Question: Are the satellite city halls ever going to reopen?

Answer: Yes. Eight of the nine are scheduled to reopen July 1, by appointment only. To be clear, that means no walk-in service for any type of transaction, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services.

People will be able to make a satellite city hall appointment at alohaq.org starting Monday, for July 1 or later. People who lack internet access may call 768-4177 for help making an appointment.

As at Oahu’s driver’s licensing centers, which reopened last month, employees and customers will be required to wear a facial covering and stay at least 6 feet apart from others.

The one satellite not scheduled to reopen July 1 is at Ala Moana Center; it will remain closed until it relocates within the mall, the city said.

Overall, the city wants people to continue to conduct transactions online, by mail or at grocery store kiosks when they can, to keep in-person appointments available for complex transactions. For more information, see honolulu.gov/csd.

Q: Have the rules changed about “no animals” at Ala Moana Beach Park? I notice an increasing number of people with dogs on the sidewalk, the grassy areas, even on the beach and in the water.

A: No, the rules have not changed. “Animals, including dogs, are not allowed at Ala Moana Regional Park,” said Nathan Serota, spokesman for Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

Kokua Line has been getting this question a lot lately, indicating, anecdotally at least, that many residents venturing back to this popular urban beach park are bringing their pets with them.

Although not allowed at Ala Moana, Oahu does have numerous parks where dogs are welcome. Read more on DPR’s website, at bit.ly/OahuDogParks. It lists eight off-leash parks around the island as well as another 35 parks where dogs on leashes are allowed.

The Hawaiian Humane Society, meanwhile, lists dozens of dog-friendly beaches on its website, at hawaiian­humane.org/dog-friendly-beaches. Ala Moana is not on the list — on the contrary, it’s mentioned at the bottom of the page under the heading “No Dogs Allowed,” along with about 25 other Oahu beaches.

The Humane Society says that a dog at a beach should be kept on a leash at all times, a point emphasized earlier this month by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which cited a dog owner whose off-leash pets approached a monk seal pup resting on an East Oahu shore.

Q: Regarding Oahu’s new appointment-only bulky pickup system, if residents of single-family homes get one pickup appointment a month, and metal items require a separate appointment, are we really left with an either/or choice (five bulky items versus two metal items)?

A: No. A single address can have bulky items and metal appliances picked up in the same month; separate appointments are required because different trucks do the pickups, said Markus Owens, spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Services. The city tries to schedule both pickups (bulky and metal) on the same day, he said.

For more information, see opala.org.

Q: When is Hanauma Bay set to reopen?

A: No date has been announced. The East Oahu marine preserve has been closed to the public since March 18 due to the pandemic.

Mahalo

Mahalo to the kind young woman who must have sensed that I was on edge and responded kindly when I snapped at her unnecessarily at Costco on Saturday. It has been a tough few months, very tough. She could have responded with irritation but instead returned aloha. She helped me avoid what could have become a “Karen” moment. — Grateful 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.