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Q uestion : Thomas Square park has been closed to the public since December, allegedly for a period of six months’ maintenance. That time period has passed. When will public access be restored? Read more

Question: Thomas Square park has been closed to the public since December, allegedly for a period of six months’ maintenance. That time period has passed. When will public access be restored?

Q: What is going on with the maintenance at Thomas Square? Why hasn’t the park reopened? We need this green space!

Answer: The new lawn isn’t growing as quickly as expected, so it will be October before some of the park reopens, and even longer for the rest of it, according to the city. Kokua Line has heard from urban residents frustrated that the 6.4-acre park bounded by Ward Avenue and King, Beretania and Victoria streets remains boarded up nearly eight months into what the city initially described as six months’ maintenance.

Here is a response from Guy Kaulukukui, director of the city’s Department of Enterprise Services:

“Thomas Square was closed to the public on December 29 ahead of a $1.18 million maintenance project that removed the mock orange hedge, installed a new irrigation system, pruned the existing Indian banyans while removing unhealthy trees, and replaced grass throughout the entire lawn. The city had hoped to reopen Thomas Square by the end of July, but the new El Toro Zoysia grass is taking longer than anticipated to establish itself. This high-quality turf is a main feature of the city’s maintenance project to make Thomas Square more inviting to the public, and we want to be sure this investment lasts for many years to come. The city anticipates reopening one-half of Thomas Square by mid-October, as the other half will remain closed for the construction of motto walls, paths, and the permanent flagpole that will be placed near the future site of the Kamehameha III statue.”

A news release issued by the city Dec. 12 said the work on the hedges, trees, lawn and irrigation system was expected to take about six months.

Kupuna Connect

A new initiative called Kupuna Connect leverages senior citizens’ wisdom and expertise to help society, striving to flip the paradigm of elders as service consumers to service providers, said co-founder Gregory Kim, a partner in Convergent Law Group. Toward that goal, the nonprofit has organized its first public seminar, featuring former Hawaii Chief Justice Ronald Y.T. Moon and others on the topic “Serving Our Country.” The talk-story session will be held Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at One Kalakaua Senior Living, 1314 Kalakaua Ave. Admission is free but space is limited. Look for street parking in the vicinity. Register by RSVPing to Cathy Kawano-­Ching at ckawanoching@gmail.com or 722-9561.

The discussion will cover the pros and cons of careers in law, the judiciary, military and public service; values important to those in military and governmental service; the role of the judiciary in a democratic society; how citizens can serve outside of military and government; and how to tell whether U.S. democracy is in “free fall,” according to a news release. Younger people interested in those career paths are encouraged to RSVP.

Mahalo

Mahalo to all the awesome jitney drivers at the Byodo-In Obon Festival on Aug. 5. I was told about three times the number of people attended this year compared with years past. The drivers made all the difference in the world for us senior citizens with bad knees, hips, walkers and wheelchairs who would never have been able to make the trek from the park entrance to the festival site. It was a lovely time, the lantern floating was beautiful and the culmination of the evening with the singing of “Hawaii Aloha” was truly a heartwarming experience. Again, mahalo. — Michel Grotstein, Kaneohe

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.