I live in the midst of the Aina Haina "slide area," where the city took over several vacant lots. Until last year, it kept the lots neat and orderly. ‘Wild’ lots in Aina Haina
to be cleared this weekCurrently, the grass stands more than 12 feet high in most places, overgrowing sidewalks. Either there's no sidewalk or there are tree spikes sticking out of buckled sidewalks, making it dangerous for children.
The lots are dumping grounds for broken glass, flammable materials, automobile debris, not to mention rats, mosquitos and other pests! I have made numerous complaints over 10 months to various departments and to Mayor Harris.
We've also called the offices of Councilman John Henry Felix and Rep. Gene Ward. Still nothing is done. The grass is so dry. If there were a fire, this area would go up in an instant. Can you help?
We could understand your concern after seeing up close how wild the lots, more than a dozen between Mona Street and Hind Iuka Drive, have become.
Initially, a parks official said he couldn't say when the lots would be cleared because the maintenance staff was so short-handed. (The parks department has to maintain not only city parks, but also traffic islands, dividers and acquired lots.)
However, after calling Courtney Harrington, an aide to Mayor Jeremy Harris, Kokua Line was told, "The mayor has ordered the parks department to start cleaning the property (last Friday)."
The work should be completed this week, he said.
In fairness to the parks department, there hasn't been money to hire people for three years, said Roy Sato, park's maintenance supervisor for East Honolulu. "We're down to a skeleton crew" of five.
The city used to depend on prison work lines, at a savings of more than $1 million a year.
But, the state, last summer, decided they needed the 30 inmates assigned to the city to work on state projects instead.
Oahu Community Correctional Center warden Nolan Espinda said there are five prison-supervised work lines of 10 inmates each, but contracts with six state agencies. "So we're already spread thin."
Whether a work line could be sprung for city use was a decision that had to be made by higher state administrators, he said.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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