Public input sought on proposed Pāhoa transit hub and library

The County of Hawai‘i Mass Transit Agency, Planning Department, and Hawai‘i State Public Library System invites the community to provide input to inform the final site selection and planning for a proposed new transit hub and co-located library in Pāhoa Town.

The transit hub and library are intended to support comfort and safety for transit riders, promote other multi-modal uses such as walking and biking, and provide amenities and gathering spaces for the greater Pāhoa community, county officials stated in a press release Wednesday.

A pop-up event and community meeting will take place in Pāhoa this month and in March. The purpose of the events is to share information and gather community input on the location and desired features of the transit hub and library.

The first event will be at Maku‘u Farmers Market, located at 15-2131 Kea‘au Pāhoa Rd. in Pāhoa, on Feb. 26 from 7 a.m. to noon. The community meeting will take place March 1 at the Pāhoa Neighborhood Facility, located at 15-0322 Kauhale St., from 6-8 p.m.

A display with information about the project and ways to provide comments will also be available at Pāhoa Public Library starting Feb. 27. The community can learn about the project and provide comments through the project website: http://pahoatransithub.info/.

An environmental assessment will then be prepared for the project. Additional community consultation is planned for the release of the assessment in the summer.

Community members needing an auxiliary aid or other accommodation to attend a meeting due to a disability may contact Melissa May at 808- 628-5861.