Question: My grandpa watches University of Hawaii Wahine volleyball on TV every time they play. At this year’s match against UC Davis, he admired the shirt that Coach Dave Shoji had on. Knowing how much he loves watching the game, I went to multiple places to look for the exact shirt — Rainbow Bowtique on campus, Blaisdell Center, Ward Center, Ala Moana Center, Windward Mall, Pearlridge and even online. Unfortunately, I can’t find it anywhere. Can you please help me find this shirt?
Answer: We went straight to the source — or rather, to a UH spokeswoman, who said Coach Shoji was going to give grandpa “the aloha shirt off his back.”
But only after last night’s match against Cal State Fullerton, when Shoji again wore the silk shirt grandfather Alton Goo admired.
Luckily, he and the coach both wear size medium.
Jade Simpliciano was thrilled when we gave her the news of Shoji’s gracious gesture.
She said her grandfather “gets all his shirts from the UH store.” He’ll be watching a volleyball game and admiring a shirt Shoji is wearing and “the next day, he’ll go to the UH Rainbowtique and get the shirt.”
Goo, 70, retired in 2008 after working 30 years for the UH Research Corp., where he ran the machine shop at the marine research laboratory. He also was surprised to learn of Shoji’s generosity.
He told us he’s a lifelong fan of UH sports, especially volleyball and football, and likes wearing UH shirts for casual wear and “when I go to Vegas,” because they’re comfortable and “made good.”
Question: The bathrooms at Maunalua Bay Beach Park in Hawaii Kai haven’t been operating for a long time. One-man paddling season has started and a lot of paddlers launch from this location and some of them need to use the facilities. I am not going to go into what happens now, but it does because the bathrooms are not open. Can you find out what the scoop is, please?
Answer: It looks like the earliest the restrooms will be reopened is mid-2013, after they are hooked up to the city’s sewer system.
The restrooms have been shuttered since the end of 2010, as the city looked at ways to upgrade the cesspool system to either a septic system or one feeding to sewer lines.
We were told last year that there wasn’t an easy fix because of the location (see http://is.gd/wiJPkA).
The city Department of Design and Construction solicited bids on the project in October, but the low bid was higher than what was alloted for the project, said Director Lori Kahikina.
However, it received approval to use another funding source from the Department of Parks and Recreation to make up the $50,000 shortfall, she said.
Kahikina said the bid was to be processed shortly and awarded to the low bidder, Integrated Construction.
The $450,000 project is expected to take about six months once it starts, but that’s barring “unforeseen conditions.”
Mahalo
To two complete strangers, who came to the aid of my 12-year-old daughter, Mia, who had injured her foot, and me in our quest for a pair of crutches in October. An elderly gentleman at Castle Medical Center offered to carry my daughter after he saw her hopping on one foot while holding on to me. From Castle, we went to Times Supermarket in Kailua after being told we might find crutches there. As we hobbled out of the supermarket to our car, another gentleman proceeded to open the car door for us. I thanked both, but will never forget their sincere kindness. My family and I moved here from the mainland over a year ago and recognize that such acts of kindness on the mainland are rare. Both gentlemen are a reminder of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands and the genuine aloha spirit. — Elaine Barrett, Kailua
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