If you sign it, the land will come

The land swap planned between the city and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands sounds like a win-win, though the timing is a little, shall we say, unconventional.

The city has already awarded a $195 million contract for constructing a rail-maintenance facility on 56 acres of DHHL land the city has yet to acquire. In exchange, Hawaiian Homes will get two parcels totaling about 52 acres adjoining the site of its planned commercial complex. This will allow DHHL to develop additional housing in an opportune location.

However, DHHL doesn’t expect to complete the swap for another two years, according to minutes of the August Hawaiian Homes Commission meeting.

The whole deal is probably a safe bet, but isn’t this a kind of wager, all the same? Guess that form of gambling is OK in these parts.

A new trail for the president

If it’s Tuesday, it must be the Obamas at Hanauma Bay. The president and his family yesterday maintained their annual tradition of visiting the bay on the day it’s closed to the general public for maintenance.

Of course, we’ve grown accustomed to the First Family’s regular visits and its usual routine. But change is good, too. So it was nice to see them doing some new things, like hiking up to the World War II-era pillboxes above Lanikai on Monday. Or going to Morimoto Waikiki on Friday for dinner (where we heard Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, a celebrity himself, was on hand for his VIP guests).