Question: Regarding the Lanikai pillboxes: Are they going to paint out the graffiti up there? If they do paint it, how are they going to keep it looking better?
Answer: No, not at the moment. The Kaiwa Ridge hiking trail, popularly known as the Lanikai pillbox trail, was supposed to close for two months starting Wednesday for repairs of the pillbox structures. That work has been postponed indefinitely, but at any rate it would have focused on safety, not aesthetics, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
(News that the trail will be open Easter weekend after all is sure to delight readers. Be aware that Lanikai parking restrictions will be in force.)
The work, which was to include replacing rusted steel-roof supports on the two World War II-era concrete structures, could not move forward because the Federal Aviation Administration did not approve the contractor’s flight plan to airlift equipment and material to the worksite, the DLNR said. It will be rescheduled once FAA approval is granted.
After the stalled repairs resume and are completed, trail managers would welcome hearing from community groups interested in removing graffiti, the DLNR said. Volunteer groups willing to help may call the Oahu Na Ala Hele program at 973-9782.
Meanwhile, anyone who witnesses vandalism, including graffiti, on this trail or others is asked to report it through the DLNRTip app. DLNRTip is available for free download via the Google Play Store, iTunes App Store or dlnr.hawaii.gov/docare.
People also can use a cellphone text to alert DLNR’s enforcement branch by texting keyword DLNRTIP and then 847411 (tip411). Anonymous tips also can be submitted by phone, to 643-DLNR (643-3567), and through the DLNR website.
The Kaiwa Ridge trail offers panoramic views of the Mokulua Islands and of Oahu’s Windward Coast. Like so many scenic spots in the social media age, it is “being loved to death,” as the DLNR put it.
Q: Could you please direct me as to where I can get a list of emails for those candidates running for office, particularly the governor’s office and congressional office? I have several questions to ask, but I don’t know of any forum for meeting or getting in touch with them.
A: Yes, the state Office of Elections collects that public information in its Candidate Filing Report and posts it on its website, elections.hawaii.gov. Here’s a web address that goes directly to the 2018 Candidate Filing Report, bit.ly/2E5eAhS, which as of Thursday contained the contests, names, parties, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses or websites of all Hawaii candidates who had filed as of March 23, the last time the report was updated.
There are many candidates to sort through, but you can filter the results by contest, name and party.
Candidate-filing for the 2018 elections runs from Feb. 1 through June 5, so not everyone who plans to run has filed their nomination paperwork yet. If a candidate you’re looking for isn’t on the official list, try Googling their name to find their campaign website, which might (or might not) offer a simple way to ask the candidate a question.
Mahalo
I’m a University of Hawaii baseball season ticket holder for many years. At one of their games this year at Les Murakami Stadium, I lost my wallet. Praise God when I called there that evening. Gary, who answered, said someone had turned it in to “Coach Trap.” For those who have gone through something like this, I can now relate. Thank you very much to Gary, Coach Trap and the person who found it and turned it in. Mahalo nui loa. Go ’Bows! — C.S.
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.
