Traffic congestion on Kaua’i is a significant challenge. Without a shift in travel patterns, the island will struggle to maintain the quality of life that is highly valued by residents and visitors.

The Kaua'i Shuttle Study will test the feasibility of using new local shuttles on the North Shore, South Shore, and East Side to effectively serve both visitors and residents as one strategy to mitigate congestion and improve accessibility. This evaluation is part of a broader objective of enhancing transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure in the County of Kaua’i.

The County of Kaua’i is gathering input from public and local stakeholders. You can complete the online survey here.

You can also visit the Get Involved page to provide comments and sign up for their mailing list.

Reside Kauai is proud to announce that Lori Finch has been sworn in as secretary with the Kauai Board of Realtors for the third year in a row. Lori is proud of the work the Kauai Board of Realtors has achieved these past two years. By unanimous vote she has been elected for another year as secretary to the Board of Realtors. Lori states that "Participation is imperative” for all members of the association. This goes double for the members of the board. She is happy to serve another year with the hard working board members of the Kauai Board of Realtors. Congratulations to Lori! Reside Kauai is proud to announce that Lori Finch has been sworn in as secretary with the Kauai Board of Realtors for the third year in a row. Lori is proud of the work the Kauai Board of Realtors has achieved these past two years. By unanimous vote she has been elected for another year as secretary to the Board of Realtors. Lori states that "Participation is imperative” for all members of the association. This goes double for the members of the board. She is happy to serve another year with the hard working board members of the Kauai Board of Realtors. Congratulations to Lori! 

Reside Kauai is excited to announce our newest addition to the team - Ruby Staggers!

Ruby Staggers’ ties to Kauai are long and deep, harking back to the old plantation days when her great-grandmother immigrated from the Philippines to Hawai’i to work in the sugar cane fields. Both Ruby’s grandmother and mother were born and reared on the west side of Kauai. Ruby studied at the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Time away from home brought about a profound sense of appreciation and longing to return to the islands after college. As a resident of Kauai, she knows the value of living on an island known for its idyllic charm and breathtaking beauty. She feels lucky to call Kauai her home. The island inspires her every day. She sees Kauai as a gift to share with prospective clients, whether they are seeking to find the perfect home, investment property, or second residence.

Ruby prides herself on being dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic, dependable, and trustworthy. She believes that having integrity and being accountable in business and in life must be at the heart of any enterprise. These qualities, as well as a strong work ethic, are what set her apart. She is a life-long health enthusiast and enjoys people, CrossFit, running, paddling, yoga and dancing. She also loves a challenge, whether this means rock climbing, running marathons, paddling in a canoe race, raising children and a husband or running a business successfully. Her passion comes from a zest for life.

Similar to the recent Princeville workforce housing project, Koloa has plans to add a 150 unit multi-family development. It will be named the Koae Workforce Housing Development, and will be built on 11 acres of county-owned land near the Kiahuna Golf Club. The goal of this new initiative is to provide affordable housing in a convenient location for those who need it. 

The Kauai County Housing Agency said that the project site was found to be a suitable location to provide the needed affordable housing to residents since it is centrally located, within close proximity to businesses, schools, recreational activities and shopping in an established residential community. Honolulu-based Community Planning and Engineering Inc. is a consultant for the project on behalf of the county

Under the “You Dine, We Donate” program, proceeds for all food and beverage at Table 53 in the oceanfront RumFire Poipu Beach restaurant are donated to a designated nonprofit for the month.

This month, they presented $4,031, one of their largest checks to date, to The Kauai Police Activities League. KPAL, a crime and drug-prevention program offering sports and recreational activities for Kauai’s youth, was the beneficiary for the month of October.

Cappiello said the beneficiary for Table 53 for November is the Wilcox Health Foundation which will utilize the funds toward the purchase of a state-of-the-art mammography unit for the G.N. Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

The December beneficiary will be the Kauai schools, or the Kauai Interscholastic Federation, of the Hawaii High School Athletic Association. Table 53 has generated more than $115,000 benefiting Kauai nonprofit organizations since its inception in October 2012.

