A harborside building that’ll just sit there

Back in the day, when Honolulu Harbor was all hustle and bustle and industrial, the Honolulu Power Plant probably fit the whole waterfront vibe.

Now Hawaiian Electric Co. has set January as the time to deactivate the 59-year-old plant as part of its overall plan to shift away from fossil fuels. It’s being kept as backup, for now.

Dare we hope that part of the plan would be to dismantle the thing? No offense, but a view of the harbor would be prettier without it.

Of course, elevated rail is going just mauka of that point, and a lot of folks are mourning the loss of view that will cause. Maybe HECO can derive new revenue from the redevelopment of the area.

If it means the utility might hold down electric bills, that’ll be a strong talking point.

DHHL conspicuously absent at convention

It’s fine to decline some invitations — even most of them, if that’s your individual preference. But the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is only adding to its mountainous image problem by ducking out of this one.

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is hosting its annual convention, concluding today, and the beleaguered state agency was a no-show. The DHHL was invited to participate through sponsorship or just by attending, according to one spokesperson. No dice.

Among other migraine headaches, DHHL is contending with the looming end of a major source of revenue: annual $30 million settlement payments from the state. Perhaps it might have been interested in at least one session: the Grants and Resources Forum.