Question: Would it be possible for you to find out why the bathrooms at Punchbowl cemetery (near the Visitors Center) are in such disrepair? My wife and I attended services for my dad there in mid-July and went there again at the end of July. In the men’s bathroom, the faucet leaked (more water going out the side than down), the floor was waterlogged and the floor tiles were buckling with at least one missing. The urinal, while usable, could sure use an update. I know federal dollars are tight, but this is a national cemetery. My wife said the women’s bathroom could also use some TLC.

Answer: You’ll be happy to hear that officials at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl, have secured permission to begin renovating the restrooms this month.

"My staff and I have a mission to maintain the appearance of Punchbowl in a manner befitting a national shrine, and I regret that the condition of the restrooms by the Visitors Center has not been up to our usual high standards," acknowledged James Horton, who took over as director of the cemetery in March.

Previously, plans to renovate the restrooms had been put aside because of Punchbowl’s proposed expansion project.

Initially, the project called for the tear-down and relocation the Visitors Center and administrative building to make room for 7,000 more columbarium niches.

"We felt it would have been a waste of taxpayers’ money to rehabilitate the restrooms only to tear them down soon afterwards," Horton said.

However, the expansion project is now on hold because construction bids came in higher than expected.

"Since we don’t have a clear idea when the expansion project will start, we’ve already received permission to renovate the restrooms this month," Horton said.

The initial estimate to refurbish both the men’s and women’s restrooms is about $4,500, he said.

Meanwhile, negotiations for the expansion project are continuing "to find a solution that is agreeable to both the government and the contractors bidding on the job," Horton said.

Question: Kalaeloa Airport is a public airport operated by the state at John Rodgers Field. However, I haven’t noticed any signs on the H-1 freeway or elsewhere directing the public to this airport. Is this being addressed?

Answer: Yes, it is.

The state Department of Transportation says it will install overhead signs for Kalaeloa Airport traffic on the H-1 freeway, but it won’t be until next year at the earliest. The signs will be part of the Kapolei Interchange Complex project, in which the design phase will be completed by early 2015, a spokeswoman said.

"Our Traffic Branch (also) is designing the layouts and locations for other signs that will be needed on non-freeway streets, such as Fort Barrette Road and Roosevelt Avenue," she said.

The state took over Barbers Point Naval Air Base John Rogers Field on July 1, 1999, turning it into Kalaeloa Airport.

On July 1, Mokulele Airlines held a grand opening for its new service location at Kalaeloa, becoming the first commercial airline to begin offering scheduled flights to and from there.

Mahalo

To the many people who helped us in May when I encountered a medical problem: Dr. John Drouilhet and Dr. Troy Tanji and their staff for their excellent and compassionate care; Mrs. Carol Enomoto and the staff at the Kobayashi Travel Service; the staff at the Queen’s Medical Center’s Same Day Surgical Center and the Eye Surgery Center; the staff of the Pagoda Hotel and the Ala Moana Hotel; the staff at Korean Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines; the porters who transported me at the airports and all the friendly strangers who offered us their seats or offered to carry our bags. We are truly indebted to all of you who made our unexpected return from Japan and extended stay in Honolulu a more comfortable and bearable one. We also wanted to let the people of Hawaii know that the aloha spirit is truly alive and well! — Yoshiharu and Amy Umeda, Hilo

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