Question: What is being done with the former boys detention home at Piikoi and Elm streets? It seems to be deserted. I pass by there often and see it closed up. It’s very large and seems like it would an ideal place to house the homeless, even temporarily.
Answer: The property at 902 Alder St. is not deserted; it is used to provide shelter and services for youths involved in the Family Court system, said Tammy Mori, a spokeswoman for the state Judiciary. The longer-term plan is to redevelop the site to include an expanded juvenile services center and workforce rental housing, she said.
As it is now, the property consists of two buildings. Home Maluhia is an around-the-clock shelter for juveniles who need a place to live while they are reconnecting with their families or while other social services are being arranged, Mori said. While at the shelter, the youths receive therapeutic counseling and rehabilitative and educational services. The Judiciary’s website describes residents as “status offenders and minor law violators who do not require detention.”
The second building, Hale Hilina‘i, is the base of operations for several programs for court-supervised youths and their families, Mori said. The programs include anger management, substance abuse and accountability classes, counseling and other services. The building also is used by the Department of Education as classroom space for youths in the program. A courtyard area between the two buildings has been converted into a garden tended by the youths.
“The goal is to keep these youth from progressing further into the juvenile justice system,” Mori said.
Last legislative session, House Bill 827 would have authorized the issuance of general obligation bonds and the appropriation of funds for planning, design and construction of a juvenile services center as part of a mixed-use residential construction project. Although the bill did not pass, $1.7 million was placed as a line item in the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s budget for design of the juvenile services center and shelter, Mori said.
“This is part of a public-private joint redevelopment plan between the Judiciary and the Hawaii Housing Finance & Development Corp.,” Mori said in an email. “The plan is to redevelop the entire site to include the juvenile services center/shelter (with expanded services), as well as provide workforce rental housing for families.”
An environmental assessment for the project is being prepared, and a draft will be made available for public review by this spring, she said.
Q: Since my last comment of a few months ago about the status of the Downtown Post Office parking lot, nothing has been done. This site is a pigpen and an embarrassment to the important sites surrounding it — the King Kamehameha statue, Iolani Palace, the Capitol, etc. Who is responsible for maintenance of this property? If we can’t even clean up this simple job, how can we ever expect to maintain the train?
A: The Department of Facility Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance of the metered parking lot at the corner of King and Richards streets.
“The city apologizes for the condition of the parking lot reported by your reader, but rest assured this situation is being corrected,” said Ross Sasamura, director of the department.
The department participated in a special job fair Dec. 21-22 to hire 25 additional groundskeepers needed to help maintain more than 3 million square feet of landscaped areas around Oahu, he said. The parking lot at King and Richards streets is just one of the facilities that will receive more regular attention with the help of the newly hired staff, who join the existing staff of 15 people.
“We ask for the public’s continued patience and understanding as our new staff joins our existing crews to address facilities and areas like this islandwide,” Sasamura said.
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