Kauai's development continues to grow, but this time it's in the shape of a Technology Center scheduled for completion by the end of 2018. Plans to break ground on the center are scheduled for 2017. This exciting new project from the Kauai Economic Development Board (KEDB), will provide a multipurpose creative technology facility for workforce training, a hub for film and music industry professionals, as well as an audio and video resource center for members of the community.

The County Council approved a license agreement for the facility to be built next to the War Memorial Convention Hall in April, and last month the Legislature appropriated $500,000 toward the center, said Alan Tang, president of Olomana Loomis ISC, a business consulting firm in Honolulu. 

The Center has received an appropriated grant-in aid award of $500,000. It’s just the start to go towards the $20 million that is needed for the center. The goal of the center is to create and sustain creative technology based jobs as well as provide training and education programs that benefit the local community and residents. Last year, 30 percent of the crew members for film productions on the island were Kauai residents.

There will be classes, training, workshops and programs in film-making, animation, web development, robotics and other areas of the creative industries with many of the programs focused on training for film crew members. Kauai has a long history with the film industry and this center will help to strengthen the Kauai community and job market through it's education and training. 

Here on Kauai, a TMK Map (Tax Map Key) divides the state of Hawaii into sections. The map is used by various agencies to distinguish individual distinct locations of all the land parcels on Kauai.

• The 1st number (4) in the TMK for Hawaii designates Kauai.

• The 2nd number shows the Zone.

• The 3rd number relates to a Section in the Zone.

• The 4th and 5th numbers are refer to the Plat and Parcel giving the exact location of individual properties.

A detailed TMK Map for a given Section may be obtained at the County Planning Office.

The 5th annual Sand Festival has become a major event on Kauai and is the biggest and only Sand Sculpture contest in Hawaii and the liveliest Beach Music event of the year.

Take a free lesson on sand creations from world renowned sand sculptor Jeff Peterson at 11:30 AM. Learn how the pros create those amazing castles. Then come build the best castle, turtle, dragon, starfish, or whatever you can imagine. Compete as an individual or as a team with friends and/or family. Also come and enjoy the music, the beach and the ocean.

Details:

Cost: Free
Prizes: Lots
Who: Everyone
Date: Saturday, Aug 8th, 2015
Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Location: To the left of the Hanalei pier, to the right of Pavilions on Kauai
City/Town: Hanalei, HI

Description:

Everyone is invited to come to this FREE event and build their own sand castle or sand art to win lots of PRIZES. Individuals or teams of any size are all welcome to create their vision and enjoy a day at the beach as sand artists. Prizes will be awarded to the top entries and as many keikis as possible. For keikis (kids), young and old, beginners, artists and sand sculptors.

What To Bring:

Bring your own shovels, pails, tools, molds, sprayers (very helpful) for sculpting sand. Make sure to bring your own hat or shade, sunscreen, food, drinking water and a squirt gun to help your friends cool off.

Schedule of Events:
11:00 Free registration and start of the event.
11:30 Free lesson by world renowned sand sculpture and teacher Jeff Peterson.
3:30 Final judging.
4:00 Awards ceremony and Prizes

Competitive Divisions:

Keiki under 12
Youth 12-17
Adults 17-infinity
Teams (including families)

As a local Real Estate company, Reside Kauai is proud to support events such as the Napali Race held this Saturday, August 1, 2015. Na Pali Race is a 17 mile Stand Up Paddleboard, Prone Paddleboard, OC-1/2 and Surf Ski race from Haena Beach Park along the Na Pali Coast, finishing at Polihale State Beach Park, Kauai, Hawaii. Congrats to the top 10 winners! To see full results click here.

Here on Kauai, you may come across a property that is designated a “CPR” property and wonder what that means. Condominium Property Regime (“CPR”) refers to the specific form of ownership and governing process created when real property becomes a condominium or separate parcel of land. The process of creating a condominium is often referred to as "CPRing" property. But the term condominium is a form of ownership in a parcel of land, not necessarily referring to a condominium in the traditional sense.

Why CPR?

