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Kokua Line
Question: There is now a beautiful promenade from the McCully Street bridge to the bridge by the new convention center. However, within that area, the old American Legion building remains. It is now an eyesore. What's going to happen to that building? Eyesore mars
convention center areaAnswer: Nothing, at least for now.
The American Legion's Department of Hawaii clubhouse has been in that spot, at 612 McCully St., since 1945, said Bernard Lee, adjutant for the Legion's Department of Hawaii.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has given the group a month-to-month revocable permit for the clubhouse since 1966, DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said.
There are no plans to use the 7,895-square-foot "skinny triangle" for any other purpose at this time, she said.
"We cannot get a long-term lease to build a new building," Lee said.
That, combined with a lack of funds to either rebuild or move, means "all we can do is try to repair" the old building.
Lee noted, "It's a very small property," although many people mistakenly think the American Legion owns city land adjacent to it.
"The promenade is city and county property," he said. "In fact, part of the Legion's parking lot is also city property. They let us use it to park."
The American Legion is composed mostly of veterans who served during World War II and the Korean War.
In Hawaii, however, many members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in World War II, have their own club, Lee noted.
Of the 117,000 veterans in the state, the local American Legion has about 3,300 members, including people from Australia and Kwajalein, he said.
He said his organization is involved in community service, including supporting youth programs.
Also, "we help veterans and their families in their time of need."
It relies on membership dues and fund-raising, although it's been tough getting members to participate in the latter activity, Lee said.
"But you have to realize we have different units or posts on the different islands, one in Kwajalein and four in Australia," he said. "It's very seldom that we can get together and meet."
Q: I want to report a city rubbish truck going on the H-1 freeway going Ewa near the University of Hawaii, leaving a trail of rubbish. I am wondering, do these trucks have covers to prevent leaves and paper from flying out?
A: We passed on your complaint and the truck's number to David Shiraishi, city refuse collection administrator.
In general, the city's rubbish trucks are "self-contained," he said.
"We went through the process of modifying and upgrading our trucks so that they do now have to have mechanical covers to contain the rubbish in the upper intake area," he said.
However, in some cases, some rubbish can be caught in the intake area, where the wind could blow it above and out the cover, Shiraishi said.
He said operators will be reminded to check the area to make sure no rubbish can be blown free before leaving for the disposal site.
Next time you see such a situation, call the refuse yard nearest you. A list of the yards can be found on page 35 of the current telephone directory (white pages).
In Honolulu, the number is 523-4424.
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