17 park leases going up for auction

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will put up for public auction 17 vacant recreational residence leases in Kokee and Waimea state parks on Kauai.

The leases will be sold in a three-tiered public auction, as required by state law.

The first round of the auction will be offered to residents of Kauai and Kalawao (Kalaupapa) counties. If any leases are available after that, a second round of bids will be offered to all Hawaii residents. If there are any leases still available, a third round will be opened to non-Hawaii residents.

Minimum bids start as low as $2,500 per year, and the lots are for part-time, recreational use only.

The deadline for applications is 4 p.m. Nov. 7. The first round of the auction will be held Dec. 8.

For more details and a public auction bid packet, go to www.hawaiistateparks.org/plans/index.cfm or call 587-0505.

"The revenues from these leases will go to supporting improvements on public lands by restoring recreational areas in the Hawaii State Park System," DLNR Director William Aila said in a statement.

Kauai County gets 5 electric vehicles

Some Kauai County employees will soon be driving electric vehicles.

Five silver Nissan Leafs the county ordered arrived recently, and county workers were trained last week on how to use them.

The vehicles were purchased through an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant administered by the state.

Kauai County Sustainability Manager Glenn Sato said the county is buying and installing 10 electric-vehicle chargers at several county facilities.