Question: I work on Alahao Place and have been parking on the street for over 20 years. Recently, "no street parking" signs were placed all over the street. There is no time as to how long the "no parking" is for. If this involves city construction, aren’t they obligated to give us a time as to when we are not able to park there?

Question: I am a construction worker who has been parking on Alahao Place for the past 15 years. All of a sudden, I see these "no parking" signs (effective Sept. 1) on the street. What is this about? Is the county doing some work and if so, for how long? We have been told the no parking is permanent.

Answer: The city had nothing to do with the "no parking" signs because the street is privately owned.

The city Department of Planning and Permitting checked its records and said the street is owned by Honolulu Limited Alahao Place LLC.

And that entity is part of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, said Corbett Kalama, the foundation’s vice president for real estate investments and community affairs.

The foundation (or one of its real estate affiliates) also is the fee owner of much of the property along the short roadway, including 2224, 2230, 2250, 2290 and 2298 Alahao.

"What people weren’t aware of for years is that (Alahao) is a private road," Kalama said. Meanwhile, adjacent property lines "actually go right down to the road."

So, while there may be parking spaces within a given property, there’s not supposed to be parking along the road, Kalama said.

But over the years, "people from all over the place have just been using it to park their cars and trucks," including workers and owners of adjacent properties, he said.

 "What this does is impede ability of our tenants, trucking companies, etc., who have to access the road," he said. "It’s just been challenging."

The reason for the parking prohibition now is that the roadway was under lease to another company but recently reverted back to the foundation, Kalama said.

"We’re just enforcing the private use of the road" and being consistent with what’s been going on along the main thoroughfare of Sand Island Parkway, where you don’t see cars parked either, he said. "The lessees with tenants have to protect their parking space interests. So it’s just being consistent with what’s going on in the entire area."

The foundation does not plan to redevelop the area, Kalama said, pointing to leases held now by commercial businesses.

Question: My driver’s license expires in December. I have up to six months in advance to renew it. But if I go in now to have it renewed, will it be good beginning with my birthday in December or will it be good from the time I renew it now?

Answer: A driver’s license expiration is tied to the holder’s birthday.

"Even if renewing six months in advance, your new expiration date will still be on your birthday," said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city Department of Customer Services.

For more information, go to the city’s website, www1.honolulu.gov/csd/vehicle/dlicense.htm or call 533-7730.

Mahalo

To Robert Ternora of 808 Expedite Towing Service. I was told I had to have my car towed because my tailgate latch wasn’t working and I was concerned because I drive my grandchildren everywhere. This young man came and asked what was wrong with the car. I explained the problem, but he said, "Let’s see if we can fix it right here." He was able to fix it, doing a thorough check, and he couldn’t have been nicer. He went above and beyond when he could have just towed my car in. — Mimi MacNaughton

Mahalo

To the person who found my wallet, which I left in a shopping cart at Walmart Mililani, and returned it to the customer service counter. I don’t know who you are, but want to thank you for being so honest. — C. Phillips / Wahiawa

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.