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Old water lines leave
Palace grass brown

Question: The Iolani Palace grounds look really terrible now -- the grass is all brown. And it appears that homeless people have moved in and are camping on the benches and under the various covered areas. Have the groundskeepers left? What's happened?

Answer: You should be seeing improvements to the grass by now.

The basic problem, at the palace and other state properties, is aging irrigation systems and maintenance equipment.

Most of the state's irrigation systems need to be repaired or replaced, as do much of its equipment -- dumpsters, mowers, trimmers, saws and tools, said Russ Saito, head of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, which oversees the groundskeeping at the Capitol and Iolani Palace, and other state facilities.

"We are also looking at our workforce levels relative to the amount of work required to maintain our grounds to the satisfaction of the citizenry we serve," he said.

At Iolani Palace, the water supply for the watering system was out of order, accounting for the dried-out grass. However, the problem was fixed recently.

"The good news is that with rewatering, we found that the grass was recoverable, and are nursing it back into good health again," Saito said.

But the sprinkler system for the area now has to be operated completely manually, because the controls are all inoperable. Because the cost of refurbishing is "prohibitive," DAGS hopes to make improvements incrementally, but must compete for money in its budget by priority.

However, Saito said, he still hopes to make improvements by other means, "independent of the systems."

Because work lines from the corrections system were not available to help maintain state cemeteries, DAGS needed to divert grounds crews to the cemeteries for Easter visits.

Saito said his department will be working with the Department of Public Safety to pay for adult corrections officers to supervise corrections work crews to help with cemetery grounds and other maintenance jobs.

In the meantime, "We are also renewing our efforts to weed and fertilize the Capitol lawn. For the longer term, we are considering innovative ways to spruce up/maintain the grounds, including community/volunteer programs," he said.

"The challenge is to choose those things we can afford to do that will have the biggest impact on the quality of our grounds," he said. "We're trying."

As for the homeless problem, Saito said it's the same problem faced by other property owners who have places that are attractive to those looking for a place to sleep.

He's dealing with it through the Public Safety Department, employees and referrals to the Honolulu Police Department if and when appropriate, he said.

"Persistence is our only practical strategy and it's unfortunately mitigated by the migratory cycle with which the homeless seem to respond," he said.

Auwe

I attended the graduation ceremonies at the University of Hawaii-Manoa last Sunday and noticed the absence of receptacles for recycling plastic bottles on campus, at Stan Sheriff Center and at Les Murakami Stadium. I ended up taking both my plastic water bottles home. We need a corporate donation to buy some recycling bins. Then, we need a student group to handle converting those empties into cash. -- Carol

You hit the empty on the head -- there are no beverage recycling containers on the lower campus/athletics area. But UH-Manoa is working towards being more recycling-friendly.

The lower campus administration is considering some options to begin collections of beverage containers, said spokesman Jim Manke.

"UH-Manoa seems to do best with paper recycling at the moment, though there are several other initiatives currently in the planning and early implementation stage for other items," he said.

He pointed to a pilot program being set up at the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics building and at Sherman Labs to collect glass, plastic and metal recyclables. Collection bins are being set up at the Sustainability Courtyard as well, he said, and there are plans to set up a collection area for cardboard.

The pilot programs will help to gauge the volume of materials that need to be dealt with, Manke said.

Along with all this comes the search for funding, he said.

Manke says your suggestion about having student groups or service clubs getting involved is "an excellent suggestion and we'll be in touch with clubs as the new semester begins in the fall."

Meanwhile, RRR Recycling Services continues to set up its automated container redemption machines on Sundays at the Law School parking area, he said, while officials look for other permanent can and bottle redemption sites on campus.

Auwe

Re: the May 18 Kokua Line about Waianae Mall closing its public restrooms: Consumers have more power than they think. If Waianae Mall will not open or provide restroom facilities for shoppers, all the shoppers have to do is boycott the shopping center. Refuse to patronize any of the businesses and I am certain Waianae Mall will change its tune. It is insane to expect people to shop at your stores and you will not even provide basic comfort facilities. Same thing with events at Aloha Stadium -- no backpacks, food items, etc. -- boycott any events held there and the attitude will change. -- Anita D.

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