Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Halawa park work deemed unacceptable

Question: When will the outdoor tennis, basketball and volleyball courts at Halawa District Park be open to the public? More than one month ago the boundary lines were drawn, the metered lighting installed, the landscaping surrounding the area completed and all the construction barriers removed.

I happily observed the installations of basketball hoops and nets. However, the next day, the same crew removed the hoops and nets, and chained and padlocked all the gates. Why?

Answer: The courts have not been reopened because the work was not considered acceptable.

At this point, it is not known when they will be available for public use, Eugene Lee, director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said last week.

The city is looking at possibly accepting portions of the project that have been satisfactorily completed, instead of holding out for total acceptance, to allow people to use the courts sooner, he said.

The public might wonder why such a project is "just sitting there" when it appears complete, Lee acknowledged, but that is because they do not realize "there may be other pending contractual issues."

Among the reasons why the work has not been accepted: The newly installed play court light failed a performance test; there were deficiencies in the installation of a drinking fountain; and work on a water line needed "corrections."

Until the city formally accepts the project, the project site remains under the jurisdiction of the contractor, Lee said.

The $919,000 project was supposed to have been completed in February but was extended to mid-April because of rain delays. As of last week the contractor was late in completion, Lee said.

The project involved demolishing existing play courts, then constructing two new basketball courts, two new volleyball courts and two new tennis courts; an 11-foot-high chain-link fence, gates, a lighting system, accessible walkways, parking stalls, a drinking fountain, etc.; as well as landscaping, grading and drainage work.

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Q: My grandparents just moved and were told to fill out a Wikiwiki Voter Registration form. Why would voters of 40-plus years have to fill out a "first-timer form"? All they are doing is changing their address.

A: The form is not just for first-time voters.

Voters who have legally changed their names or moved since the last election are required to re-register, according to the State Elections Office.

The Wikiwiki form allows people to register by mail, instead of in person at a government office or voter registration site.

To protect against fraud, election officials are required to verify addresses of all voters by mailing a Notice of Voter Registration and Address Confirmation Card.

The deadlines to register this year are Aug. 24 for the primary election and Oct. 9 for the general election.