1 city links concession open, 1 more to come, 2 out to bid

Question: It’s been a long time since the concessions at Oahu’s municipal golf courses have been open for business. What exactly is the reason for this?

Answer: The concession at the Ala Wai Golf Course reopened a few months ago, a year after it suddenly closed, while those at the city’s four other courses also are expected to operate again, although some not immediately.

We reported last September that the city had terminated its contract with the company that ran the food concessions at all five courses in April 2011. See is.gd/LGwWh9.

The new concession at the Ala Wai, held by Trass Enterprises, is "a hit with the golfers," said Keoki Miyamoto, director of the city Department of Enterprise Services, which oversees the golf courses.

The concession agreement calls for a monthly payment of $3,500 plus 5 percent of the gross sales, he said.

Meanwhile, a concession agreement has been awarded to Fatboy’s at the Pali Golf Course, which calls for a monthly payment of $2,500 or 3.11 percent of gross sales, whichever is larger. The concessionaire is renovating the restaurant facilities and should open shortly, Miyamoto said.

At the Ewa Villages Golf Course, the food and beverage concession bid is being reviewed, while the concession bids for West Loch Golf Course and Ted Makalena Golf Course will go out for public bid shortly, he said.

Initially, last year, the city had problems attracting bidders. Since then, "There are interested bidders out there," Miyamoto said. "It’s a matter of going through the concession bid process before a food and beverages concessionaire can be put in place at these locations."

Question: I’m trying to find the location of Mother Marianne Cope’s statue. I know it is near the Kewalo Basin area, but where? As she is to be canonized this year, we would love to visit her statue.

Answer: The statue stands at the Ala Moana Park side of Kewalo Basin Park.

It is a befitting location, because it was at Kakaako Branch Hospital near Kewalo Basin that she first worked after arriving in 1883.

Two plaques placed at the base of the statue explain that she and six other Sisters of Saint Francis of Syracuse left New York that year for Hawaii, in response to "King David Kalakaua’s plea to care for Hawaii’s people who were being ravished by what was then known as leprosy."

She spent five years at the hospital, which was a receiving station for people suspected of having Hansen’s disease, before heading to Kalaupapa, the isolated Molokai peninsula where people with the disease were exiled.

AFTER Father Damien, who devoted his life caring for Kalaupapa patients, died in 1889, Mother Marianne carried on his work for 30 years.

Father Damien, canonized by the Vatican in 2009, is the first saint with ties to Hawaii. Mother Marianne, who died at age 80 in 1918, will become the second when she is canonized Oct. 21 in Rome.

Her statue was dedicated in 2010 on her birthday, Jan. 23, to serve "as an inspiration to never give up caring for those whom society has abandoned."

MAHALO

To a caring gentleman. My grandson was riding the bus to go to work downtown between 7:30 and 8 a.m. July 16, when he suddenly felt dizzy and fell from his seat. A concerned gentleman sitting beside him came to his aid. Still dizzy, my grandson got off at the next stop. The gentleman also got off, asking him if he was OK. Confused, my grandson said, "No." This total stranger was so concerned he ended up driving my grandson home to Makiki. My grandson is now back to work. I am so appreciative that there are good and caring people in these islands. May your life be filled with many, many blessings. I am forever grateful.

— Grandma Bee