City tries to attract bidders for golf course concessions

Question: Do you know when the concessions at the public golf courses, Ted Makalena and Ewa Villages, will reopen? It has been about two months (estimated) since there have been no services and the starters do not know when they will in fact reopen.

Answer: It’s actually been four months since the food concessions at all five of the city’s golf courses — Ted Makalena, Ewa Villages, West Loch, Pali and Ala Wai — were closed and it’s uncertain now when any of them might reopen.

The city did not renew the contract with the previous concessionaire, Tasty Foods, when it expired in April.

The concessionaire "did not fulfill obligations of the contract," and did not pay rent for four months, said Randy Leong, deputy director of the city Department of Enterprise Services.

The previous five-year contract called for the concessionaire to pay the city $8,500 a month.

The city initially set an Aug. 24 deadline for vendors to submit a "notice of intent to bid."

However, because no potential bidder came forward, the deadline was extended to Sept. 7: this Wednesday.

Since then, the city has been informing caterers and restaurateurs of the availability of the concessions.

What happens if there’s still no interest?

Leong said he couldn’t speculate on that, but "my hope is we will have interested parties."

If sealed bids are submitted, they will be opened on Sept. 21.

Asked whether the city might be asking for too much, Leong said, "I don’t think the requirements are that difficult to meet."

Basically, the city is asking $1,200 a month or 3 percent of gross proceeds, whichever is higher, for concessions at the Makalena, Ewa Villages and West Loch courses. The three West Oahu courses were packaged together because they are in close proximity to one another.

The city is asking $1,300 a month plus 3 percent of gross proceeds at the Pali course. The fee is higher because the Pali course has a big banquet room and the two kitchens there are fully equipped.

The requirements for the Ala Wai course are still being worked on, Leong said.

In the interim, the city is seeking a lunchwagon operator to set up shop there on a temporary, revocable permit.

Question: Will you please find out why the state tore down the building inside Diamond Head crater that housed the Federal Aviation Administration facilities, including the Air Route Traffic Control Center clinic where air traffic controllers were given annual physicals with the regional flight surgeon for the Pacific Region? The building was built like a fortress with 10-inch thick concrete walls.

Answer: It’s been 10 years since the FAA demolished its building in the crater and moved to a larger, and what was then called a state-of-the-art, facility between Honolulu Airport and Hickam Air Force Base.

The FAA had operated out of the crater since 1963, but over the years, the facility proved to be too small and out of date.

At the same time, the state was moving to restore the crater to a more natural state as part of the Diamond Head State Monument Master Plan.

In place of the old building, the federal government planted native Hawaiian plants, including wiliwili trees and ilima bushes, then transferred the 3.1-acre property over to the state.

Auwe

To the dangerous lolo in the dark blue Toyota Corolla who went speeding makai past a stopped car at the crosswalk of Kilauea and Malia streets about 5 p.m. Aug. 22. He clearly was not aware he almost hit a young girl, who fortunately looked left and jumped to safety before crossing this wide street. May this menace to pedestrians lose his driving privileges before he kills someone.

— G.B. Digmon

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.