(BIVN) – Mayor Kimo Alameda delivered the State of the County Address on Thursday, during the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaiʻi’s General Membership meeting at Nani Mau Gardens in Hilo.

Part of the mayor’s address featured a “tour” of all the projects his administration has been working on – and challenges faced – since taking office.

Mayor Alameda touched upon the following:

• Kawainui Makai land acquisition
• Highway 19 repairs
• Mokuola bridge reconstruction
• Banyan Drive tree removal
• The Manono Street / Kawili Street roundabout
• Pohoiki Road/Highway 137 reconstruction
• Shipman Park parking
• Park improvements at Miloliʻi
• Kona park improvements
• Bathrooms at Old Kona Airport Beach Park
• Kealakehe Regional Park
• Kamehameha Park
• Emergency Shelter at Waimea District Park
• Honokaʻa restrooms
• Pāpaʻaloa Covered Playcourt

Mayor Alameda also spoke about affordability, identified as a primary concern for Big Island residents. “It is going to require all of us,” Mayor Alameda said, while acknowledging the multiple jurisdictions involved. “And that’s why I feel that when we talk about affordability, the only way to address it is to dig deep” into the areas of “building codes, roads, energy costs, wastewater and water services, workforce development, home insurance and mortgage rates, property taxes, and support services.”

photo courtesy County of Hawaiʻi

Mayor Alameda concluded his speech with a Japanese phrase “Ichigo Ichie,” meaning “one encounter, one lifetime.” 

“The past is over for all of us, the future is promised to none of us, so all we get is today,” Mayor Alameda said. “And so, we treat each other with love and respect. And we can agree to disagree, but we always love. Still love each other because that is all we got, especially when we are on an island. We have to rely on each other to get our basic needs met and we can and we have.”