapter
based at BYU–Hawaii (photos by Monique Saenz,
courtesy of BYU–Hawaii)

The mayor of the City and County of Honolulu presented the Mahalo No Ka Hana Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), which includes Koolauloa and is based at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, with a special proclamation on April 14, 2010, and also shared some of the guiding principles and values he follows in leading one of the larger cities in the United States.

His honor Muliufi "Mufi" Hannemann, who has Samoan family ties in Laie and other parts of Koolauloa, first presented local IAAP chapter president Ualani M. Nagy, CPS, BYUH Campus Safety and Security Department Secretary, and Georgette Ching Ane, CPS, President of the IAAP Hawaii Division, with a proclamation declaring Administrative Professionals Week.

In introducing his topic of good leadership values, Hannemann, who is a lifelong Mormon, first noted that in 2008 Thomas S. Monson — President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known popularly as the Mormons), which founded BYU–Hawaii in 1955 — spoke of "the importance of teaching principle-centered leadership" that promotes faith, hope and courage.

He also noted that the late Latter-day Saint President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke of "the be" principles: "Be grateful, be smart, be clean, be true, be humble…be prayerful, be positive, be still and be involved."

The mayor explained over his past two terms in office he has put together "similar maxims of leadership" drawn from his experience in business, other government work and lessons learned from his parents and extended family members:

• Be bold, be decisive, and then be flexible: "I can tell you that every decision I make, I pray about," said Hannemann, who’s often asked how he reached various conclusions. He also said he often tells his staff to pray about decisions. "I made it clear from day one that this will be a prayerful administration. This administration will always seek guidance of the Lord."

"If it [a decision] feels good, you’ve prayed about it, yet you can retain that flexibility so you can incorporate other ideas or other people’s beliefs.

• Do your homework: "That’s important," the mayor continued. "Be prepared."

He also cited President Hinckley, who "challenged us not to be the weak link in the chain of generations. What that means to me is, you need to make sure you’re not the one lagging behind, that you’re always looking out for your family, number one."

• Bring good new fast, and bad news faster: "You should always deal with adversity. It happens," he said. "I want the bad news to come faster, because we need to get on top of it. We need to make it better. Also, it forces you to use your creative capacity…to forge solutions and make things better than what they really are and move things forward."

• Problems are not as important as solutions: "I’ve always said the easiest things to identify in life are the problems; the hardest things are the solutions — that’s what you want to focus on, as opposed to dwelling on what’s wrong with things. No man is an island: A leader brings people together."

• Write it down: "Nothing destroys credibility, in my mind, of a church, government or business leader than if you don’t get back to people, when you do not follow up and follow through. That’s very important. We live in a day when there’s no excuse not to get back to someone."

• Always set the record straight: "It’s important that we do this, because there’s so much misperception out there," Hannemann said about how others sometimes incorrectly view his Mormon faith.

He told how every year he’s usually asked to give the opening or closing prayer at the Honolulu prayer breakfast, "and every year people come up to my staff and say, can we have a copy of his prayer… They tell them, you know what, the mayor doesn’t write his prayers down… That’s how members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught to pray."

• Never base decisions on fear: For example, Mayor Hannemann told of the unpopular decision he had to make of dumping millions of gallons of wastewater into the Ala Wai Canal near Waikiki when 42 straight days of heavy rains in 2006 overwhelmed the city’s aging sewer capabilities. "I knew what I had to do was going to be very messy and negative in people’s minds, but I knew I had to dump that sewage into the Ala Wai Canal. That’s what we did."

• Public money is not to be viewed as a personal piggy bank: "One of the things I’m personally proud of is we’ve had the cleanest city audits. We have had the highest bond ratings of any entity in the State of Hawaii."

"When we manage the city…we always ask three questions: Do we need it, can we afford it, and can we maintain it. Then, we’re very open and transparent."

• Emphasize the mahalo principle: The mayor encouraged everyone to thank their families and the Lord for their blessings. "You’ll always see me go up to a police officer or a firefighter, a paramedic… I want them to know, especially when 911 calls them, that our prayers and thanks are with them, and that we appreciate the work that they’re doing."

• Lead by example: "Live by core values, remember family first, treat people fairly, watch your health, and make the job fun," Hannemann continued. "I tell my cabinet and senior staff, there is no more important entity in your lives than your family — not the mayor nor the people of Honolulu, because if something is amiss at home… they will not be able to solve problems."

"If you’re running a good organization as an administrative professional, president, director or what have you, you shouldn’t miss a beat if someone has to miss work. That’s what good teamwork is all about," he added.

In reference to fun, Hannemann said, "That’s why I’m also known as the singing mayor, as well as the tallest mayor [6’7"] in America. You need to find whatever that niche is for you so that you can create joy in everything you do."

• Leave the place better than you found it: The mayor said the next person who fills a position should think that it’s hard to fill his or her predecessor’s shoes.

• When adversity strikes, don’t get mad — get even: "Use it as motivational force," said Hannemann, who recalled in his political life "two things would always be held against me, and it would be difficult for me to win in elections: One, I’m LDS [a Latter-day Saint or Mormon], and I’m Samoan. I’ll be frank with you, I can’t tell you how many people have told me that."

