Question: What are they going to do with the leftover grass at the old Honolulu Stadium? They are replacing the grass and I would like to get some of the old grass to use. Is there a way the average citizen can do that?
Answer: The city is not replacing the grass at Old Stadium Park, which is located at King and Isenberg streets in Moiliili, where the Honolulu Stadium stood from 1926 to 1976. A plaque at the park commemorates “The Termite Palace,” which was demolished less than a year after Aloha Stadium opened in 1975.
You probably meant Aloha Stadium in Halawa, where new synthetic turf — not grass — is being installed. The $1.2 million upgrade of the 110,000- square-foot playing surface began May 23 and is expected to wrap up by Aug. 5, according to news reports.
Kokua Line called Applied Surface Technology, the contractor, to find out whether the old turf is up for grabs. The answer is no. It has already been ripped out, hauled away and disposed of, we were told.
The Aloha Stadium Authority, the state overseer, decided to replace the synthetic turf even though it was only 5 years old and still under warranty partly because of complaints about its deteriorating condition. The U.S. national women’s soccer team refused to play on it, abruptly canceling an exhibition match that had been scheduled for December.
Getting back to city parks for a moment, and the grass found there: It’s rare for the Department of Parks and Recreation to remove any grass from Oahu parks, and the department doesn’t have a grass “recycling” program open to the public, said Andrew Pereira, a spokesman for the mayor’s office.
When the need arises for new or additional grass in a city park, crews use seed, not sod, he said.
Q: I was driving on the freeway between Pearl City and Waipahu, near where they are doing all that rail construction. My car was damaged when I hit some debris on the road. … I don’t want to file a claim with my insurance company, I want to file a claim with HART! Any advice on how to go about that?
A: Call the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s Project Hotline at 566-2299, said Bill Brennan, a HART spokesman. You will be directed to HART’s Safety and Security staff, he said, who will conduct an investigation to determine how your vehicle was damaged.
Transit-oriented development
Speaking of Waipahu, the city Department of Planning and Permitting will host a Waipahu Town Action Workshop on Wednesday night to help boost an area heavily impacted by rail construction.
The workshop is scheduled for 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Waipahu High School cafeteria, 94-1211 Farrington Highway. The public is welcome at this free event. Light refreshments will be served.
The workshop’s goal “is to gather community input to prioritize near-term actions that can be implemented in the next few years to create a vibrant and walkable town core for shopping, dining and doing business,” according to a news release from DPP.
The gathering will build on recommendations in the Waipahu Neighborhood Transit-Oriented Development Plan, which was adopted by the City Council in 2014.
Among specific ideas to be discussed are pedestrian and bicycle improvements, upgrades to the Waipahu bus transit center and Hikimoe Street, ways to enhance streetscapes and storefronts, and other near-term projects that help businesses attract customers and encourage private investment.
For more information and to register for the event, go to 808ne.ws/ 29zZCEe.
Auwe
Auwe to people who leave it to others to clean up after them. It seems like this happens every holiday weekend now. At the parks, the beaches, everywhere. So much rubbish left behind. Shame! Please celebrate without littering. — Sad and disgusted
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.
