Fresh produce and fresh seafood is not the only thing you will find on a Sunday morning if you happen to visit the "People’s Open Market"  at Kapolei Community Park at 91-1049 Kamaaha Loop between 7:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. You will find a plethora of fresh herbs such as mint and watercress. Also available are stunning fresh cut flowers, heavenly freshly baked breads, beautiful fresh produce such as papayas, tomatoes and green onions, to name a few. The most fun of this market is seeing the amazing array of ethnic fruits and vegetables that are simply not available in big retail supermarkets in the area. What is so nice about buying here is that if there is a fruit or vegetable that you are not familiar with, the vendors are more than happy to discuss with you all of the ways to prepare and cook them.

Prices at People’s Open Market are commonly 35% lower than retail stores. If you have not experienced this wonderful market, come out and support your local farmers and fishermen by purchasing their produce and goods. You will save money and enjoy socializing with Kapolei residents too.

 For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Honolulu’s Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization affiliated with Habitat for Humanity International that utilizes local resources, comprised of volunteer labor and tax-deductible donations of materials and money. The intent is to build quality houses for low-income families right here in Hawaii who would not have the opportunity to own a home without this help. Habitat Homes are sold to partnering families for around $85,000 with zero profit. The families pay them off with small monthly payments that cover insurance, taxes and the mortgage over a twenty-year period. This money is put into a revolving fund which is used to start construction for more homes. HHH has built 61 homes for families in need since the organization’s inception in 1998.

Many of HHH volunteers have found the experience so rewarding that they come back to help year after year. Families that have been chosen to receive a home are required to add a little bit of "sweat equity" of their own. They must spend at least 250 hours working to help build other Habitat Homes prior to working at least 250 hours on the construction of their own house. On August 23rd, Honolulu’s Habitat for Humanity is hosting a "Build-A-Thon", where volunteers will gather pledges to sponsor their work at a home-building site.

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

The Malama Learning Center WOW (’Without Walls’) is hosting an "Edible Gardening" workshop on Saturday, August 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Kapolei High School. It is being held for both residents of West O’Ahu and K-12 teachers. This class has been crafted for weekend gardeners as well as K-12 teachers to teach people how to select edible plants for your garden and how to start growing them. Also being taught are ways to create healthy soil, as well as hands-on training transplanting seedlings. The teacher will also expand on his knowledge of how to control garden pests the safe, non-toxic way.

 The workshop is being taught by Anthony M. Ortiz. Mr. Ortiz has earned a B.S. in Agronomy and Soil Sciences, a M.S. in Plant Pathology, and is a U.H. CTAHR Board of Alumni Member. He is also a Resource Management Teacher and even has experience with his own family and their farm. All of your gardening questions will be answered here, and you will also receive an information booklet as well as an edible plant to take home for your very own backyard. The Malama Learning Center’s mission is to provide people with a knowledge of how to grow their own food and to help them make the connection that this has to their health, the environment and the history and culture of food and the land. Wow!

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has donated $150,000 to Hawaii Maoli (a non-profit organization that facilitates cultural and educational grants) to help with the construction of a brand new Community Center in Kapolei. The Community Center will be named ‘The Prince Kuhio Community Center’ and will be located on a 24,000-square foot piece of land that will be leased by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The office building section will contain the offices of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, The Prince Kuhio Federal Credit Union, Hawaii Maoli and other community organizations.

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has also been awarded the 2008 Conservation Innovation Award from the Hawai’i Conservation Alliance for its acquisition of the Waimea Valley ahupua’a on Oahu and the Wao Kele o Puna Rainforest on Hawaiian Island. OHA’s mission is to support the Native Hawaiian cultural value of caring for the aina. Keep up the good work!

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Hawaii’s transportation needs are going to become much more urgent in the next two decades. Leeward Oahu, but mostly Kapolei’s population is estimated to jump from 84,000 in 2005 to 186,000 in 2030. Employment in the area will expand from 25,000 to 65,000, while 32,000 new jobs will be available in Central Oahu. Downtown jobs will swell by 43,000. These statistics as well as the all-too-common traffic jams residents experence daily has brought about one of the most hotly debated issues around town right now: the Rail Transit. When polled, most Oahu residents support the Rail, although they understand that more options are needed to combat the growing congestion in the area.

 Other improvements needed to combat traffic are an expansion of the city’s bus system, focusing mostly on the areas between Leeward and Downtown. Roadway capacity increases will be necessary, including access from Central Oahu communities such as Wahiawa, Makakilo, Mililani Mauka and the Waianae Coast. Plans also include enlargement of park-and-ride lots, "Bus Only" lanes, seperate lanes for carpool and vanpools, as well as increased use of TheBoat. Just this month the minimum occupants rule was returned from two to three people, for use of the Zipperlane and the Nimitz Contraflow Lane. Hawaii’s state transportation director has said that Hawaii has one of the highest carpooling rates in the country, which will most likely increase along with rising gas prices. Go Hawaii!

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Members of  Kapolei Public Library, located at 1020 Manawai Street, are anticipating two  exciting upcoming programs that are available for all, free of charge. Library planners only require that you call them at 693-7050 two weeks in advance if you are in need of a sign language interpreter, or other type of special accomodation is needed for you to attend.

