Question: Several months ago the city said there would be new rules for use of outdoor public courts, due to competing demands. Are they in effect?
Answer: No, more public input is being sought before the rules are drafted. There is a public hearing set for next week, and a survey online now, asking whether commercial pickleball and tennis lessons should be permitted at Oahu parks under the Department of Parks and Recreation’s jurisdiction.
DPR “is in the process of evaluating whether to designate tennis or pickleball lessons for a fee in city parks as an authorized commercial activity allowed on public courts; and if so, the specific rules and regulations that should be imposed upon these activities to ensure primary recreational use of the courts is respected and maintained,” it said in a news release Monday.
The department conducted a broader survey in January, asking about all uses of outdoor sport courts. Most respondents were tennis or pickleball players. Commercial activity was a topic, but not the sole focus; nearly 73% of those who responded to a question about commercial use of public courts were against it.
In the current survey and upcoming hearing, DPR wants to hear whether commercial tennis or pickleball lessons should be allowed, and, if yes, the conditions under which they should be permitted, taking into account court availability, playing time, group size, and administrative fees, to name just a few examples.
People also may share their ideas “to increase compliance with rules to most equitably share recreational courts,” the survey says. For example, a proposed 45-minute playing time for all tennis or pickleball players on a court is intended to “prevent ‘rogue’ instructor from staying on court multiple hours, while giving lessons to a series of ‘nieces’ and ‘nephews,’ ” it says in one question.
Here are details about next week’s hearing and the ongoing survey:
>> Hearing: June 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia St., Room 312. The hearing will be accessible in person or via Zoom. For details about virtual access, including the Zoom link, see DPR’s website at 808ne.ws/dprhear. Details also are posted on DPR webpages dedicated to pickleball (bit.ly/OahuPickleball) and tennis (bit.ly/OahuTennis).
>> Survey: Online at bit.ly/OutdoorCourtSurvey2. Responses may be submitted until July 5 at 4:30 p.m. People who want to take the survey but lack online access may fill it out at Kapolei Hale (Room 309) or at the Parks Permit Section, on the first floor of the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building in Honolulu.
Q: Regarding COVID-19, in the past Dr. Char has said that Hawaii’s average daily case counts are likely five to six times higher than reported, given that results from home-test kits are not officially tallied. What is that estimate based on? Will DOH develop a way for people to report the results of home tests? Is that possible?
A: “Public health officials in communities across the country are making educated estimates when comparing confirmed cases to the true number of cases they believe may be in their communities,” said Brooks Baehr, a spokesman for the state Department of Health, referring to statements by Health Director Dr. Elizabeth “Libby” Char. Extensive use of at-home tests, as well as untested asymptomatic cases and a lack of testing by some people with symptoms contribute to the uncertainty, he said.
As for you other questions, “to date there doesn’t seem to be a good system that is accurately capturing or can verify the results of all of these home tests results,” he said, noting that this is a challenge for public health entities nationwide.
He urged people to use “effective tools at their disposal, including masks and vaccines, to protect themselves and their families” from COVID-19.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
