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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Money woes thwart
upkeep at Kaneohe
vet cemeteryQuestion: Who is responsible for overseeing the upkeep of the gravesites at the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery in Kaneohe? Maintenance is so shoddy that even the basic job of utilizing the sprinkler system to water the graves is not being done. I visit the cemetery twice a week to clean and water my family member's grave. If I did not, the grass that I planted would dry up. Also why does the administration have an edict against planting grass on existing/new gravesites when the facility is infested with weeds?
Answer: The state Office of Veterans Services oversees veterans cemeteries on the Big Island, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai and Oahu.
A bill requesting additional funds for maintenance did not pass the Legislature this year, although it was noted "that Hawaii's veterans cemeteries suffer from inadequate maintenance due to the lack of sufficient funding necessary to maintain these facilities at the level they deserve."
In 1998, when Kokua Line last addressed similar complaints about the cemetery in Kaneohe, we were told it was "woefully understaffed."
Five years later, there's still the problem of understaffing.
Although it is larger than the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl (123 acres vs. 116 acres), it currently has only six groundskeepers (of eight authorized positions) compared to 17 at Punchbowl, according to Irwin Cockett, Jr., director of the Office of Veterans Services.
Also, even though federal funds helped build the cemetery, which opened in 1991, only state funds are available for maintenance and repairs.
"The bottom line is money," Cockett said. "Budget cuts have had a direct effect on the maintenance and repair of the cemetery and current staffing is absolutely inadequate to meet minimum standards and the expectation of our clients."
But, there also are inherent problems with the unsettled ground, rainy weather and a sea of bad grasses.
First, officials believe the wrong kind of grass was initially planted, resulting in "great difficulty in growing the grass," said Cockett, who took over as director last August.
The slow-growing grass that was originally planted lacks thickness to fight off weeds.
Because the grass doesn't grow well, when it rains -- as it is wont to do in Kaneohe -- parts of the cemetery become a mudhole, hindering regular mowing and contributing to the growth of weeds.
The problems with the grass are compounded by the fact that the cemetery grounds are still unsettled. Frequent heavy rains not only result in large muddy areas around newly-dug plots, but also cause gravesites to sink, sometimes more than 12 inches.
"Fixing these problems require many man-hours outside of the time required for regular maintenance," Cockett said.
But it's either feast or famine with water, with Cockett noting complaints also about "brown grass." He said an automated sprinkler system was installed for watering after the cemetery is closed, but it's currently under repair.
Maintenance workers arrive early in the morning to manually turn on the sprinkler systems in areas not occupied by visitors, while other areas are watered manually after visiting hours.
"We have been advised that the brown grass also indicates a need for aeration, which has been started," Cockett said.
Meanwhile, families no longer are being allowed to bring in their own grass, a restriction that was not enforced by early management, Cockett said.
The Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, to maintain a uniform appearance, doesn't allow for gravesites to be personalized, he explained. Guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, similar to those at Punchbowl, allowed for certain cultural customs but prohibited people from planting their own grass.
Because of numerous complaints from families about the lack of uniformity, especially in a veterans cemetery, it was decided to strictly enforce the original regulation, Cockett said.
Now, before burial, families must sign contracts saying they will not personalize gravesites by planting grass and that, if they do, the cemetery will remove it.
With that move, Cockett said, it's hoped that the state cemetery will have the same "beautiful, serene and dignified appearance" of Punchbowl.
Among all the negatives, Cockett did point out "some pluses."
He said prisoners from Oahu Community Correctional Center, as well as volunteers from Youth Challenge, Civil Air Patrol, churches and veterans groups have helped with maintenance.
Cockett says he understands what the families with loved ones buried in the cemetery are going through because he, too, is a veteran.
"When I came on board, (dealing with the cemeteries) became my No. 1 priority and I'm still fighting to get that thing squared away," he said. "Because, by golly, that's my future home."
Auwe
To the person who complained about a neighbor who picks up after her dogs but dumped the poop into someone else's trash can (Kokua Line, June 10). Be grateful. You have a neighbor who is responsible enough to take care of the mess. There are many irresponsible dog owners who let their dogs out unleashed and don't even attempt to clean up after them. So what if the dog walker throws her bagged poop in your bin? Doesn't the trash bins belong to the city, not you? It's a trash bin, not the Holy Grail! Practice kindness and tolerance. -- Anonymous Dog Owner
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Useful phone numbers
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
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