On Sundays in the Insight section, we spotlight one of Oahu's 33 neighborhood boards to give readers a sense of the issues facing our communities. These responses about area concerns and characteristics were supplied by this board's vice chairman.

EASY COUNTRY LIVIN'

Wahiawa is essentially an island on an island. We are bordered on three sides by the Kaukonahua Stream and Lake Wilson, and on the fourth side by the Koolau mountains and water reserve. We are also cupped in the hands of the military, surrounded by Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Air Field and the Navy's Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station in Whitmore. Wahiawa has a small, country town feel; many of the older residents have shared histories of working in the pineapple fields for Dole or Del Monte.

Our climate is usually a few degrees cooler than Honolulu and the nights are famous for the clear skies and stars. We have the state's largest freshwater lake in Lake Wilson. Our Freshwater Park is unique as a family fishing and picnicking area. The high plains between the Koolau and Waianae mountain ranges have been a training ground for soldiers for centuries, for both the U.S. Army and the ancient chief's warriors.

The Kukaniloko birthing stones have extremely important status as the center of the Hawaiian chiefs' claims to authority.

OUR TOP ISSUES

Homeless need to be tallied

1. The homeless. Two recent events raised the issue back up before the board: First, a small village was developing underneath the Wilson Bridge at the entrance to Wahiawa Town, and, second, a group of people began camping on the “;Civic Center”; grounds in the center of Wahiawa Town.

The first step in finding a solution to the homeless in Wahiawa Town is to conduct a census of the homeless population and identify needs, which will begin in the first quarter of this year.

2. Roadway conditions. More than two years ago, the Board of Water Supply installed new water lines along California Avenue. The project went over schedule and caused many complaints about the condition of the road. Repaving of California Avenue was to have started in late 2008 — but has not. Now, work might not even be ready to go out to bid until the first quarter of this year.

3. Bus transit center. Conflicting design criteria between the board and the Wahiawa Community Business Association delayed the city's efforts to come up with a Wahiawa Bus Transit Center design acceptable to all parties. A concept was OK'd in 2007, but funding has stalled, and a state money commitment has not been forthcoming.

BOARD NO. 26         THE OFFICERS         Chairman         Ben Acohido         Vice chairman         Joe Francher         Secretary         Silvia Manley Koch         Treasurer         Dean Harvest         MEMBERS         Jeanne Ishikawa, Mary Jane Y.S. Lee, Robert Lormand and Hugh Lowery         TO GET INVOLVED         The board meets at Wahiawa Recreation Center. The next meeting is at 7 p.m. tomorrow.         Call 768-3710 or         768-3718; see www.honolulu.gov/nco.

4. Traffic. Wahiawa Town is bisected by Kamehameha Highway, and access into town is via two bridges at either end of town along the highway. Wahiawa has become a short cut to the North Shore, with residents and visitors passing through town quickly.

In the afternoon, traffic exiting the H-2 freeway into Wahiawa backs up past the Leilehua Golf Course Road overpass. This has presented two concerns.

First, if either bridge into town is damaged or closed, Wahiawa becomes isolated and access to emergency services is hampered. The board has long supported construction of a second access into Wahiawa from the H-2, possibly tying into the proposed Central Mauka Road.

Second, the pass-through traffic along Kamehameha Highway is a lost opportunity for Wahiawa businesses and has been partly responsible for the decline in the number and type of storefront businesses along the highway. The board believes that making Kamehameha Highway between the bridges more amenable to roadside parking and more visually inviting would help create a climate for businesses other than pawn shops and porn dealers.

There is also a third concern, mostly in response to the California Avenue delayed paving work: speeding on the side streets and other non-major thoroughfares. As a result, more neighborhoods have asked the board for help in seeking traffic-calming measures on these roads.

5. Pineapple Festival and Parade. Wahiawa's signature event was not held in 2009 for various reasons, not least of which was that no community group stepped forward to coordinate the event. The Wahiawa Historical Society has decided to sponsor and coordinate the festival and parade starting this year. The board is proud that the society, working with a group of dedicated residents and community leaders, will be able to stage the parade and festival on May 8. This event is expected to draw up to 10,000 participants and will be a tremendous shot in the arm for Wahiawa businesses. This Wahiawa signature event in 2010 will highlight the area's history and ethnic working groups.

FACTS & FIGURES

» Wahiawa means “;place of noise”; in Hawaiian, perhaps referring to the fact that long ago, surf on the distant coast could be heard here. Population here was 16,151 at the 2000 Census.

» The 2000 Census lists 4,057 people, 940 households and 818 families residing in Whitmore Village. Median household income here was $52,308; median family income was $55,508.

» Former area icons now gone: Airplane Bridge and an ice skating rink.

AREA ICON

Dots Restaurant is a neighborhood institution.