Two advantages of condominium ownership are separate mortgages and property taxes for each apartment owner. Creating a CPR does not increase the number of apartments permitted on the property. Neither does the CPR determine or change the zoning. An owner of a CPR unit is entitled to exclusive ownership of their unit, but the land is a common element, owned jointly in common with the other owners of the CPR. It can be created for all types of properties - high rises, townhouses or detached units (single-family homes) as well as many different types of uses such as residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural. 

History of CPR

Kauai was and still is an agricultural community and historically, land parcels were divided into larger pieces of land. These larger parcels of land were restricted to a few land owners who were forced to create Hui's (groups) to divide up the cost of these large parcels of land. Now with the option of a CPR, buyers can now purchase smaller parcels of land individually instead of with multiple buyers/owners.

Things to Think About if Buying a CPR

As an owner of a CPR, you are an owner of your property and have a separate mortgage, title, tax assessments and insurance. However, you are still part of the CPR development according to the County Planning Department. Your applications to build additional structures are based upon what already exists within that CPR development as a whole. You will likely share driveways, septic systems and utilities. Additionally, getting financing on a CPR unit can be a bit more difficult since your property is tied to others within the development.

How to CPR? 

A condominium is created when the following items are recorded at the Bureau of Conveyances or filed at the Office of the Assistant Registrar of the Land Court: 

1) Declaration of Condominium Property Regime; 
2) Bylaws of the Association of Apartment Owners
3) Condominium Map (floor plans); and 
4) Master deed or lease. 

The property owner(s) may be the developer of the condominium project. However, if the developer is not the property owner(s), then the owner(s) must acquiesce to submission of the property to CPR by consent and joinder to the Declaration of Condominium Property Regime. See DCCA Website for more info on CPR. 

The Haena State Park of the future could include controlled entry, a 900-person daily visitor cap and beach access by way of an elevated boardwalk.

That is the vision mapped out in an 800-page master plan geared at renewing the park’s emphasis on Haena’s cultural and historical significance while resolving issues pertaining to large crowds, lack of parking and too much traffic.

Haena State Park’s pristine shoreline, sheltered lagoon and scenic vistas make it one of the island’s most popular visitor destinations. With roughly 2,000 daily visitors, “the end of the road” is also one of the state’s busiest parks. Within its 66 acres, the park contains valuable cultural and ecological resources, as well as the Kalalau trailhead, gateway to the Napali Coast State Wilderness Park.

The master plan, assembled by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, is based on years of research and community input guided by a community advisory committee, a team of consultants, contractor PBR Hawaii and DLNR’s Division of State Parks. It also includes a draft Environmental Impact Statement.

This proposal also means limiting parking to 100 cars. Right now, there’s parking available to accommodate about 200.Another component being considered is running a shuttle from Princeville to control visitors. 

Hawaiian Airlines will add more flights from Kauai and Maui to Los Angeles during the holiday season, the airline announced on Thursday.

Currently, Hawaiian Airlines flies four flights a week between Los Angeles International Airport and Lihue Airport. From Dec. 18, 2015 to Jan. 4, 2016, it will increase flights to five per week. Starting Jan. 8, it will operate three times a week — the first time Hawaiian Airlines has operated direct service between L.A. and Lihue outside of its seasonal schedule. The route will use the wide-body Boeing 767-300ER, which seats up to 264 passengers.

From Kahului, Maui to L.A., Hawaiian Airlines currently runs daily nonstop service. From Dec. 17 to Jan. 3, it will add a four-times-a-week flight, which will add 20,000 nonstop scheduled air seats. The airline will use a wide-body Airbus A330-200 for the route, which seats up to 294.

The county of Kauai has released the real property tax rates for the 2015/2016 fiscal year. These dollars help to fund vital services in our communities such as fire and police protection, street maintenance and lighting, water, sewer and refuse collection, and recreational facilities and activities. The County of Kauai could not operate without the real property tax as approximately 45% of every revenue dollar collected comes from this source.

HOMEOWNERS EXEMPTIONS - As a property owner you should be aware that there are homeowner exemptions which can reduce your net taxable value providing you occupy the property as your principal residence on September 30 preceding the tax year. These home exemptions are:

BASIC HOME EXEMPTION – Homeowners not 60 years of age will be eligible for a single home exemption of $160,000.

