Entrance to Ke ‘Olu
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This photo was in the paper awhile ago. Many of us who go to Costco see the chickens around the parking lot. And low and behold, we have some new ones. One of our residents went to Costco and because her AC was not working well, she left her windows open a bit. When she returned she had two live chickens in her car. And she didn’t even pay for them! We are proud to present to you our new and improved Club Member directory! The directory and photo roster are no longer separate files and are one “merged” file. Please feel free to email your photos (jpeg file type) or any contact information updates to Diane Green at diane.green@fourseasons.com. Although your participation is optional, it is a great way for Members to get to know one another. We hope you enjoy this new format and we look forward to having additional photos added. The Roster is for fellow members only.For that reason the link under Links on this page Log in for Official Hualalai Members Site will take you to the web site. Sign in and then click on Roster to see it.LogBy Bret Yager
The state Department of Transportation hopes to begin work on the Queen Kaahumanu Highway widening project this summer. The National Park Service has signed the memorandum of agreement that must be finalized before the project can move ahead, and the other parties that must sign off also appear to have put their stamp of approval on the document. The final hurdle is approval by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in Washington, D.C. “I don’t think we’ve ever been this close,” said Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, Ka‘u. “I think it’s a go. If I’m a little restrained, it’s because we’ve all been frustrated.” Green said he expects the approval process to wrap up in the next few weeks. During that time, invited parties that include Native Hawaiian groups will have a chance to review the memorandum as part of the consultation process, Green said. However, the ACHP signature is the only remaining approval that is required before the project can move ahead. “This, the courthouse and Palamanui are the three top things West Hawaii is in need of,” Green said. Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park officials signed the memorandum after initial concerns about water quality and historic preservation, and light pollution, sound and visual impacts to the park, Superintendent Tammy Duchesne confirmed. More than six years after the project was first awarded to Goodfellow Bros., the $80 million undertaking will widen the highway from two lanes to four between Kealakehe Parkway and Kona International Airport, alleviating heavy congestion along that corridor. Bid protests, concerns about historical sites and the ensuing consultations delayed the construction. A public informational meeting will be held once construction can proceed, Hawaii DOT spokesman Derek Inoshita said.  Click this announcement to get a PDF version.
Due to the recent merger between Hualalai Resort and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, we have implemented a new flow/reporting structure and have provided this organizational chart for your review.  Click the chart to get a pdf version.
Thanks again to Bill McDowell With the new merger between Hualalai Resort and the Four Seasons there have been changes, especially in everyone’s email address. This blog will maintain a link to the Phone and Email List (See Links on the right side of your screen). Click here to view the two page list. Feel free to print it and keep next to your phone.
If you wish to attend please RSVP at 808.881.3836. If you want to carpool call Residential Concierge at 808.325.8451  Hualalai Invitational Hula Golfers Thanks to Ann Barasch
 Floiran Riedel Aloha, Happy New Year and all the very best for 2015! I am looking forward to the next couple of months and working on some very important projects. It’s been three months in my new role and I want to thank everybody for a very warm welcome. I met a lot of you and look forward to meeting the rest. Mahalo for your feedback, it has definitely helped me to better understand your priorities and how important Hualalai is to all of you. I also had the opportunity to spend some good time with our Members’ Advisory Board. Their commitment and dedication is truly remarkable and they are a great avenue to hear our Club Members’ perspectives. One of our goals for 2015 is to streamline our communication to you and provide relevant information about the day-to-day operation as well as a big picture approach from my personal monthly update along with a quarterly update from Patrick Fitzgerald. Please note, these will be published in future Weekly Club Updates. Regarding the recent merger with Four Seasons, the first priority was to take care of our 1200 employees who deliver an amazing experience here at Hualalai for all of our Members and guests. This was done by building an infrastructure to support our employees through benefits, payroll, 401(k), etc., and to ensure everyone feels supported and connected. With that being achieved, we can now start looking at ways to even further improve the Member and employee experience at Hualalai. Employee training will play a big role in 2015. We want to make sure all our employees are engaged and aligned with our objectives and continue to deliver the highest level of service. We have already started with management training and will kick-off the employee training mid-February, a very important and time consuming initiative. Although this is a slow process we will see the benefits in the long run. This training will continue throughout 2015. Our first project is Ke’olu where there is an amazing team and wonderful people in a fantastic location. We have received a lot of feedback and recommendations for improvements. Ke’olu is considered under-utilized so we want to energize the programming for the restaurant, bar, pool and golf areas. Ideas include new menus and themed events to name a few enhancements while moving toward a better Member experience and utilized facility. We are very excited about this project and will see some changes before the end of the first quarter. We will continue to keep you apprised of these changes as they happen, please feel free to provide us with your feedback. Hualalai has now become one of the biggest Food & Beverage operations in our company with six restaurants, the Trading Company, banquets and in-room dining. In order to help us on the resort side to streamline our processes and work with our teams on training and programming, we have hired a new Assistant Director of Food & Beverage overseeing Ke’olu, Hualalai Grille, Canoe Club and the Residents’ Beach House. His name is Wayne Duprey and he is joining us from the Shangri-La Hotel in Beijing, China. Wayne is originally from Boston and brings an extensive F&B background with him. We look forward to Wayne’s arrival to the Big Island of Hawaii in March. Other projects for this year will include the Trading Company, two additional tennis courts at Paku’i Park (as well as playground improvements) and our comfort stations for the Ke’olu golf course. Most importantly, we know it is not only about these projects but how much we enjoy our time together at Hualalai with our ‘ohana and guests, the Member experience. I hope this is helpful to better understand our key initiatives in 2015, please feel free to reach out to me anytime you have any questions or suggestions. Mahalo! This year the Members Advisory Board decided to provide an annual report for the last year and indicate what they are working on for the following year.Click here to read THE MAB 2014 ANNUAL REPORT in PDF form.
