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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Hukilau Beach lot
belongs to churchQuestion: Why is the parking lot for Hukilau Beach in Laie closed on Sundays? For many years the beach and parking lot were open every day of the weekend, but now the lot and beach access gate are locked up every Sunday. A few reckless people are parking their cars along the narrow highway shoulder in order to gain access to this great beach, but this is very dangerous. Isn't the parking lot a public facility, and isn't Hukilau a public beach? If so, why aren't they open for public use all weekend?
Answer: Because the park and parking lot are generally made available to the public, it's easy to see why beachgoers may think they're public facilities.
The beach itself is public property, and beachgoers are able to access it by foot, said Jace McQuivey, vice president and general counsel for Hawaii Reserves Inc.
However, the park and parking lot are owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and managed by Hawaii Reserves (formerly known as Zion Securities).
According to McQuivey, they've always been closed on Sunday.
"We believe that Sunday is a Sabbath day, and we don't want our people necessarily working on the Sabbath," McQuivey said. Closing the area off on Sunday also allows time for areas to "regenerate."
But the church realizes the area is "an important community amenity," McQuivey said. "Because it is such a wonderful amenity and is a great beach park, we love to share it with everybody six days of the week."
Q: To take advantage of the lower home interest rates, we recently refinanced a new home we built last year. The final appraisal came in way lower than we expected and resulted in us having to pay Principal Mortgage Insurance due to our loan-to-value ratio being higher than 80 percent. Judging from the recent sales in our neighborhood, I feel our appraiser greatly undervalued our home. His comparisons were homes built in 1986 and 1989. He did not take into account several upgrades we had done during construction and an ocean view we have. What recourse do I have, and are home appraisers answerable to any board?
A: You can file a complaint with the state Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs' Regulated Industries Complaints Office.
Since you live in Hilo, call the Hilo office at 933-8846. You can also download complaint forms online at www.hawaii.gov/ dcca/rico.
There is no board that oversees appraisers. However, appraisers are licensed by the Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs.
"All the appraisals in the state have to comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice," which are set by the federal government, explained Candace Ito, executive director of the department's Real Estate Appraiser Program.
If you or anyone else feels an appraisal was "noncompliant with federal standards," she said you can file a complaint with the Regulated Industries Complaints Office, which is the appraiser program's regulatory arm.
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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.
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