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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Broken glass litters 500-foot stretch of Kahala Beach
Question: I went to walk barefoot on the southwest side of Kahala Beach recently but had to turn around because there was so much broken glass everywhere. The glass was clear, green or brown. Some pieces looked like the necks and bottoms of beer bottles. Most pieces were smaller than 3 inches. I thought they might have been from people partying on the beach, but I walked for about 200 feet and the glass didn't seem to end. Most were among the stretch of pebbles washed up by the waves. I wonder if they were put there deliberately to discourage people and dogs, or if someone trying to "make" beach glass. Is there a city/state department that can clean it up?
Answer: The state Department of Land and Natural Resources sent a maintenance crew from its Land Division to Kahala Beach on Tuesday.
The workers found broken glass along the shoreline in both directions from the area fronting Waialae Beach Park -- a stretch of about 500 feet, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
"They collected about one large Ziploc bag of broken glass," she said.
They also checked a spot further toward Diamond Head, where a public accessway near Hunakai Street intersects the beach, but found no glass there.
"From this kind of situation, it's easy to see how the thoughtless actions of a few create a safety hazard for others," Ward said.
Based on your initial description of the area, we checked first with the city Department of Parks and Recreation as to whether it would pick up the glass.
We were told that workers saw mostly green glass visible at low tide below the high-water mark located in front of homes on the Honolulu side of Waialae Park.
Because it did not front the city-owned park itself, we were advised to check with DLNR.
"We commend the person who called in for taking the time to report the problem; she was trying to do a good deed for the community," Ward said.
In the future, she said giving specific details to pinpoint a location helps staff to take action with the least amount of delay.
Q: Regarding your July 5, 2007, "Kokua Line": What is the status of naming Roosevelt High School's athletic field in honor of Ticky Vasconcellos?
A: Work on installing artificial turf for the football field and an all-weather track is not expected to be fully completed until June.
Once the $4 million project is completed, a dedication ceremony naming the field the Edmund "Ticky" Vasconcellos Stadium will be scheduled, said Principal Ann Mahi.
Graduation ceremonies are scheduled to be held in the stadium on May 31, even though work on the track might be continuing.
Vasconcellos, who died in 1996, was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Roosevelt.
His football teams won three straight Interscholastic League of Honolulu championships in the mid-1950s.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
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