Hilo

By COLIN M. STEWART Tribune-Herald staff writer Hawaii Tribune Herald. January 7, 2014:  With a flourish of a brush stroke, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi set in motion Monday a project that promises to put a new face on downtown Hilo businesses. It seemed fitting, then, that he chose when making his mark to paint a smiley face. About 50-or-so community members, politicians and others were present at the ceremony to kick off the Benjamin Moore Main Street Matters renovation project, in which Kenoi and other dignitaries were invited to make the first strokes of paint on the facade of Hawaiian Arts at the corner of Furneaux Lane and Kamehameha Avenue. Hilo was one of 20 communities across North America chosen from a pool of 800 applicants to win a new paint job as part of the paint company’s promotion. Over the course of the next month, Hilo’s facelift procedure will run along Kamehameha Avenue from Mamo Street to Waianuenue Avenue. “We were very humbled to be selected,” Kenoi said as Monday’s ceremony began under the Mooheau Bandstand. “Our community is a strong community, because people here work together.” That strong sense of community spirit was palpable over the last few days as the launch to the project approached, said state Rep. Clift Tsuji, Hilo, Keaukaha, Panaewa, Waiakea. “I was here this past weekend and saw people from the community power washing and sanding. The community has really gotten involved,” he said. “It’s exciting to see.” Priscilla Ghaznavi, director of color and design studio for the renovation project, said that she had worked with community members, building owners and business owners to come up with a color palette consisting of 28 colors for the project. [...]