Chilly Kailua pool, showers await repair of leaky gas line

Question: Are they fixing the heater at the Kailua District Park pool? How long will it take to fix?

Answer: Yes, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation plans to fix the problem, but doesn’t know how long it will take, a spokesman said. It is seeking an outside contractor to repair an underground gas line that is the source of the problem.

The pool is open as usual, but has been unheated since Nov. 16, when a leak in the gas line was discovered, said Nathan Serota, department spokesman. There’s no hot water for the pool’s showers, either, he said.

The affected gas line usually powers a boiler that heats water that circulates in the pool, as well as water for the showers, which are akin to beach park showers now, usable but chilly. Same with the pool. The heater itself is not broken, but the gas that powers it will stay off until the line is repaired.

The Hawaii Gas Co. inspected the underground line and determined that the entire length from the gas meter to the heater needs to be replaced. That section, on park property, is beyond the company’s scope of responsibility, which extends from a main gas pipe to the meter.

“Our in-house maintenance crew does not have the expertise to perform this type of work, so we must contract out the repair project,” Serota said. “Unfortunately, because we are still acquiring bids for the project, we do not currently have a timeline of when heated water will return to the pool.”

Serota said pool staff have notified regular users and will provide updates as they become available. Information also is disseminated through the department’s social media accounts, primarily its Twitter feed, @hono­lulu_parks, Serota said.

“We thank the public for their patience and understanding while we conduct these repairs. We understand that the pool at Kailua District Park is very popular, and hope to have the water heater functioning as soon as possible. In the meantime, the pool at Kaneohe District Park has heated water,” he said.

While casual users may be able to switch pools, that’s unlikely for the group classes and swim teams that use the Kailua pool on an ongoing, scheduled basis.

Oahu’s public pools are heated only during the winter, for a four-month period from November to February, Serota said.

Q: I know it is illegal to buy a minor alcohol, but what about if you just let them drink it at your house?

A: That also is illegal, per Hawaii Revised Statute 712-1250.5, which outlaws promoting intoxicating liquor to a person under age 21.

Under the law, anyone who recklessly “sells or offers for sale, influences the sale, serves, delivers, or gives” intoxicating liquor to a person under 21 or allows an underage person “to possess intoxicating liquor while on property under (their) control” commits the offense, which is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year behind bars.

Mahalo

I’d like to say thank you to the kind and considerate gentleman who found my house key and the very kind gas attendant to whom he turned it in. On Nov. 19, I somehow dropped my house key. When I realized this, my wife and I backtracked to all our different stops. Finally, at our last stop, Sam’s Club gas pumps, a very nice attendant gave me my lost key. She said a man had found it and turned it in, without leaving his name. I had just about given up hope when we made this last stop. We wish to thank this gentleman for his kindness in taking the key to the attendant, rather than just leaving it on the ground. May you and your family have a blessed Christmas and New Year! — Andrew M. from Aiea

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.