"Dance Explorers," which is a cooperative and participatory Children’s Program is scheduled for Thursday, August 7th at 10:00 a.m. in the Children’s Room. It is a one-hour long artistic and imaginative movement program that will allow children to learn while they participate. Teachers will focus on teaching the fundamentals of stretching and using large motor skills. Participating children will also be introduced to the concepts of rhythm, musical expression and several dance movements. All participating children must be accompanied by an adult.

 "Doing Your Homework," is a seminar that will discuss and explore solutions for college education planning. It will be held on Saturday, August 2nd at 10:30 a.m. in the Adult Fiction Area on the library’s second floor. Financial Advisor Paul Berardo will help equip participants with information on educational savings plans and will provide useful tips on how to turn your dreams of attending college into a reality. This program will last one hour and is encouraged  for all parents and adults interested in attending university.

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

"Hybrid" Courses, which blend online instruction with face-to-face classes are becoming more and more popular in schools and colleges throughout the nation. Currently, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kapolei High School and isisHawaii and Ainoa, Inc. have come together to start UHM Seed Academy. This program offers students many Core, Advanced Placement and World Language Courses taken online, with hands-on or in-person electives in science, technology, engineering and math at Kapolei High School. 

 Known as "bricks and clicks" these programs offer Hawaiian students the best of both worlds. There is the flexibility to take courses on-line as well as project-based enrichment classes that are held on campus. The program was designed to assist each student achieve their highest academic and personal enrichment goals. Graduates of UHM SEED Academy will receive a Kapolei High School Diploma and will have access to their extracurricular activites such as Kapolei High School Sports Teams, if they live within the district. Tuition-free enrollment at UHM SEED Academy for the 2008-09 school year is currently available to Hawaii residents of High School age. There wil be several open houses held at Kapolei High School to help students and parents learn more about this innovative education option.

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Kapolei Residents and Commuters please be advised that since the first phase of construction to widen Kalaeloa Boulevard from four to six lanes has started,  every effort is being made to keep traffic flowing! To complete the work in a timely manner, Kapolei Property Development is planning to keep all four lanes open by removing the median and re-routing traffic onto temporary lanes that will be built perpendicular to Kalaeloa Boulevard.

Note for the week of July 14th:

Work will be done during the night shift this week from 9:00 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. - so there are no expected changes in daytime traffic patterns.

Note for the days following July 21st:

No left turns will be permitted from Kalaeloa Boulevard, makai bound onto Kapolei Parkway. Kapolei-bound motorists should take Farrington Highway or "alternate routes". This "no left turn" condition will be in place for the duration of construction. *It is mandatory to keep traffic flowing freely on Kalaeloa.

 *Keep in mind that when construction is finished, Kalaeloa Boulevard will be changed from a mere four lanes to a roomy six lanes between the interchange and the railroad tracks. Multiple turn lanes that are also being added will improve the safety and organization of the intersection at  Kalaeloa Boulevard and Kapolei Parkway. The first phase will be completed by Spring of 2009.

 For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Leading up to post-secondary education in Kapolei the region has many education options. The two main complexes that serve the region are the Campbell Complex for Ewa Beach and the Kapolei Complex for Kapolei and Makakilo. The district has three new schools which are Kapolei Elementary, Kapolei Middle School and Kapolei High School. Its first senior class graduated in 2004. The school attempts to provide its students with learning experiences as well as advocating team teaching. They prepare students with a dynamic learning style that utilizes "family pods" and "neighborhoods" instead of classrooms to try and bolster a sense of group and individual duty. Kapolei High School also accentuates projects for learning and focuses on culture, arts, the environment, science and technology.

Kapolei also has a growing number of private schools, which includes college prep Island Pacific Academy and Seagull Schools for pre-school aged children and kindergarten through second grade.

For post-secondary education there is Leeward Community College, UH West Oahu and the University of Phoenix. Select graduate courses are being offered at Chaminade University in Kapolei.

For more information about Kapolei Area Real Estate please contact John Riggins.

Kapolei is growing rapidly and following is a list to illustrate all of the exciting projects that will bring an additional 6,000 jobs to the area. These projects include government, office, residental and retail communities.

• Costco Warehouse and Gas Station: opposite Home Depot. Will open Spring 2009.
• Crossroads At Kapolei: Retail center across from Kapolei Entertainment Center. Will open November 2008.
• Hawaii Self Storage: Will open summer 2008.
• Kapolei City Plaza: two-tower office/retail complex next to Island Pacific Academy. Construction begins 2009.
• Kapolei Commons: Open air shopping mall including Target, across from Honolulu Advertiser. Opens Spring 2009.
• Kapolei Court Complex: Will contain Family Court, Waianae District Court and juvenile detention center. Next to Costco. Opens Spring 2010.
• Kapolei Pacific Center: Two office towers with a retail ground floor. Located across from the Kapolei Library. Opens 2009. 
• Kapolei Promenade: Planned retail complex. Across from Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. Currently undergoing subdivision.
• Kapolei Village Center: Community shopping center will be close to the planned Mehana Residential Community. Opens 2010.
• Leihano Active Adult and Continuing Care Community: next to Kapolei Regional Park. Project will begin in 2009.
• Maryl Group Retail Complex: across from Kapolei Hale. Currently in planning stages.
• Mehana at Kapolei: a master planned mixed-use residential community. Located along southern border of Kapolei. Will be completed in 2015.

For more information about Kapolei Real Estate please contact John Riggins.