# No 13 Downtown Chinatown Neighborhood Board Regular Meeting October 2026

The Downtown Chinatown Neighborhood Board regular meeting, convened by the City and County Neighborhood Commission Office on October 2, 2026, addressed public safety, emergency services, utilities, transportation, and neighborhood projects. Hawaiian Electric described a downtown grid-upgrade program with an estimated $180 million in resources through 2030, including replacement of 36.2 miles of underground cable, rehabilitation of 33 manholes, replacement of 29 transformers, and installation of 135 remote-monitoring systems. The company outlined upcoming work and construction-related traffic impacts. HART also reported continued guideway construction and additional lane closures, while the city presented a federally funded safety-planning project for high-injury corridors and noted forthcoming street-repaving and longer-term capital improvements. No contracts, bids, or vendor awards were approved.

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services described its CORE outreach program and said it is pursuing grants of approximately $12 million and $3–4 million to support services for people experiencing mental-health crises, substance-use disorders, or homelessness; these were prospective applications, not awarded funding. HPD presented its drone-as-first-responder pilot and its operating safeguards, while neighborhood representatives raised concerns about public safety, traffic enforcement, and infrastructure. The board approved a meeting-procedure motion by a 6–1 vote; no spending action was associated with that vote. Council Bill 10, which would simplify city leasing of vacant Chinatown storefronts, was reported as moving forward and could affect future leasing opportunities, but no procurement decision was made.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Energy & Utilities
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding
**Published:** October 02, 2026

### Sources
- [No 13 Downtown Chinatown Neighborhood Board Regular Meeting October 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Bpg3rQkXNY) - City and County Neighborhood Commission Office