Wheelchair issue
closes meeting venue

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By Rod Thompson
rthompson@starbulletin.com

KAILUA-KONA >> A popular meeting room at the main Kona police station will no longer be available for public meetings because of concerns about handicap access and public safety, police said.

The conference room at the Kealakehe station will be closed June 1 due to noncompliance with the U.S. Americans With Disabilities Act, police said.

"The room is being closed on the advice of county attorneys after a member of the public who attended a meeting there brought the accessibility infractions to the attention of county officials," a police statement said.

Assistant Chief Lawrence Mahuna said an Oahu representative of Hawaii Centers for Independent Living raised the matter.

A spokesman for the group was not immediately available for comment.

The accessibility concerns prompted consideration of safety issues, Mahuna said. The room was designed for training, not public use, he said.

The 35-person-capacity room is separated only by an unlocked door from an area where potentially violent criminals are sometimes held temporarily, he said.

The room has been used by the public almost every night, he said. Among users have been the Aloha Quilters, Cub Scouts, West Hawaii Tennis Association and the West Hawaii Tobacco-Free Association.

Regarding accessibility, the county was already operating under a court consent decree to bring facilities into compliance with disability standards, a police statement said.

But because of the county's tight money situation, the conference room is not scheduled for modifications until July 1, 2006.