Club, Gigi Takaki and myself, Kala Eastern, Mahalanui.

No, mahalo to the Royal Hawaiian Band Lee Club.

Thank you, Kalae.

Mahalo.

Thank you, Gigi.

Nice to see you this morning.

Aloha, and good morning, everyone.

Welcome.

Thank you all for being here.

The city council's honorary certificate program honors and acknowledges those individuals and groups who have made an impact in our local, national, and international communities.

Mr.

Clerk, our first recipient.

Good morning, Mr.

Chair and Council members and public.

Our first honorary certificate commends and recognizes the Department of Parks and Recreation's maintenance support services division for their outstanding work to revitalize the Alawai Community Park.

This presentation is made by yourself, Council Chair Waters and Councilmember Nishimoto.

Thank you.

Today we proudly recognize the maintenance support services division from the city and county of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation for their outstanding work in revitalizing Alawai Community Park.

And by the way, members, um, they don't just work in the Alawa area, it's actually island wide what these these men and women do.

Check out these before and after photos up on the screen of the comfort station and the canoe docks that they did in-house.

Before renovations, the park restroom was completely run down, and the docks were slowly deteriorating, creating a big safety hazard for the community.

Seriously, the bathrooms were practically unusable.

After reaching out to DPR to see what can be done to improve the park spaces, Director Thielen and her team came together to create an action plan.

Thanks to their efforts, the Aloy Community Park is now safer, cleaner, and more inviting for all who visit.

Within just two months, their crews gave the restrooms much needed TLC.

They added new fixtures, redid the drain lines, enhanced the painting, repaired their partition doors, and even installed new flooring.

And by the way, folks, that flooring is cherry.

Crews also improved access to the dock by pouring new concrete aprons and replacing old deteriorating docks.

The crews' craftsmanship initiative and ability to collaborate as a team were instrumental to the renovations.

I also have to recognize the supervisors who made this happen as well.

Of course, Dori Amano Mitsu, Office of the Director, Armando Salazar, Caesar Emanuelo, Colin Yamamoto, Daryl Agaran, Johnny Retuta Junior, Philip Conception, and Richard Yamaguchi.

Big round of applause for all the good work that these men and women do.

I now yield the floor to Councilmember Nishimoto.

Thank you, Chair.

We'd also like to give a special recognition to Dori Amano Mitsui.

Dory played a key role in coordinating the Oahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association project list.

Her hard work led to major improvements across the island from boat ramps and showers to roofing and restrooms.

As a central point of contract contact between DPR, paddling clubs, and other stakeholders, Dory organized site visits, ensured smooth communication, and brought together interdepartmental teams to get the job done right.

Her coordination, commitment, and care represent the best of public service.

The upgrades at Aloye Community Park are part of DPR's larger CACO for parks initiative, an effort that began in 2015 and aims to revitalize 177 comfort stations across the island.

And it's all made possible by the hands-on work and dedication of our DPR staff.

I now yield the floor back to Chair Waters.

Thank you, Councilmember Nishimoto.

This project reminds us of the strength of Hawaii Public Workforce, including the men and women of the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the United Public Workers.

These unions are essential in advocating for fair working conditions, supporting excellence and service, and making sure our public workers have the resources they need to serve our communities with integrity and professionalism.

The success of this effort reflects not only the incredible skill of DPR's tradespeople and supervisors, but also the power of organized labor to uplift our communities and protect for the public good.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Honolulu City Council on behalf of the people of the city and county of Honolulu expresses its heartfelt appreciation to the maintenance support services division of the Department of Parks and Recreation for their outstanding service, teamwork, and commitment to improving Alawai Community Park and our island as a whole.

So big Mahalo to you guys and thank you.

Mr.

Clerk, our next recipient.

Our next presentation honors and recognizes Keora Blakely for 50 years of service with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

This presentation is made by yourself, Council Chair Waters.

Thank you.

Fifty years, guys.

Amazing.

The Honolulu City Council takes great joy in honoring and recognizing Keora Blakely's fiftieth anniversary with the Department of Parks and Recreation.

That's a half a century of public service.

And forty-seven of those years spent at the Kahala Community Park, where she's been a beloved presence and a guiding light for generations of families and keikis.

Kora's work has always gone far beyond her job title.

She's done much to quietly, humbly, and always with aloha.