Question: Is DPR issuing permits to play pickleball at its parks? A group at Halawa Park said DPR has issued a 6-week permit for their group to play certain days and times during the week. This is not a group class. If this is true, how can we obtain a permit, and do we need to pay for it?
Answer: The permit you describe was issued, but it was for team practice, not free play, said Nathan Serota, a spokesman for Honolulu County’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
“This permit request was made and granted on behalf of a group practicing to qualify for league and tournament play. It involved utilizing one of the two mixed-use courts at Halawa District Park for a designated time period (not re-occurring). The DPR policy is to permit no more than half of our outdoor courts at a given time, to allow for some of the facilities to remain available for general public use. Currently, we are looking into modifying how we manage our outdoor tennis and pickleball courts following an online survey, and will have additional information on that process soon,” he said.
In the meantime, permit inquiries are initiated by contacting staff at a particular park, he said. A Google map listing DPR’s park locations and phone numbers is posted online at bit.ly/OahuParkMap. For a list of Oahu city parks that have pickleball courts, see 808ne.ws/pbc.
Q: Do we have to get a permit for a bounce house at a city park?
A: Yes. Submit your permit application at least three weeks in advance, according to the Parks and Rec website.
To answer another reader, water slides are not allowed.
“I want to make it very clear that no water should be used for any of the inflatables” permitted for picnics or other events at city facilities, Bryce Okamoto, DPR permit officer, said during a May 24 webinar explaining the basic rules for permitting at Oahu’s municipal parks. View the webinar at 808ne.ws/dprpermit or read the rules and download a permit application on the DPR website at 808ne.ws/parkuse.
Serota said the webinar, which runs about 35 minutes, “is a good resource for folks looking to get permits in city parks, and the basics on when you need them and don’t need them.” Many everyday activities don’t require a permit, “as park facilities are open on a first-come, first-served basis without a permit,” he said.
However, larger gatherings and events that include inflatable bounce houses or other structures do require a permit, as the webinar explains.
Q: Can I convert my out-of-state driver’s license to a Hawaii license if it just expired, or will I have take the road test?
A: You’ll have to take the written and road tests, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services, which says on its website that “an expired out-of-state license is not transferable and requires the successful completion of both written and road tests. If you lost your current out-of-state license, you will be required to complete both written and road test.”
Auwe
It feels like we’re giving up on the homeless. Clearing out one neighborhood relocates problems but doesn’t solve them. Cheap housing is needed. — Roving resident
Mahalo
My wife was backing our truck down the driveway, when the clutch and transmission failed. By the time she got it stopped, the truck was blocking traffic on Kamehameha Highway, and she and my son had trouble pushing it out of the way. Three young guys jumped out of two trucks and were easily able to push our truck out of traffic.
With a few waves and honked horns, they were gone before she could get their names, but we wanted to let them know how thankful we were for their help. — K.G., Kahaluu
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