Referring to his Mormon faith, for example, Hannemann said during his days in Washington, D.C., he was told he would drink alcohol before he left, "but I’m proud to tell you I haven’t…to this day."

On being Samoan, the Harvard-educated Hannemann said, "A lot of people put up roadblocks: Use that as a motivational force."

• Do what is right, not necessarily what is popular: "There’s a tendency for us to always try not to do things that offend people, but I can tell you right now, those are only short-term, feel-good aspects of being a leader."

In closing, Mayor Hannemann stressed he didn’t know where he would be "without the foundation of faith and values" he grew up with in his family. "I’ve tried to make it clear where I stand, and I’m very proud of the fact that I’m the first mayor to have a regular prayer circle."

Members of the Laie Hawaii North Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are asked to do voluntary work on the Laie Hawaii Temple grounds to beautify the landscaping there and in the surrounding area. Volunteers will prune, clip, clear debris and haul needed items away (trash bags will be provided).

For more information, call 808-457-9081.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiUO-asbYQ

If you don't see a video window above, please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiUO-asbYQ

Starting about 7 a.m. on January 25, 2010, motorists and passers-by watched workers from Tajiri Lumber Company, under contract to Hawaii Reserves, Inc. (HRI), start to demolish the 49-unit Laie Inn.

Jeffrey K. Tyau, the HRI Director of Engineering & Utilities who's overseeing the project, explained demolition work on the five buildings which comprise the Laie Inn should take about one week to complete, with another week to clean up the site. He said that work on the previously announced 220-unit hotel that will be built on the same site "probably won't begin until next year."

Tyau added the demolition work began "a little earlier" than anticipated, but concrete spalling and public safety concerns led to the decision to begin at this time.

"We're going to be grinding up as much of the concrete as we can and using it for road base on some of our dirt roads," he said, adding that most of the construction rebar will also be recycled. The furniture and other fixtures were recycled soon after the inn closed.

The landmark small hotel, which opened next to the Polynesian Cultural Center in February 1966 and closed for business on November 1, 2009, operated under several names and managements over the years. The number of rooms also varied from time to time as the configuration changed to accommodate commercial tenants. For example, a beauty salon and a travel agency operated out of the facilities in the past.

Aunty Kela Miller, a Laie kamaaina and HRI customer service representative, was one of those who remembers when the small hotel was a valuable new addition to the community:

"Watching the demolition brought back so many wonderful memories that I started to get a little teary-eyed this morning when I stopped by. Naniloa Lodge was the first name, and there was a restaurant across the road," she said, referring to the A-frame structure that currently houses Laie McDonald's: Back in those days, she said, it was operated by the late Aunty Emily Enos as the "American buffet" where PCC visitors who weren't brave enough to try the Center's Polynesian feast could exchange their dinner tickets for a more continental fare.

"When the lodge first opened, the Laie community went and did an official welcome, to invite the people and let them know they would feel comfortable when they came here. The lodge housed many important people over the years, including the prophets, and people who didn't have any other place to stay." The list also includes Laie Hawaii Temple patrons, parents attending BYU–Hawaii graduations, and school groups visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center, among many others.

"The community used it, too, just to get away," she continued. "I have pictures of my family when they were young and we stayed there, and with my grandchildren."

"But as I was watching it come down, I know there will be better accommodations in the future. This tells me that we're going forward."

Going, going…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ofvyTloEE

…and nearly gone, as of January 30, 2010

— For more information on the hotel redevelopment plans: http://www.hawaiireserves.com/future_laiehotel.htm

— videos and photos by Mike Foley

The Halau Nalu will hold a fundraising bake sale to benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti, at 55-146 Kulanui Street in Laie. All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. Those wishing to donate baked goods are asked to bring them to the address above by 3:30 p.m., wrapped and ready to sell. For further questions, please call Rebekah Walker at 293-1717 or Nue Nikora at 781-6125.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=P57HNtFXh4M

Kaleo does not normally report on obituary or memorial type stories, but this brief accounting of the January 9, 2010, services for the late Henry Nainoa Soren is an exception:

Nainoa, 53, owner of Nainoa Fine Jewelry in Laie and a sales manager at Honolulu Ford for approximately the past six years, passed away December 24, 2009, while on a surfing outing with family and friends near "Seventh Hole" off Kahuku Municipal Golf Course.

On January 9, approximately 2,000 friends and family members filled the Laie Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the morning for services that included eulogies and beautiful music as well as words of comfort. Some of those there remarked it was an old-style Laie service, with lots of people who hadn't seen each other for years greeting each other.

Following the traditional singing of Aloha 'Oe, the family and several hundreds of those present went to nearby Hukilau Bay — about 50 yards from where Nainoa grew up and undoubtedly played. His brother, Kalani Soren and family, still live in old family home — next to the home of Laie matriarch Aunty Flora K. Soren-Butt, while sisters Mahealani Rawlins and Leialoha Soren live on the same property.

Maori relatives and friends of Nainoa's widow, Teryl Soren, performed a haka before she and their three children as well as  dozens of relatives and friends paddled out into the middle of to spread his ashes over the ocean he so loved . . . and as remnants of flower leis drifted into shore, old friends talked story on shore and then moved under the shade of the ironwood trees to enjoy a meal mostly prepared at Kalani's Hukilau Cafe.

… at the Laie Hawaii Temple Visitors Center (free)