ADDITIONAL AGE EXEMPTION – This exemption was established to help senior citizens living on fixed retirement incomes. Homeowners between the ages of 60 and 70 are eligible for additional exemption amounts, where the Basic Exemption is increased to $180,000. For homeowners over 70 years, additional exemption amount is $200,000.

ADDITIONAL HOME EXEMPTION BASED ON INCOME – Real Property which qualifies for the Basic Home Exemption and/or Additional Age Exemption may be entitled to an additional exemption of up to $120,000 provided the annual gross income of the owner-occupant(s), does not exceed the qualified Gross Income ceiling for that year.  The gross income will change each January 1; contact the Real Property Assessment office for the current amount for the next taxable year.  YOU MUST APPLY ANNUALLY FOR THIS ADDITIONAL EXEMPTION.

TOTALLY DISABLED VETERAN EXEMPTION – If you are a totally disabled vet—due to injuries received while on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces, your home is exempted from all real property taxes, except the minimum tax of $100.00.

DISABILITY EXEMPTION – Special exemptions of up to $50,000 are also available for property owners who are totally disabled, blind, deaf, or who are Hansen’s Disease sufferers. This special exemption is in addition to the basic and multiple home exemptions.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Sept 30: Deadline for filing exemption claims and recordation of ownership documents
Oct 1: Assessment set for use during next tax year
Dec 1: Assessment notices mailed
Dec 31: Deadline for assessment appeals
Jan 20: Second half year tax bills mailed
Feb. 20: Second half tax year payment is due
Mar 31: Certified assessment roll to County Council
June 20: Tax Rate set by County Council
July 1: Tax Year Commences, Deadline for filing dedication petitions
July 20: First half year tax bills mailed
Aug. 20: First half tax payments due

Kauai’s Aqua Engineers Inc. has purchased the Puhi Sewage & Water Co. from AOL co-founder Steve Case’s Grove Farm Co. Inc. for an undisclosed price, the engineering firm told PBN Wednesday. The Puhi plant has been operated by Aqua Engineers for nearly two decades. The Puhi facility becomes the first and only treatment facility that the company fully owns. The Puhi Sewage & Water Co. currently provides wastewater collection, treatment and water reuse services to more than 1,300 residential and commercial customers.

The employee-owned firm, which is based in Koloa, has 95 employees and operates and maintains more than 30 wastewater and 15 water-treatment facilities on Kauai, Oahu, Lanai, Maui and the Big Island. It also has contracts with the U.S. Army on Oahu.

“We have the expertise in utility services from operations to accounting, so it makes sense to move into ownership," Ken Davis, president and COO of Aqua Engineers, said in a statement. "For more than 10 years we have successfully owned and operated the Army wastewater utility at Schofield Barracks on Oahu through one of the nation’s first utility privatization contracts. Acquiring Puhi Sewer and Water will further our investment in Hawaii and Kauai as a locally based, employee-owned company.” (Source: Pacific Business News)

Reside Kauai takes pride in being a local Kauai Real Estate company and we love supporting events in our community! We are happy to support the Napali Race on August 1st, 2015. It's an amazing event on one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world. Here are a few details about the event!

Na Pali Race - The ultimate downwind run along the most beautiful coastline in the world.

Who: Up to 200 professional stand up paddlers, traditional paddleboarders, crossover ocean athletes, and local paddleboard enthusiasts are expected to compete in the

What:  The Napali Race is an elite paddleboard race and charity event with both men’s and women’s stand up paddle, prone paddleboard, and?OC1 divisions.

Where: The 17 mile course begins at Haena Beach Park on the North Shore of Kauai and finishes at Polihale State Beach Park on the West Side of Kauai.

Why: Na Pali Coast ‘Ohana, a grassroots non-profit foundation dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural resources of the coastline.

Cost: The cost to participate is a recommended donation of $20.

Safety: The Na Pali Coast is known to have strong currents, strong winds, and dangerous ocean conditions. The coastline is only accessible by boat or helicopter for a rescue. There is no cell phone service along the coastline and the start and finish line beach areas have spotty cellular service at best. Paddlers must have both ocean and paddleboard experience to participate in the Na Pali Race.

Safety will be provided by certified water patrol lifeguards, who will be of service in case of any emergencies. There will be three lifeguards on PWC during the race and one lifeguard at Polihale for the duration of the day. Haena County Park has lifeguards as well.