Many of the state and various county government buildings across Hawaii were built decades ago and are beginning to show their age. Talk to anyone about the condition of municipal buildings and you're likely to hear complaints about them leaking, having various break-in problems, smelling awful, and in some cases not even having air conditioning. It will be.
As a reminder, a Civil Beat report last year characterized the state's vital Kalanimoku data center as rundown and disorganized, with 1970s decor at the time. I was there.
It is prevalent everywhere from government administration facilities to court facilities and even public schools. And if you've ever wanted to use or want to use a restroom in a Hawaii government facility, I have to do my best President Joe Biden impression and warn you, “Don't do it.”
To be fair, this is a problem facing all levels of government, including the federal government. If you are an agency manager and have only been in the sun for a short time, if you have to choose between funding and infrastructure, you will always choose operations .
“Lack of money” is not just an excuse for Hawaii's local government. Members of the U.S. military serving at home and abroad struggle with ceilings collapsing, floors rotting, mold growing out of control, and commanders being ruthless, even though nearly $1 trillion is spent annually on national defense. frequently complained about the barracks and workshops.
Asking for funding for government buildings is politically awkward. There will always be special interests that take a contrarian, zero-sum approach to any proposed tax diversion. You've probably heard of it? “Do you know how many (all my favorite things here) you could buy if I didn’t buy (all your favorite things here)?”
In one of the graduate courses I'm taking, I and other students apply the so-called “$20 test” to analyze stakeholder opinions in policymaking. Basically, we imagine a hypothetical scenario where we see a $20 bill on the ground and ask ourselves, “What is that?” A 20 dollar bill? That can't happen. If so, someone would have already picked it up. Why didn't you do that? ”
Similarly, we must ask ourselves whether the proposed policy is so great that it could have already been grabbed and seized like the $20 bill. If no one is doing it, there must be some good reason for it.
My personal theory is that success in government doesn't come from passively asking for permission, or having special committees constantly working together to solicit testimony, or mapping meetings with Post-It notes, but rather through ongoing efforts. It relies on innovation, initiative and boldness.
Sometimes people overlook things and no one notices. Also, many things are overlooked in government every day. In fact, the more we miss today, the more we'll miss tomorrow on top of what we've already missed. If no one takes the lead, everyone will fall behind.
If you find a $20 bill lying in the middle of a parking lot, give them permission to pick it up without asking. Please don't pay too much attention and say “Hello, everyone!” to the people around you. I just found a $20 bill on the ground. Do I have permission to pick it up? ” They would all say, “No.” And would immediately call 911 to stop the fight between everyone there. It reminds me of how every marriage proposal in Hawaii these days turned into a street fight over an issue that wasn't. common sense.
The Hawaiian government will be faced with the fact that it will need to modernize its buildings and construct new ones. Few people will like it, but it is what it is.
But once we build the new building, this government will be able to move forward with greater capacity and serve its people in a more efficient manner, which from a strategic perspective is a win for everyone. .
Behold, the former NAS Barbers Point
Since the mid-1980s, states and cities have taken over military bases closed by BRAC and turned them into various civilian development projects.
The former NAS Barbers Point (now called Kalaeloa Airport and operated by the state Airports Authority) is an example, but we haven't done much about it. This is a time of innovation, initiative, and boldness.
In my opinion, the state and county are missing a great opportunity to put their former facilities to good use. If there is an opportunity to act, it should be to leverage Kalaeloa and transform it into a sophisticated hub for local government operations and services.
The first advantage of doing this is that, unlike other places on Oahu, much of Kalaeloa is former military facilities and buildings. This means that the personal downside of replacing these buildings with brand new, advanced state and county government buildings is minimal.
Kalaeloa also has a large airstrip that can be used by large fixed-wing aircraft. This means that nations can easily transport personnel, cargo, and anything else directly to administrative and operational facilities built on former bases.
For example, let's say you want to send a social worker to Maui. If the Department of Human Services headquarters were there, you could walk from your office to the airstrip, get on a plane and fly to Maui and back. (Personally, I think the country should invest in executive transport aircraft, but I will write about that another time.)
Barbers Point was previously a military base, so it didn't take long to rebuild fences and walls around it and set up restricted access points for security. Instead of security guards and security officers patrolling facilities 24/7 in downtown Honolulu and across Oahu, he could easily guard one facility, which houses most government buildings. Masu.
Relocating the headquarters of multiple government agencies from downtown and locating them in Kalaeloa reduces downtown traffic, converts many previously existing sites into parks and even residential buildings, and provides government with a dedicated, self-sufficient building. We can provide you with an operating base. Formerly Barbers Point.
Create medical facilities with quarantine capacity for a pandemic, build dormitory facilities to house employees, and install all the necessary vertical parking to accommodate everyone who wants to drive. You could also do that.
“But Danny, how do people get to the Capitol or the City Council to testify in public hearings?” My answer to that is to stop thinking the old way and start leveraging remote technology.
If Vice President Kamala Harris can get the job done remotely by calling the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, then she can (and should) certainly testify remotely on the state's official shaved ice bill. . If that doesn't work, a regular shuttle bus service can take you from there to the Capitol District.
Consider how many jobs an ultra-modern Hawaii Joint Operations Hub at Old Barbers Point could create and add capacity to both state and county governments. I envision a future where there is a one-stop-shop for government services and where downtown traffic is once again under civilian control.
The state should make the most of the former Barbers Point and not let it fall into disuse or neglect. We can revolutionize Oahu and our state by using that land to modernize our government and create better facilities to serve our people.
