Hawaii agencies plan Hilo site development

Vacant state land next to Hilo International Airport could become a site for retail or industrial development under a plan by two state agencies.

The 25-acre site is slated to be leased for use possibly as a big-box retail store, an industrial subdivision or a mixed retail-industrial complex, according to a conceptual plan by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The two agencies anticipate issuing a joint request for private development proposals for the site in the first half of next year, according to Lloyd Yonenaka, spokesman for Hawaiian Home Lands, the project's lead agency.

DHHL is preparing an environmental assessment for the project, which involves 11.7 acres controlled by DHHL, 10.8 acres controlled by DLNR and about three acres controlled by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

The three parcels are regarded by the state as having excellent development potential because of their proximity to Hilo's major commercial and industrial districts, its airport, its deep-draft harbor and one of the area's major highways, Kanoelehua Avenue.

"DHHL and DLNR believe a joint project with a mix of commercial and/or industrial uses would be the most cost-effective approach, allowing the state to maximize the value of the currently underutilized, vacant properties," said a DLNR memo on the project.

TRADE-ZONE BENEFITS

The entire site is part of about 30 acres designated as a federal Foreign-Trade Zone in 1992. But trade zone operations never expanded beyond initial facilities built on roughly one acre about 10 years ago.

Gregory Barbour, administrator of the Hawai'i Foreign-Trade Zone owned and operated by DBEDT, said the trade zone status of the larger area slated for development could provide opportunities for import-export businesses to take advantage of the federal program.

The program allows companies to import foreign merchandise without paying duties if the merchandise is processed for export. Trade zone status also allows companies to delay paying duties until foreign merchandise is brought out of the zone for domestic use.

"That could potentially happen at this Hilo site," Barbour said. "There is a lot of benefit to doing that."

About 400 companies use the program in Hawai'i, mainly at DBEDT's main facility at Honolulu Harbor.

Other users include Pacific Allied Products Ltd., which manufactures food and beverage containers at Campbell Industrial Park on O'ahu.

MAXIMIZING RETURNS

Trade zone status, however, isn't applicable to retail businesses, only industrial operations such as manufacturing or processing.

According to Yonenaka of DHHL, the highest and best use for the Hilo site likely is retail because of relatively low infrastructure costs and high rent revenue associated with a large retailer like Wal-Mart or Home Depot, both of which opened Hilo stores on land leased from DHHL.

Yonenaka said the agency seeks to maximize its financial return to help pay for costly infrastructure necessary to build affordable housing for Native Hawaiians on other DHHL property.

"It's the key to keeping our homes affordable," he said. "Obviously (the Hilo trade zone site) is an important piece of land for us."

A retail big-box project is one of several possible scenarios for the site envisioned by a development consultant for DHHL and DLNR, though Yonenaka said there haven't been discussions with retailers to use the site. Two other conceptual ideas are an industrial subdivision and a mixed retail-industrial complex.

Though the two later visions would require more infrastructure development for multiple tenants, they would provide industrial space that's in high demand and short supply in Hilo, according to the DHHL-DLNR plan.

Barbour said his department in 2005 commissioned a study from local commercial real estate firm Colliers Monroe Friedlander that showed a shortage of warehouse space in the Hilo market.

"There's a huge demand for industrial space in Hilo," he said. "If they (build) industrial, it's going to take off."

WAIT AND SEE

The eventual use of the property will depend on what kinds of development proposals are made to DHHL and DLNR, and what is ultimately approved.

It's possible that developing the three acres of DBEDT land would compete with plans to expand the Hilo Foreign-Trade Zone, but Barbour said it's more likely that the two efforts would complement one another.

The existing Hilo trade zone operation comprises a 12,000-square-foot warehouse and some uncovered storage space on roughly one acre.

Nearly all of the warehouse and a portion of the uncovered property is used by one tenant, a multi-national consortium operating the Gemini Northern Telescope on Mauna Kea.

There are no other tenants, but Barbour said an effort will be forthcoming to expand the facilities and tenants.

He said giving up three acres to the DHHL-DLNR project would still leave DBEDT with two acres on which it could likely double the size of trade zone operations.

Last month, the board of Land and Natural Resources approved withdrawing the 3-acre DBEDT site from an executive order that gave control of the property to the trade zone operator.

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Hawaii school helped 35,000 last fiscal year

Through its community and outreach programs, Kamehameha Schools reached more than 35,000 Native Hawaiian children and families in its most recent fiscal year, up 27 percent from the previous year, Kamehameha officials said yesterday.

Of that, only 5,400 were students who attended one of the school's three campuses. The other 30,000 participated in a wide variety of programs ranging from classes for expectant parents to college scholarships funded by Kamehameha Schools.

Kamehameha Schools increased its spending on education to $250 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, up $29 million or 13 percent from the previous year.

The trust, established by the will of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, spends about 2 to 6 percent of its endowment on education programs each year. The endowment was worth $7.66 billion on June 30, 2006. The value for the most recent fiscal year will be released in January, but trust officials estimate it was about $9 billion.

Dee Jay Mailer, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools, said the trust is reaching out to Native Hawaiians who are unable to attend school at its main campuses.

"There are so many Native Hawaiians who are not on our campuses who we are seeking to serve," Mailer said. "It's a huge number."

There are an estimated 65,500 Native Hawaiian students enrolled in the public or private school system, and only 5,400 are in Kamehameha Schools.

To expand its reach, Mailer said, the trust has established relationships with dozens of community organizations to provide educational services on behalf of Kamehameha Schools.

