Abercrombie to take vacation in France

Lt. Gov. Shan Tsu­tsui will be acting governor for the next few weeks as Gov. Neil Abercrombie travels for meetings and vacation.

The Governor’s Office said Wednesday that Abercrombie was headed to Los Angeles and New York to meet with credit agencies about the state’s economy and fiscal condition.

After the meetings wrap up today, the governor will join his wife in France for personal travel.

Abercrombie is expected back in Hawaii on Oct. 11.

Coco Palms on path toward reconstruction

The owners of Kauai’s Coco Palms Resort have sent most of their reconstruction permit applications to the county and have picked a team to rebuild the hotel.

"The remainder of the submittals will happen in the next few weeks," Coco Palms redevelopment group member Chad Waters told The Garden Island.

Coco Palms has been in ruins since Hurricane Iniki lashed Kauai in 1992. It is the only major hotel that did not reopen after the storm.

The group has selected Agor Architects to be the project’s architect and Unlimited Construction Services as the contractor.

The group is seeking permits under a county ordinance that allows developers to restore hurricane-damaged structures to their pre-Iniki condition without requiring them to adhere to current stricter health and safety standards.

The developers are under a tight deadline, however, because the Kauai County Council is considering legislation that would eliminate the ordinance.