Question: At the Kailua Post Office, after 5:30 p.m. or so, it becomes a paid parking lot for people who go to restaurants, etc. Where does the money collected go? Does the money go back to the taxpayers?

Answer: Part of the money goes to the U.S. Postal Service. It does not go "back" to taxpayers.

A continuing misconception is that the U.S. Postal Service is funded by tax dollars.

Although it is part of the federal government, set up by Congress, the Postal Service says it is an independent and self-sufficient agency that gets its revenues "almost entirely from postage and fees paid by mailers." It is not supported by taxpayers.

Renting out unused space at postal facilities is "just an innovative way of generating additional funds," said Lynne Moore, customer affairs manager for the Postal Service in Hawaii. It is a Postal Service headquarters initiative that has been "aggressively pursued in Hawaii for the past two years," she said.

Diamond Parking Service pays a monthly licensing fee to use the Kailua Post Office lot after hours.

The money goes into the Postal Service general fund, Moore said. She said she could not divulge the amount of the licensing fee.

Question: I was driving on the H-3 freeway going town-bound recently when I saw a group of people walking up the "Stairway to Heaven." Isn’t that place closed?

Answer: The 3,922 steps to Puu Keahiakahoe peak in Haiku Valley officially have been off-limits to the public for 23 years because of liability concerns over the rusted metal stairway.

However, despite the city’s efforts to block access to the so-called "outlaw stairs," people continue to find ways to ascend the formidable attraction.

The city spent nearly $900,000 several years ago to repair and reopen the stairs as part of a historical and cultural preserve but was stymied by access and parking problems, and the stairs have remained off-limits.

To discourage trespassing, the city now pays about $55,000 annually for guard service and has installed a "substantial gate," said Lester Chang, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

"The guards are there to do the best they can to not allow people to go up there."

At its 1 p.m. meeting on Friday, the City Council’s Public Safety and Services Committee will discuss a resolution urging the city "to actively seek practicable means to reopen the Haiku Stairs to the public in a manner that will provide reasonable opportunities for managed public access, reduced trespassing on private property and nuisance occurrences in nearby neighborhoods, protect the associated natural, cultural and historical resources, and minimized liability to the City and County of Honolulu."

"We are hopeful that the Council will see fit to respond positively to the idea of opening this valuable and popular community outdoor asset in a way that answers the concerns of everyone involved," said John Flanigan, a spokesman for the Friends of Haiku Stairs.

MAHALO

To the thoughtful woman with a child in a stroller at Ala Moana Center who returned a package I lost on Friday, Oct. 29. I purchased a pair of pants at Cache. After I left the store, I sat down to make a telephone call, then forgot my package. After searching several locations, I went back to Cache, where I was told a woman had turned in the shopping bag. Mahalo for taking the time to do such a kind and considerate act for a stranger! – Nancy Connolly