The trust contributed $78 million to more than 60 community organizations statewide — from programs for expectant parents to early education to literacy programs to college scholarships, Mailer said.

"The reality is that the majority of our people live and learn in their communities and not necessarily on our campuses," Mailer said.

One of the largest partnerships is with the state Department of Education, she said.

Kamehameha Schools helps fund some 21 summer school programs in public schools across the Islands. Kamehameha also supports literacy programs, professional development for teachers, Hawaiian cultural education programs and scholarships.

Earlier this year, Kamehameha provided 14 Hawaiian-focused charter schools with $4.8 million in funding.

Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools are on their own when it comes to paying for facilities. Not only do charter schools receive less money than regular public schools, but a significant portion of what they get is spent on facilities, charter school officials have noted.

Enrollment in Hawaiian-focused charter schools has been estimated at about 2,300 students.

In addition to more than $16 million spent last year on college scholarships, Kamehameha also increased the number of preschool scholarships by 37 percent.

Some 850 children received a total of $4.4 million in early-childhood education scholarships, up from $3 million a year before.

Christopher Pating, vice president of strategic planning and implementation at Kamehameha Schools, said one of the school's goals has been to reach more children from birth to age 8. Last year, Kamehameha Schools served about 8,800 children from birth to age 8 through preschools, preschool scholarships and other educational partnerships.

Kamehameha has 31 pre-schools statewide, but with an estimated 32,000 keiki in Hawai'i between birth and age 4, Pating said, Kamehameha has been supporting other early-childhood education efforts across the state in hopes of reaching more native children.

"The biggest theme over the past couple of years has been reaching out and collaborating with our community partners in a much different way than we have in the past," he said.

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Colleges encourage students to drink responsibly

Some colleges have developed new methods to encourage responsible drinking.

Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., for example, updated its alcohol policy in August. One keg is allowed in residence hall rooms, but students must attend a class on responsible partying and register their parties online. Each party is limited to 25 to 35 people, depending on the size of the students' rooms.

Santa Clara University in Los Angeles has an intervention program that educates students on the negative effects of alcohol, including pre-partying, said Matthew Duncan, associate dean for student life.

"It's not realistic for us to expect students to stop drinking. All we can hope is students drink in a responsible way and not engage in high-risk drinking," Duncan said.

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Broader yardstick sought for schools

WASHINGTON — For nearly six years, the federal government has defined school success mainly by how many students pass state reading and math tests. But a growing number of educators and lawmakers are pushing to give more weight to graduation rates, achievement in science and history and even physical education.

The debate over the formula for rating the nation's public schools has stalled efforts in Congress to revise the No Child Left Behind law. At issue: What's the best way to measure whether schools are doing their job?

Unlike questions on the state math and reading tests taken by millions of children, this one has no clear answer. Reaching consensus in the coming election year is expected to be difficult. Without congressional action, the 2002 law will stay as it is.

"Lots of stakeholders have different answers to this question," said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a D.C.-based coalition of urban school systems. "The tug of war is over, if not state assessments, then what?"

The American Society of Civil Engineers wants science tests added to the mix. The NAACP and other groups say schools should get credit for achievement in subjects other than reading and math, as well as for improvement in graduation and college admission rates.

But the Bush administration and some civil rights, education and business groups say that too many tweaks would weaken a law credited with revealing pockets of struggling students, especially among poor children, minorities and those with disabilities. In their view, a complex rating system would mask problems in schools with many students who haven't mastered basic reading and math, skills they call the building blocks to success.

The law requires annual reading and math tests in third through eighth grades and once in high school. Schools and subsets of students — including ethnic minorities and students from poor families — must make gains over time. High schools also must reach target graduation rates, but the state goals have been criticized as weak and inconsistent.

Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, said the challenge is creating a rating system that includes a range of measures and provides a clear picture of a school's effectiveness.

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Digital books 'reach all types of learners'

A shift toward digital textbooks in kindergarten through high school education is updating the way students learn.

These textbooks have no paper. They're online. By entering a password on the Internet, teachers, students and parents can access a digital textbook, which combines traditional print content with interactive audio features, animation, tutorials, games and videos.

Demand for digital textbooks is on the rise because, unlike supplemental CD-ROMs publishers often include with textbooks, digital textbooks have the flexibility to adapt to different learning styles, said Marc Nelson, director of user experience for Pearson, a United Kingdom-based company that is one of the world's largest publishers of school textbooks.

Pearson is expanding into digital books, and it has signed a contract to supply 45 percent of California school districts with history textbooks.

With digital books, teachers can tweak the format depending on a student's individual needs. For example, the content can be offered in Spanish. Or, for a student who might be behind, a teacher can create links to texts from earlier grade levels.

Jim Blackwell is an after-school program coordinator for Lamont School District in central California, where Pearson piloted its product in 2005. As a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at the time, Blackwell used a hybrid method, combining the digital content with workbooks students could write in.

"Essentially what you're doing is you're able to reach all types of learners," Blackwell said. "Reaching them verbally and visually, you're letting them control the material and go at their own pace. They stay engaged at all times."

The digital textbooks piloted in California were limited to social studies and history, but now Pearson is developing textbooks for a math curriculum in Texas schools. They also plan to take the product nationwide. Language arts, history and science books are all in the works for schools across the country.

K-12 textbooks were a $6.2 billion industry in 2006, so for Pearson, a shift from print to digital means good things for the company's operations.

Pearson would not release the price range of the digital textbooks, but they're around the same cost of a print textbook, said Andy Myers, senior vice president of digital development.

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