The Board of Water Supply’s (BWS) board members will take up the issue of Haiku Stairs at their April 27, 2020, board meeting.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was published on January 23, 2020, and the 60-day challenge period ended in March 2020. While the FEIS did provide a thorough analysis of the alternatives, the BWS’s preferred action is removal of the stairs. Chief Engineer and Manager Ernest Lau stated, “The BWS’s mission is to provide Oahu residents with a safe, dependable, and affordable water supply. Managing Haiku Stairs draws BWS staff, financial, and other resources away from our core mission to efficiently and effectively meet the water demand of our customers.”
BWS will be providing a number of options for submitting testimony. All testimony received in advance of the meeting will be posted at www.boardofwatersupply.com/haikustairs.
Board Chair Bryan Andaya stated, “We know that this is matter of great significance and interest for the community, and we want to ensure all those who wish to testify will be given the opportunity.”
In addition to offering video conferencing and call-in testimony, the board has moved the start time of the meeting from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm so the public can “attend” the board meeting by watching Facebook Live on the BWS Facebook page or on their website at: www.boardofwatersupply.com/haikustairs.
For questions regarding the board meeting or Haiku Stairs, please call Kathleen Pahinui at (808) 748-5319.
It is expected the board will take action at the April 27 meeting.
TESTIFY IN ADVANCE
Email by 12:00 PM Monday, April 27, 2020 haikustairstestimony@hbws.org
Mail by Friday, April 24, 2020 Board of Water Supply 630 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI 96843
Submit Testimony Online
Complete a testimony form online here: https://www.boardofwatersupply.com/testimony
TESTIFY ON APRIL 27, 2020
Call-In Testimony Phone: (808) 748-6040 When the testimony call-in line is open for the public hearing or for each item on the regular meeting agenda, callers will be placed in queue and brought up to testify one at a time.
In-Person Testimony Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person testimony before the board will not be accepted in observance of emergency stay-at-home mandates.
Video Conferencing Testimony A live video conference station will be set up in the lobby of the BWS main offices at 630 S. Beretania Street. Testifiers may show up and register to testify by video. Face covering is required in order to enter the building (Emergency Order 2020-07). Social distancing guidelines will be observed and testifiers will be brought into the building one at a time.