Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Vendors at Big Isle
heiau have permits

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Question: Are there rules that apply to vendors in state parks? I was visiting the Big Island recently and noticed that at Kealakekua Bay, right next to Hikiau Heiau, there are permanent vendor structures. It's disturbing to see something like that at a place that is supposed to be culturally important to the Hawaiian people. Does the state actually issue permits for these structures and the sellers?

Answer: Yes, it does.

In this case, the longtime vendors were "grandfathered" in when the area was transferred by Hawaii County to the state.

The original permits for the two vendors were carried over in the transfer, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

State law mandated the exchange of certain parks between the state and counties in 1992, she explained, and DLNR subsequently has issued two permits annually for the vendor structures.

The structures are on the property line between the Hikiau Heiau parcel, under state jurisdiction, and the county's Napoopoo Beach Road, Ward said.

In 1994, when the state Parks Division was preparing the master plan for Kealakekua State Park, the vendors were considered to be "grandfathered" in.

The plan proposes to move the vendors away from the heiau, but that move has been delayed because the required environmental impact statement has not been completed, Ward said, as well as because of "some community concerns" with the park plan.

The current vendors -- Fern Pule and Katie Pali -- have been at the location "for quite a few years," she said. They operate under annual permits that cost $240 a year each ($20 a month), which allow them "to vend various items."

No new permits are being issued.

If the vending is allowed to continue as part of a new master plan for Kealakekua State Park, DLNR will consider seeking competitive bids or "request for proposals," Ward said. The state does not receive any portion of the vending revenues, but that, too, could change in the future, she said.

Q: Why are all flags still at half-staff around the state?

A: In honor of President Ronald Reagan, who died June 5. Gov. Linda Lingle ordered flags at state buildings to fly at half-staff for 30 days from the day of his death, which means until the Fourth of July. President Bush ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings and vessels, as well as at U.S. facilities in foreign countries, for the same 30-day period.

Auwe

To a car just blowing smoke out of his muffler with not a care in the world. He's polluting the Earth. -- No Name

We passed on the license number you provided to the Honolulu Police Department. Next time, send the information -- with details, such as license number and driver description -- to HPD's Traffic Division.

Under Section 15-19.28 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, vehicles are supposed to be equipped "to prevent the escape of excessive or annoying fumes or smoke."

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Useful phone numbers

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See the Columnists section for some past articles.

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