Question: I’m upset I missed that meeting about the ag lands. I bet others did, too.
Answer: You submitted your comment as an “auwe,” but we’ll respond as if it was a question — because the community forum you missed last week was the first of two scheduled to present a proposed map of Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) on Oahu. So you have another chance to participate, at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Haleiwa Elementary School, 66-505 Haleiwa Road. The meeting will be held in the cafeteria.
You can view the proposed map at mapoahuagland.com, which pinpoints nearly 53,000 acres of privately owned land on Oahu that the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting has recommended be designated IAL and preserved for agricultural use, in keeping with a state law passed a few years ago. The community meetings are intended to gain public feedback on the proposed map; City Council and Land Use Commission approvals also are needed before any designations are finalized.
About 150 people attended the first meeting, held Tuesday at Kapolei Middle School. There were questions and comments about the proposal, as well as some protests. Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscribers can read reporter Andrew Gomes’ coverage of that meeting at 808ne.ws/2iRtMVT.
The DPP said it sent notices to 2,000 landowners informing them that it was recommending IAL designation for their land, and encouraging them to attend at least one of the two forums. News releases and online notices about the meetings also were issued ahead of time.
Q: Can HPD issue citations to mopeds riding in the King Street Protected Bike Lane?
A: Yes, Honolulu police officers can cite if they observe a violation, said Sarah Yoro, a spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department. “At this time we do not keep track of the number of citations issued,” she said.
Only bicycles are allowed to use the two-way lane, which extends along the mauka side of King Street from Alapai to Isenberg streets, about a 2-mile span.
While the Hawaii Bicycling League wants the law enforced, “our method as cyclists on the bike lane thus far has been to gently encourage moped riders to use the street. We also encourage car drivers turning left out of driveways not to block the lane by waiting in the parking lane rather than in the bike lane, and encourage bicyclists not to bike too fast in the bike lane and to yield to cars that have already started their turn left into the bike lane or are clearly about to turn,” said Chad Taniguchi, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group.
Q: After all those years of being told to recycle, recycle, recycle, it seems weird to throw away the phone book. Is that really right?
A: Yes, on Oahu. Throwing away an old directory (in the gray bin, for customers on the automated pickup routes) directs it to the island’s waste-to-energy plant, HPOWER, where rubbish is burned to generate electricity. For the past few years, the city has advised residential and business customers to dispose of old phone books simply by throwing them away. Also, the slogan is “reduce, reuse, recycle,” which remains sound advice.
Mahalo
Last month in Haleiwa, someone found my car fob 10 feet from my car and hid it on my car, leaving a note for me on my windshield. Meanwhile, oblivious to my loss, I enjoyed dinner at Rajanee Thai Cuisine with friends and my 91-year-old husband, who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s. I don’t know what I would have done had my car fob been lost for good or that person had taken off with my car. I am now a believer in grace and good angels. My profound gratitude to that good person/angel! — A grateful (down)townie
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.
