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Question: Will Foster Botanical Garden reopen Monday as previously announced?
Answer: No. There’s no longer a specific reopening date, now that the city has announced delays that will keep the urban oasis closed through the summer. “The extended closure is the result of unforeseen circumstances, including a historic wall near the Conservatory and buried utilities at the garden’s entrance. These conditions required additional review and realignment of the accessible walkway to properly address these issues,” according to a news release Wednesday from Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
The garden closed Feb. 13 for what the city said then would be 11 weeks of work, mainly to improve disability access throughout the 14-acre park. This is the second time the reopening has been pushed back, as the city originally said the garden would reopen by May 1, then postponed the date to June 5, and now says it should reopen near the end of the summer.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of botanical garden visitors and the general public while this treasured urban garden remains closed to the public,” the news release said.
Foster Botanical Garden, at 180 Vineyard Blvd., is the oldest of the city’s five botanical gardens and has hundreds of species of tropical plants, flowers and trees, some of which were planted in the 1850s. For a history of the garden, including a virtual tour sponsored by the Garden Club of Honolulu, see bit.ly/VirtualFoster Garden.
We asked Nate Serota, a spokesperson for the department, why the problems were unforeseen.
“It was the historic nature of the wall (that) made it unforeseen. Once something is determined to be historic, modifications to it require review and approval from the State Historic Preservation Division,” he said in an email. That process adds time to the project.
At the entrance walkway, construction initially was delayed because the original design did not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and it took longer than expected for the project contractor to manage the redesign and permitting process, he said.
The ADA is a federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities; read more at ada.gov.
Q: Does the fee increase for vanity plates include speciality plates such as for the Polynesian Voyaging Society?
A: No, the price hike that took effect last year is for personalized license plates, also known as vanity plates, not for speciality organization license plates that help support the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Haleakala National Park or Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services. The annual renewal fee for organization plates remains $25, it says. Organization plates have a background design representing the organization, but motorists don’t choose the letter and number sequence on the license plate.
By contrast, the annual surcharge for personalized plates rose last July to $60, from $25. Motorists choose the letter and number sequence on personalized plates, within limits.
Q: What about veteran plates?
A: There is no annual recurring surcharge for veteran specialty license plates, according to the city’s website. Qualified applicants for license plates bearing the owner’s veteran status pay a one-time $5.50 fee for the new license plates and emblem, in addition to any annual vehicle registration fees, it says.
Auwe
This may not be a popular opinion, but I wish the lantern floating would switch to a different day. Memorial Day is to honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military. Is that too much to ask, after they’ve made the ultimate sacrifice? — A reader
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