Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: On Saturday, Sept. 18, I was at the state ID card office and noticed there was no convenient exit or entry for the elderly, some of them in their late 70s or 80s. They had to walk up and down a lot of stairs. Why isn't there some way for them to get in and out of the building without having to have assistance from family? Why can't the state do something about this? Handicapped access ramp
exists at state ID card officeAnswer: There is a ramp for the handicapped, located to the right of the front stairs, that leads to a basement elevator.
"Unfortunately, the signs for the ramp are not prominent enough," acknowledged Liane Moriyama, administrator for the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, which includes the state ID card office.
Additionally, security guards were supposed to be available to help the handicapped from the ramp, through a locked basement door and to the elevator.
Apparently, that did not happen that day, Moriyama said. "We will take care of it on the next (Saturday) opening, which is Oct. 16," she said.
The building normally is not opened to the public on weekends. But the ID card office has been opening one Saturday a month until the end of the year to deal with the high demand for renewals.
In addition to Oct. 18, the other Saturday openings will be Nov. 20 and Dec. 4.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Accounting and General Services has plans to redo the ramp and post more prominent signs within the next six months, she said.
Q: I saw some Aloha Festivals T-shirts and polo shirts for sale during the hoolaulea in Waikiki. Do you know where I can still purchase some shirts?
A: Merchandise is available at the Aloha Festivals office, located at Ward Warehouse, 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., on the second level above the Nohea Gallery.
The office is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Proceeds from the sale of shirts and baseball caps support the nonprofit Aloha Festivals organization.
Auwe
To the driver of the No. 4 bus who stopped and allowed two girls to get on without paying and to distribute religious propaganda to passengers.I told the girls this type of activity did not belong on a public bus and that they should stop. They went back to the front, then came back down the aisle saying, "He (the driver) said we could do it." I told her people were trying to get to work and this was very inappropriate.
Public servants should not use city resources and MY taxpayer time for this flagrant violation of bus solicitation rules and the constitutional separation of church and state.
I am a longtime bus rider and have a high regard for TheBus. But this really motivated me to write, lest the driver think there is tacit approval for this type of activity. There is NOT! -- No name
(Solicitation is prohibited on TheBus, with one exception, said Roger Morton, vice president for operations for Oahu Transit Services, which operates the city's bus system.
(The exception is bus-related petitions, such as a group of passengers wanting to change the schedule, he said.
("I'm going to send a notice out to all of our drivers, reminding them of that rule," Morton said.
(In the future, he said it would help to provide more details to identify the driver, so "we can talk to the driver involved, too.")
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