Be sure to let Residential Concierge know that you want to attend.Extra Info:Members’ Information about the whole tournament, attending, getting around, credentials etc.Fact Sheet about who’s the Championship itself; television coverage, who’s playing, etc.The blog post that I posted regarding the 75 foot boat accident a week ago was taken from West Hawaii Today. I received new information today and would like to thank Renee Brinkerhoff for providing this information: The information printed in the press and on our blog regarding the rescue of four members of a sailboat accident last Saturday, January 3 has been erroneous. It was our very own Ala Kai Nalu—Daniel, Randall and Kane, that made the rescue sole handedly last weekend. At dawn when arriving to work at our Canoe Club beach station, they saw the flares and used our Zodiac craft to bring the party to safety. They bravely responded without hesitation, fought through the waves, and brought the sailboat’s crew to safety. They were also the ones to contact 911 and notify security.(It wasn’t jet skis and no one else assisted them.) This information can be corroborated by speaking to anyone from the Ala Kai Nalu. Our membership would be proud to know it was our staff that performed this noble deed. Thanks to Renee Brinkerhoff Following is another item regarding this accident that was published on the “BrettBart Blog“: Actor Rob Lowe played the role of good Samaritan Saturday near Kaupulehu, Hawaii, when, after a sailboat ran aground, he attempted an instinctual jet ski search and rescue for a missing man. Lowe was sunning on the beach when a 74-foot vessel, the Hawaii Aloha, washed ashore and became stuck in the shallow water. The boat eventually capsized, leading its occupants to board a life raft, reports KITV. That is when Lowe jumped into action to try to save the crew, but unbeknownst to the star, four of the boat’s five occupants had already escaped. One man, 22-year-old Aaron Bremner, was not on board the lifeboat, which inspired the actor to keep searching; however, his efforts to comb the choppy waters proved unsuccessful. An MH-65 Dolphin Coast Guard helicopter and 87-foot Coastal Patrol boat were later dispatched from Honolulu to continue searching the area for the man. The Hawaii Aloha, which is owned by the Christian group Youth with a Mission, departed Kona Friday evening, but shortly after, received an advisory for “dangerous conditions.” The crew was reportedly waiting out a storm about six miles offshore when they became distressed.
 Snow topped Mauna Kea on January6, 2015
 Becky Watts Ford Explorer was buried up by Hanoa Villas. Thanks to Becky Watts
Those staff and residents that rely on AT&T, the reason your phone is not working is that the AT&T cell tower went down during the recent storm. One of our residents contacted AT&T and they said that it won’t be up until 1/10/2014. If anyone gets any new information feel free to let the blog know and we will post it. Thanks to Susan Johns  Vessel Hawaii Aloha lays on its side at Kona Village Beach. Click here to go to the article in West Hawaii Today County rescue crews and the U.S. Coast Guard continued to search Sunday for the Hawaii Aloha’s first mate, who was reported missing after the 75-foot sailboat capsized during a winter storm Saturday morning north of Kua Bay. The missing man has been identified as Aaron Bremner, according to a website set up by YWAM Ships Kona. – See more at: http://westhawaiitoday.com/community-bulletin/search-continues-man-missing-after-sailboat-capsizes-kona#sthash.eTM4MJHJ.dpuf |
