1st ‘Life After 60′ Celebration-July 2012

Life After 60 Celebration Cake

Thursday, July 19, 2012.  Hawai’i Island, Hawai’i—
The EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025 VisionKeepers recently held a successful celebration, on July 19, 2012 in the Aupuni Center Conference Room, for the top five projects derived from the EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025 (EDH2025) community-based plan.

The “Life After 60” celebration theme comes from the OurDowntownHilo.com website where these top projects have each collected more than 60 ‘likes’ of community support.  The celebration featured presentations from the top five project leaders and their representatives:

Let’s Grow Hilo! (112 likes)
– Samantha “Sam” Robinson

Key Club students at Registration

Hilo Bayfront Trails (101 likes)
– Peter Kubota

Kaipalaoa Landing Park (66)
– Stan Lawrence

Revitalizing Kalakaua Park (65)
–Jason Armstrong

Closing Mamo Street (81)
– Alice Moon

With over a total of 70 people in attendance, the audience included stakeholders from the projects, interested community members, business owners, landowners, lineal descendants, Department of Education representatives, University of Hawai’i at Hilo and Hawai’i Community College faculty and students, and Hilo High School Key Club members.

Let's Grow Hilo presenter, Sam Robinson

Everyone was given an opportunity to introduce themselves and presentations were provided by each of the 5 celebrants.  Delicious food donated from area businesses was shared, and a special celebration cake was featured. With the assistance of Recycle Hawaii, this was a Zero Waste event generating only about 2 pints of trash (primarily name tags) resulting in a 99% diversion rate from the landfill.

“Many community advocates, leaders, representatives and public servants came together to create the EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025 (EDH2025) plan.  This effort continues as community and government lead partners begin to implement the plan,” said Susan Gagorik of the County of Hawaii Planning Department.  “The collective efforts of so many have brought us far, and this is an accomplishment we can be proud of.”

Kanani Aton facilitating at the event

“We thank all who have worked on this project from the beginning in 2004 through now,” added Alice Moon, executive director of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association.  “It is exciting to see the interaction face to face at meetings like this, but it is also great to see people engaging on our website. ”

Visit http://OurDowntownHilo.com to support the many projects proposed, register, and “like” the ones you want to see move forward.  For status reports and contact information on the top 60+ projects, login and visit Updates.

Please continue to visit OurDowntownHilo and support your favorite ideas for transforming Downtown Hilo into an extraordinary place that we help build!

Mahalo! to all businesses and individuals who supported this event and to all participants! A special thank you to Charlene Masuhara and the Hilo High School Key Club for continuing to support EDH 2025 and for their public service to our community!

Hilo Bayfront Trails presenter, Peter Kubota

Below are highlights and recognition of appreciation all those who made this event successful~

Hosts:  EDH2025 VisionKeepers

Organizers:  EDH 2025 VisionKeepers, Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, County of Hawai’i Planning Department

Facilitator for Event:  Kanani Aton Keliikoa

Registration and Refreshment Set up:  Hilo High School Key Club

Celebrants/Presenters:

Let’s Grow Hilo – Sam Robinson, Coordinator

Kaipalaoa Landing Park presenter, Stan Lawrence

Hilo Bayfront Trails – Peter Kubota, Christine Makawao, HBTrails, Inc.

Revitalize Kalakaua Park – Jason Armstrong, County Dept. of Parks and Recreation

Kaipalaoa Landing Park – Stan Lawrence, Malama Kaipalaoa;
Landscape Renderings for Kaipalaoa: Leonard Bisel/Meredith Tanioka

Closing Mamo Street – Alice Moon, HDIA (currently no Lead Solution Partner)
Concept Rendering for Mamo Closure: Charles Snyder

Food Donations:

Celebration Cake:  KTA

Hilo Bayfront Trails presenter, Jason Armstrong

Refreshments:  Cafe Pesto – Pupus; Lucy’s Taqueira – Tortilla Chips; Big Island Candies – Cookies; Hilo High School Key Club – Fruit and Vegetable Platter and Lemonade; Hilo Downtown Improvement Association – Chicken, Tortilla rolled sandwiches; Charlene Masuhara – Spam Musubi, Banana cake; Sam Robinson – lemon grass tea; vegetable dish; and anyone we may have missed!

Compostable paper products:  Recycle Hawaii
Door Prizes: Recycle Hawaii, Hilo Downtown Improvement Association, EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025 VisionKeepers, Susan Gagorik

Mahalo to everyone who came and shared their manao
as we EnVision Downtown Hilo 2025…

Mamo Street Closure presenter, Alice Moon

We welcome your comments and thank you for your participation in this community-based process.

Please help by getting two friends to register on OurDowntownHilo
to promote the ideas they think are best for our downtown community!

For more information:
email:  edh2025@gmail.com
phone:  Susan Gagorik, County of Hawaii Planning Dept. at 961-8154
http://OurDowntownHilo.com
http://hawaiicounty.gov/pl-edh2025