First Ward high-rise set to break ground
Ward Centers owner Howard Hughes Corp. plans to kick off construction of its first condominium high-rise Saturday.
The initial tower in the 22-tower master plan to transform the 60-acre retail area into a more residential neighborhood called Ward Village in Kakaako is called Waiea.
Aconstruction fence ringing the Waiea site, a parking lot at the mauka-Ewa corner of Kamakee Street and Ala Moana Boulevard, went up recently. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m.
Puerto Rico voted best U.S. island
No Hawaiian island is among the favorite five of the top 10 U.S. islands, as ranked by readers of USA Today and 10Best.
Kauai ranked at No. 8, and no other Hawaiian island was listed among the top 10 in the reader survey, which heavily favored islands in the northern latitudes.
Mackinac, Mich., ranked at No. 2, followed by Whidbey Island, Wash., fourth-ranked Mount Desert, Maine, and Amelia Island, Fla., which rounded out the top five.
At No. 6 was Assateague Island, Va./Md.; Dauphin Island, Ala., was seventh; Kauai was eighth, followed by Block Island, R.I., and Hilton Head, S.C., at ninth and tenth, respectively.
The Puerto Rico Tourism Co. is making hay from the selection, distributing a news release nationwide to tout the honor.
New e-vehicle chargers unveiled on Maui
Two new electric vehicle charging stations have been unveiled at Whalers Village in Lahaina.
The free-to-use Volta stations are at the main entrance of the shopping center’s parking garage.
Volta claims the largest network of free-to-use EV charging stations nationwide, at about 70 stations in Hawaii, California and Arizona.
"EV drivers on Maui have expressed that they want more stations," Arden Penton, Volta director of media and operations, said in a statement.
"We’re actively scouting potential sites and exploring further properties to install. By providing a free service, we hope that the local community will see that going electric is actually possible."
Whalers Village is centrally located within Kaanapali Beach Resort.
"We offer a prime location to service electric car drivers, and, as important, our location provides excellent visibility to help raise awareness about the growing use of electric cars on Maui," said Lisa Donlon, Whalers Village marketing manager.
ON THE MOVE
Hawaiian Host has hired Casie McKinney as its new assistant brand manager. She has eight years of experience in marketing communications, media advertising and shopper marketing. McKinney previously worked as an account executive for Integrated Marketing Services.
Central Pacific Bank has appointed Michelle Salvador to Manoa branch manager. She has nearly 20 years of banking experience and four years of branch manager experience. Salvador was previously a Manoa branch manager for American Savings Bank.