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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, September 16, 2008

BUSINESS BRIEFS
Firm will sell hurricane coverage

Advertiser Staff and News Services

The state has cleared another firm to sell hurricane insurance in Hawai'i, the third insurer to win such approval this year.

State Insurance Commissioner J.P. Schmidt said Stonington Insurance Co., a unit of Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Inc., will give Hawai'i residents another option in hurricane insurance, along with their homeowners coverage.

The state last week approved Universal North America Insurance Co. to write hurricane and other varieties of homeowners insurance. Last month, Universal Insurance Holdings Inc. was cleared to sell hurricane insurance in Hawai'i.

"We've had a limited number of companies willing to write hurricane coverage in the past few years as each company is required to maintain adequate reserves to cover their potential losses in the event of a hurricane, Schmidt said.

"We've been working long and hard to bring additional insurance capacity to the citizens of Hawai'i," he said.


LOCAL FIRM LANDS $7.5M NAVY DEAL

Helber, Hastert & Fee Planners Inc., a Honolulu-based planning firm, has been awarded a contract worth up to $7.5 million for work to be performed for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific.

The work includes an architect/engineer contract for facilities and land-use planning studies and other related work. Helber, Hastert & Fee won its bid over four other offers.


KAUA'I ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

The Governor's Kaua'i Community Advisory Council will discuss natural and cultural resources at 5 p.m. Thursday at the Moikeha Building, meeting rooms 2A/2B, 4444 Rice St., in Lihu'e.

The public is invited to hear Board of Land and Natural Resources Chairwoman Laura H. Thielen present an update on the state's efforts to protect and enhance natural and cultural resources on Kaua'i and throughout the state.

Also attending the meeting will be Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation Administrator Ed Underwood.

For more information on Neighbor Island community advisory councils, including meeting minutes and agendas, visit the governor's Web site at www.hawaii.gov/gov.


HOUSEKEEPERS WEEK CELEBRATED

The local chapter of the International Executive Housekeepers Association is celebrating Housekeepers Week this week.

A general membership meeting and luncheon will be held tomorrow at the Pacific Beach Hotel, Grand Ballroom.

The topic of the general membership meeting will be a recap of the IEHA international convention, currently taking place in Las Vegas. Games will be held from 11 to 11:45 a.m., lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. and prizes from 1 to 1:30 p.m.

The fee to attend is $23 per person. For more information, contact Ivy Kwok at 926-9861 or ivy.kwok@outrigger.com.


DELINQUENT REFUSE ACCOUNTS CLOSING

Residential customers with delinquent refuse accounts that have not been paid in full by 4 p.m. today will be closed immediately, said the County of Maui's Department of Environmental Management, Solid Waste Division.

Refuse bills for the period of July 1 to Dec. 31, 2008, were due July 31.

There will be a $30 service fee to reopen any account that is closed due to nonpayment.

Payments can be dropped off at the Refuse & Landfill Accounts office at One Main Plaza in Wailuku, 2200 Main St., Suite 175.