Weather has delayed completion of Kalaheo’s athletic field

Question: What’s the status of Kalaheo High School’s athletic field? It seems like over a year they been grading and regrading it. I pass by it every day, and I don’t see anything different. It’s sad that the kids have to use Kainalu Elementary School’s playground to practice for athletic training. When will this seemingly simple project be completed?

Answer: The work at the Windward Oahu campus should be done by the end of September, after being delayed by weather and other factors, said Derek Inoshita, a spokesman for the state Department of Education. He described dual projects more complicated than you perceived:

“The work at Kalaheo High consists of two Capital Improvement Projects. The first is the installation of half of the new field bleachers and an elevated walkway behind them. The second installs the remaining half of the bleachers and a new athletic field, which will include a scoreboard, goal posts, field markers and ball stopper nets. Both projects were anticipated to be completed in July 2018, but delays have pushed that date back.

“The projects were awarded separately to two different contractors and this required careful coordination and project sequencing to avoid conflicting work. In addition, the projects are located next to a culturally sensitive site and any excavation requires monitoring by an archaeological specialist. The main cause for delays, however, has been rainy days, which have prevented heavy equipment from working on the muddy field. A ball stopper net behind the mauka goal was also added to the project when supplemental funds became available, which delayed the grassing of the field until the net poles could be installed. Both projects are anticipated to be complete by the end of September at a total cost of approximately $1.67 million.”

Kalaheo High School, at 730 Iliaina St. in Kailua, is eight-tenths of a mile from Kainalu Elementary School, at 165 Kaiholu St.

Q: If we get a $30,000 FEMA grant to fix our home, will we have to pay taxes on it?

A: No. “FEMA’s assistance is not taxable and is not counted as income or a resource when determining eligibility for income assistance or income-tested benefit programs such as Social Security benefits or disability income,” according to a fact sheet about the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP), which helps people rebuild, within limits, after certified disasters, such April’s flooding on Kauai and East Oahu and the Big Island’s ongoing volcanic eruption. FEMA grants help with costs not covered by insurance or other resources.

Q: I grew up in Hawaii Kai but have not been back to Hawaii in decades. Lunalilo Home Road, despite all the new condos, looks nicer than I remember. When did they put in all those trees?

A: About 15 years ago. According to news reports from 2003, trees were planted in a median down the center of Lunalilo Home Road from Kalanianaole Highway to Kalakua Street as a traffic-­calming, environmental and beautification effort spearheaded by the administration of Jeremy Harris, who was Honolulu mayor from 1994 through 2004.

The project was initially controversial, with some residents and businesses complaining that the median disrupted the traffic flow. Supporters, however, looked forward to a green canopy as the trees matured, which is visible today.

Q: How does one apply for a copy of their birth certificate? My original is smudgy and I need a new copy.

A: Assuming that you were born in Hawaii, and after July 1909, you can order one online. Go to vitrec.ehawaii.gov/vitalrecords. Once there, click on “How do I use this service?” to watch a short instructional video before starting your order.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.