Kokua Line: State aims to have new dock at Maunalua Bay by mid-July

Question: When is the Hawaii Kai boat ramp scheduled to be finished? A lot of fishermen and pleasure boaters are being inconvenienced and exposed to hazardous conditions without a pier to drop off and pick up individuals.

Answer: If all goes as planned, a new public loading dock at the Maunalua Bay Boat Ramp in East Oahu should be open by mid-July, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

“We are targeting a completion of plans, specifications, and to submit permit documents by December. If permitting goes smoothly, we may be able to start construction by June 2020. It will take approximately a month to fabricate the dock and construct the new concrete abutment on the land side of the dock, the latter of which will take about another two weeks to install. So by the middle of July 2020 the dock should be fully operational,” said A.J. McWhorter, a DLNR spokesman.

The DLNR Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation closed the dock in January due to structural failure and had it removed in March. The launch ramp (without a fixed dock) remained accessible to boaters.

News reports at the time said the old concrete dock, which had collapsed into the water by the time it was removed, was built at least 30 years ago and that cables meant to hold the concrete in place had deteriorated.

Q: Did the Thurston Lava Tube ever reopen?

A: No, this popular geological feature of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed, following the months-long eruption of Kilauea Volcano in 2018.

Park managers hope that the walkable, underground tunnel will reopen eventually, but they don’t know when; its structural integrity must be assured after the many earthquakes that accompanied the eruption.

Q: Who do I call if my neighbor’s tree is encroaching onto my property?

A: Your neighbor. A tree located on private property protruding only onto other private property is considered a civil matter and not under city jurisdiction, according to the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Division of Urban Forestry.

Q: What if branches are starting to get into the power lines?

A: Then you should call Hawaiian Electric Company at 543-7836. Follow the directions on the recorded greeting that apply best to your situation.

Q: Why would we sue the federal government for not giving welfare to illegal immigrants!? They’re not even supposed to be here!

A: You are mistaken on a key fact, assuming that you are referring to Hawaii joining a coalition of states challenging the U.S. government on changes to what’s known as the “public charge” rule /808ne.ws/918sty).

This legal challenge doesn’t apply to undocumented immigrants who lack lawful status in the United States; they don’t qualify for the federal benefits involved. The challenge is to changes that would affect legal immigrants, potentially making them eligible for deportation if they rely on federal assistance for housing, food or health care for as little as four months.

You can read the Hawaii attorney general’s explanation and the lawsuit itself at 808ne.ws/agexp.

Auwe

Thomas Square is being allowed to revert to its unkempt state of several years ago. Homeless people are back, sleeping in the park. The plants in the large planter boxes on Beretania Street have all died. There was apparently no plan to maintain these improvements once this costly project was completed. There go our tax dollars … again.

— S.J.

Auwe

I am sick of people referring to “government-funded” programs. These are taxpayer-funded programs! Substitute the word “taxpayer” for “government.” After all, it’s our money. — A reader

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.