Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.


Starbulletin.com



Kokua Line

By June Watanabe

Tuesday, May 30, 2000


Cemetery owner tries
to do his best

Question: This is regarding Leeward Cemetery in Pearl City (between the Flamingo Restaurant and Ewa District Court). Every time I go to put flowers on my mother's, father's and grandmother's graves, it's a battle and very depressing.

It's horrible, with a lack of care. There are large potholes in the ground and rubbish all over. My husband can't even come with me because the ground is so bad to walk on.

Efforts to contact the caretaker are always unsuccessful. We don't even know who owns the place now or who we could contact. Please, can you help us?

A: The cemetery in question is Sunset Memorial Park, 848 Fourth St.

Leeward Funeral Home, at 849 Fourth St., is not connected in any way with Sunset Memorial Park and has operated independently from Sunset for more than 20 years, said David Morikami, Leeward's vice president/operations manager.

Sunset's owner is Ginichi Iwaoka, who said he does "everything" at the five-acre cemetery, from digging holes for graves to cleaning up the property. We reached him one afternoon by calling his office, 455-8713. He said you should call him directly with any concerns or complaints. He can generally be reached in the mornings.

We visited the cemetery last week, when it was dotted with colorful flowers and decorations in honor of Memorial Day. While the grass in some areas was brown and dry, and there were some "potholes," the cemetery did not look to be as "horrible" as described.

But Iwaoka acknowledged upkeep was a problem and that more watering is needed. He also planned to fill in the holes.

"I'm doing the best I can" in trying to care for the 46-year-old cemetery, he said, noting that he often hires homeless people to help out. Iwaoka himself is 78 years old.

The problem is that there is not a lot of money to go toward maintenance. That's because he said he only charges $1,000 for a plot and only about $2,700-$2,800 "complete," for "the digging, the cement box, the name plate, everything."

That's the cheapest deal around, he said. "Where can you bury somebody for that money?"

Iwaoka said he keeps his fees low to "help people."

"Because today" he said, "you can't afford to die."

Kalia Road traffic signal and construction update

To the reader complaining about the traffic signals at Kalia Road and Rainbow Drive fronting the Hilton Hawaiian Village: You're right, the traffic sensors were damaged because of the road construction "since they were in the work zone," said Cheryl Soon, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

Unfortunately, without the sensors, "the signal operations will not be as responsive as before," she said.

But she also said that during construction, adjustments have been made to the timings to compensate for the lost sensors. That should minimize delays and reduce congestion, she said.

Auwe

The new restroom facilities at Waikiki Beach, especially on the men's side, are certainly welcome and needed for many years. However, where is the changing area? Where are the daytrippers who come from the outer islands to go swimming at Waikiki supposed to change their clothes? In a public restroom toilet stall? The city spent $14 million on this project and there is no place to change your clothes! -- Robert





Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com




E-mail to City Desk


Text Site Directory:
[News] [Business] [Features] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]



© 2000 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
https://archives.starbulletin.com