Here at Reside Kauai, we are grateful for a successful year helping our clients buy and sell beautiful properties all over the Garden Isle of Kauai. We are also grateful for the Kauai community which we work hard to support through local donations & sponsorships. For the upcoming holiday, here is a list of events tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving from Reside Kauai!

Kapaa Interfaith Association - Free Thanksgiving Lunch - Thursday, November 26

KAPAA — The Kapaa Interfaith Association, comprised of eight churches in the Kapaa area, will host its annual free Community Thanksgiving Luncheon from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.

Community worship will start at 10 a.m. with a turkey meal served starting at 11 a.m. at the All Saints’ Gym in Kapaa, prepared by Mark Oyama and the staff at Mark’s Place and Contemporary Flavors Catering.

Participating churches include the All Saints’ Episcopal Church, St. Catherine’s Catholic Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ward II, Kapaa Hongwanji Mission, Kapaa Jodo Mission, Kapaa Seventh Day Adventist, Kapaa United Church of Christ, and the Kapaa First Hawaiian Church.

Anaina Hou Community Park - Thanksgiving Dinner  - Thursday, November 26

KILAUEA — Anaina Hou Community Park will present a free community Thanksgiving dinner from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday on the lawn at Kauai Mini Golf in Kilauea.

Local band “Tangled Roots” will provide music to add to the festivities.

 Old Town Kapa’a Turkey Trot - Thursday, November 26 

KAPAA - The Old Town Kapaa Turkey Trot is presented by Work It Out. This is an informal 5k/10k Fun Walk, Run or Bike. On Thanksgiving Day November 26th. The start and finish is at Kapa’a Beach Park.

Check in is at 6:45am. The event starts at 7:30am. This is a Free Event. On Site Registration Only. Non-perishable food for Hale Ho’omau or monetary donations to the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce are gratefully accepted. For more information contact Work It Out (808) 822-2292

The Oahu based, aloha shirt manufacturer and retailer Reyn Spooner will open its eighth company store on Saturday in The Shops at Kukuiula on Kauai. “We have always been interested in expanding our brand on the Garden Island and reaching out to the Kukuiula community, given the right opportunity," Reyn Spooner President Kirk Hubbard, III, said in a statement to Pacific Business News on Thursday. "We felt the timing was right to become part of this premiere shopping destination, and we are excited to be able to offer residents and visitors a full line of our company’s island inspired apparel and accessories."

The only other current location on Kauai is in the Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa in Poipu.

The green future for Kauai is getting brighter thanks to KIUC's community-based renewables program with seeks to make the benefits of solar energy and other renewables more accessible to a greater number of people. While KIUC's customers are automatically a member and part of these initiatives, some customers were able to benefit from rooftop solar. 

Because installing rooftop solar was not an option for many of its customers, and, as a way to get more people to install solar systems, and at the same time, to mitigate the risk of curtailment, or wasted energy, it recently began implementing a time-of-use solar rate pilot program. This program will provide customers with incentives to modify their usage patterns by shifting more usage to periods when excess generation from PV is occurring.

Participants in KIUC’s community renewables program must have a smart meter and be unable to install their own rooftop solar system, among other rules. KIUC submitted its projected rates and guidelines to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission for approval this week. The PUC still needs to approve both proposals. Community renewables was mandated by Act 100, which was signed by Gov. David Ige in June. 

Kauai has been making huge strides in it's effort to be more energy efficient. The latest initiative towards a cleaner and greener future is KIUC's 12 mega-watt Anahola solar farm. Hawaii's largest solar project has been turned on and the savings for local residents are significant. The Anahola farm will generate 20% of the energy used on Kauai and eliminate 1.7 million gallons of oil from being imported.

The $54 million project was built by REC Solar on 60 acres of land leased for 25 years from the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. By the end of 2015, 37 percent of the electricity generated on Kauai will come from a mix of renewable resources: solar, hydropower and biomass, up from 5 percent in 2009. This puts Kauai within reach of its goal to use 50% renewable energy by 2023.