Question: Regarding the condition of the restrooms at Hawaii State Library addressed in Kokua Line — is.gd/tWLDOv: Why can’t they be locked with keys available upon request? "Questionable" patrons can be accompanied by a security guard. Everyone is entitled to use a public restroom, but no one should be allowed to misuse it.

Answer: With the high volume of people visiting the busy downtown library and using the restrooms daily, library officials say a key system wouldn’t be feasible.

"A high volume of bathroom use requests and locks on our restroom doors would likely create long waiting lines, and key control would be operationally unfeasible," said Paul Mark, spokesman for the Hawaii State Public Library System. "With limited operating funds and resources, our staff members and contracted security guards strive to make our libraries as inviting as possible for everyone."

He said the public restrooms are cleaned at least three times a day — before opening, at midday and in the midafternoon — and checked every two hours. The maintenance staff also responds to "restroom emergencies" when necessary.

If patrons observe problems in the restrooms, they are asked to immediately notify staff or security guards.

Not Buying It

Several library users responded to the complaint about the homeless, most saying they did not believe enough was being done to deal with the problem. We passed on these comments, edited for publication:

>> The state library was not being totally honest in its response about the homeless. Guys have been "camping" at the downtown library every night and all weekend long. They urinate and defecate along the building sides. I used to spend lots of time at the downtown library but no longer do so. The place is smelly, books are often soiled, newspapers suspect. The homeless spend all day at the computer terminals. There needs to be a one-hour-per-person-per-day policy. I saw a woman washing clothes in a toilet; others bathe and wash their hair in the sinks. They hang their laundry in the courtyard and sometimes on the front porch railings. There are many problems that are not being honestly addressed by the state. I use the much cleaner Liliha Library now.

>> It is not true that the homeless at libraries is a common situation across the nation. In downtown Los Angeles the homeless problem is worse than here. But I was impressed with the cleanliness of the library and lack of the homeless.

>> The response to "Homeless cause problems at libraries across Oahu" was a nonanswer. What they’re really telling us is that the library staff cannot and will not make the library a welcome place for the REST of us. By allowing the facilities to deteriorate, the libraries are no longer the place kids like to go to do homework or read. I have fond memories of taking the bus from Kailua as a small kid to visit the grand Hawaii State Library to do research on whales and other topics. My parents trusted me to go alone at age 10. I loved the big wooden card files; the comfy desks stand out in my memory, as do the kind librarians who helped me. Too bad for today’s kids. What does it take to move the library out of the shadows and into the light again?

>> Instead of abdicating responsibility to others — "We are not aware of any state law, rule, or policy concerning the removal of shopping carts from state property" — why doesn’t the state library actively seek a solution from those who have the power to solve the problem? I can only feel for the state employees who have to work in such conditions. I also feel for parents who wish to introduce their children to the library. I’ll be going a LOT less frequently to the library.

Mahalo

To the Pearl City road crew for their timely repair of potholes in Pacific Palisades. Normally, within a day or two after reported, the potholes are filled, and a fellow named Toby follows up with a phone call. Mahalo from Palisades residents! 

— Gordon T.

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