Palolo is special, partly because there is a feeling of being in the country while still being very close to town. It is a friendly, safe neighborhood where most people know their neighbors and look out for each other.

OUR TOP ISSUES

Left-turn light eagerly awaited

1: Request for left turn signal at Waialae and 10th avenues: This is perhaps the topic that is discussed the most often. A request was put in several years ago to have a left-turn signal installed for those leaving the valley on 10th Avenue. The city did a study and determined that it is warranted, but the date for the work has been pushed back many times. We are told we may see it sometime in 2010.

2: Mo-ped noise/speeding: When mo-peds speed through the valley, they make noise loud enough to disturb residents' sleep.

It is thought that the noisiest of the mo-peds are ones that have been illegally modified, so we continually ask representatives of the Honolulu Police Department about getting illegal mo-peds off the streets.

THE OFFICERS         Chairwoman         Rachel Orange         Vice chairwoman         Gladys C.         Gerlich-Hayes         Secretary         Dawn Tanaka         Treasurer         Michael G.         Weinstein         Members         Darlene H. Nakayama, Tom Eisen, Earl Shiraki, David Dunaway, Jimmy Lagunero, Paul Holtrop, Stephen L. Tschudi                 To get involved         The board meets at the Palolo Elementary School cafeteria. Call 768-3710 or 768-3783; see www.honolulu.gov/nco

In the past year or so, HPD has targeted illegal mo-peds a couple of times. Each time they do, residents notice a decrease in the annoying mo-peds.

3: Bulky trash: This is an

issue that affects several neighborhoods. We talk about it a lot, but don't really know how to fix it. There are several “;hot spots”; throughout the neighborhood that seem to attract dumpers. These sites have piles of trash throughout the month.

4: Hillside boulders: Each time we read about a boulder rolling into a house in our neighborhood or in any other, we all wonder what can be done to prevent this from happening.

We have talked about this on a number of occasions and have expressed frustration that there doesn't seem to be a government agency willing or able to take a proactive stance on the issue.

5: Community relations: Much of our meeting time is used for general communication with representatives from the city and state agencies that affect all our lives.

It is a valuable time to get answers to various questions that residents may have. There also are presentations by various groups that let us know what they are working on and how it may affect our community.

FACTS & FIGURES

» Palolo is a valley and neighborhood four miles from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile from Diamond Head.
» Ka'au Crater is an extinct volcano in the back of the valley.
» Palolo once had a golf course, two dairies, a rock quarry and, in World War II, an airfield. The 33-acre quarry became a 200-home subdivision; the airfield was turned into Palolo Valley Housing.

AREA ICON

The Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple is an area icon, says board Chairwoman Rachel Orange, as are the Palolo Chinese Home, Ka'au Crater, North Shore Grinds and House Speaker Calvin Say.