Photo by Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Steel brackets on benches deter skateboarders.
Justine Kaye of Honolulu is puzzled about some "brackets" embedded in the concrete-terrazzo of benches and low walls on Fort Street Mall. Skateboarder arm rests
"Since people use the wall to sit on, my only guess is that these are grab bars to assist sitters in getting up," she speculated.
The WatDat Rapid Response Team swung into action (an excuse to score some hot pirogi just up the mall) and we thoroughly checked out her query. Kaye is right. There ARE brackets on the benches. They're black, steel, either epoxied or bolted into place, and many look battered - far too battered for simple outdoor weathering. Some are even broken off at the base. Those sitters must have a hard time getting up.
According to City Parks district manager Norman Morikuni, the bars were attached about a year ago for a dual purpose: "They serve as arm rests, and they deter skateboarders."
The brain light blinks on. Ah, ha! "Extreme" skateboarders like to hop their little vehicles atop benches and walls for brief thrill rides.
The skateboards slam into the concrete, causing the material to spall and crack - some of the benches show signs of this - and if the riders are lucky, they hop right off.
Many times, however, the skateboarders take a flying header and spall and crack their own heads. Very uncool on public property.
Actually there's a triple purpose to the bars. They're supposed to be installed four feet apart, said Morikuni, explaining that there's a request in to replace the missing bars. This would deter all but the shortest of homeless from napping there.
In the meantime, the skateboarders haven't yet discovered the extreme-skateboard wonderland around the new First Hawaiian Bank Building. But that's private property.
By Burl Burlingame
