Waimea meeting to explore public works goals and challenges

From building permits to road paving, from potholes to grubbing permits, from streetlight repair and synchronization to drywells and much more, few public agencies have as much day-to-day impact on Hawai’i County residents as the County Department of Public Works.

Department Director Steve Pause will share an overview of this high-demand department –from building and engineering to highways and traffic during Waimea Community Association’s hybrid Town Meeting from 5:30 7 p.m. on May 4 at Tutu’s House.

All are welcome to attend the meeting in person. It also will be live-streamed on the
association’s Facebook page and to the Waimea Community Association’s YouTube channel by going to WaimeaTown.org for a link.

As always, the meeting will be recorded to both Facebook and YouTube for later on-demand viewing.

This is Pause’s first in-person meeting with Waimea residents since stepping into the Director
role in June 2022 but he has participated in numerous virtual meetings primarily with the South
Kohala Traffic Safety Committee. No newcomer to the County or to engineering, construction
and project management, Pause has worked for Hawai’i County since October 2020 as an
engineer for the Department of Environmental Management and then as Deputy Director for
DPW.

Also participating in the town meeting will be Hawai’i County Council Chair Heather Kimball and Councilmember Cindy Evans with brief Council updates, as well as representatives of South Kohala Community Policing.

The Waimea Community Association’s spotlighted not-for-profit will the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai’i Island. The Visitor Aloha Society helps visitors cope with and recover from a variety of unfortunate situations – lost documents, crime, medical emergencies, or the death of a loved one.

The Visitor Aloha Society receives referrals from the Hawaiʻi County Police Department, local hospitals, airport security and others.