Author Archives: Melissa Kelsey

National Park Service Announces Date for Kalaupapa Barge

Monday, June 15th, 2009

By Melissa Kelsey

For Kalaupapa residents waiting to hear if and when this year’s barge delivery would be made to the peninsula, an announcement last Friday assuring their life-line delivery came as a relief to many. The settlement’s annual barge that delivers fuel, food and equipment will sail on August 1 from Honolulu to Kalaupapa, according to Kalaupapa National Park Service (NPS) Superintendent Steve Prokop. Because of a shortage in the fuel supply delivered last year, the settlement has already been observing strict fuel rations since last winter.

For the first time in Kalaupapa’s history, Prokop said the NPS secured a five-year contract with Young Brothers to manage a barge delivery to Kalaupapa every summer through 2014. Before this year, the NPS has negotiated a barge delivery contract and sailing date on an annual basis.

Normally set in the spring, the announcement of the sailing date was delayed this year because the extended five-year contract needed special approval from solicitors at the NPS regional headquarters, according to Prokop. Over the next four years, Prokop said the barge sailing date will be determined earlier in the year, probably in the fall.

Choosing the Boat

The five-year contract is between the NPS and Young Brothers to manage the annual barge delivery. However, Prokop said Young Brothers has not had a barge small enough to fit inside Kalaupapa’s narrow harbor since 2007. Last year, Young Brothers subcontracted a company called American Marine to supply the barge itself. American Marine won the subcontract again this year after at least three vendors competed to supply the barge. Young Brothers will still have to negotiate a vendor to provide the barge on an annual basis for the next four years.

“Young Brothers will tow the barge, but not their barge,” said Prokop.

Securing the Future

Prokop said American Marine is the only company located in the State of Hawaii that has a barge small enough for the Kalaupapa harbor. The other vendors who bid on the contract are out-of-state companies. To secure reliable barge service for the future, Prokop said the NPS is working with Hawaii Senator J. Kalani English to determine if there is a legal route for the State of Hawaii Public Utilities Commission to require Young Brothers to provide barge service to Kalaupapa.

“We are seeing if there is some way a state agency can require safe and reliable barge service for the Kalaupapa community,” said Prokop. 

Last April, the NPS conducted a series of public scoping meetings to discuss the possibility of Kalaupapa harbor improvements, including dredging. The dredging caused environmental concerns, but would increase the width of the harbor, allowing larger barges to service the peninsula to increase delivery reliability.

Prokop said the extended contract “solves the dredging problem for five years.” While the contract does not solve the long-term problem of the dwindling availability of barges for Kalaupapa, there is now no immediate need to widen the harbor’s channel.

New Fire Station for Airport

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

Federal grant promises safety upgrades and housing.   

By Melissa Kelsey

Molokai Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Station in Ho`olehua will receive improvements this year, funded by a $6.8 million United States Department of Transportation grant released last Tuesday. The station will be rebuilt so it will comply with national fire safety regulations for airports.  

The current airport fire station does not have enough space to store all of the equipment it is legally required to have, including surplus fire-fighting foam, which environmental regulations prohibit from storing outdoors, according to Molokai Airport Operations and Maintenance Supervisor Carl Brito. Among other shortcomings, the roll-up doors of the current station’s garage are always left open because they do not open fast enough to comply with safety guidelines and there is no space to clean contaminated equipment.   

The new station will be built in a safer location, farther away from the airport and closer to the traffic control center, according to Brito. Firefighter William Prince said it will include a decontamination room to clean gear that has been exposed to bio-hazardous substances. The station will also feature a bunk room, showers, kitchen and fitness area for improved quality of life for the firefighters.

“It is going to dramatically upgrade our lifestyle,” said firefighter Timothy Wayer, who explained that until they were provided with temporary housing last year, the airport firefighters had to sleep in tents or their own cars between shifts. Most airport fire crew members commute from off-island.

Brito explained that these amenities will allow the firefighters to live at the station and would give the option of keeping the station open 24 hours per day instead of the 12 hours per day it is currently open. However, scheduled flights coming to Molokai only arrive within a 12-hour timeframe. Prince said state officials are still working on the specifications of the building plans to make sure all the federal regulations are met.    

Because the airport fire station is a federally funded state facility instead of a county fire station, state engineers working on the project can apply for exemptions from county building permits because of their own stringent guidelines. As a result, Brito estimates that the building will be built within the next two years. He said construction is scheduled to begin this summer. An environmental impact statement has already been filed.   

The Molokai Airport fire station employs three firefighters, and requires a minimum of one on duty at all times. The firefighters practice a three-minute emergency response using foam to stop fire from going through an airplane’s fuselage in case of fire. As a backup, the firefighters have a sophisticated communications coordination system with organizations such as the county fire stations on Molokai and the State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.   

Brito said it is routine for airports like Molokai’s to receive funding to meet safety guidelines. Other federally funded airports nationwide received similar grants.