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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0138.048 2000-2002 Roger E. Baldwin 300 Lahi Street Hilo, Hz 9620 May 15 , 2001 ' ~EC~y ~ Y Hawaii County Council: ~ Coun4y C®uncil The Hawaii Tribune Herald has described a "compromise" to closing Lihiwai Street. It is proposed that the street be closed from 10:00 to 6:30 every night and all day and night on Saturdays and Sundays. We do not oppose closing the street during the late night hours, though we would prefer an 11:00 PM closing. We do wonder if this will achieve the stated goal of curtailing vandalism in the park. In the past few months there has been vandalism in the park, even with the street completely closed. Much of this vandalism is caused by skateboarders and in-line skaters doing stunts on the park benches. (More about this below.) There should be a restriction on the size of vehicles using Lihiwai Street. Large buses and trucks could easily get stuck or cause damage, especially at the sharp turn. There also needs to be a low speed limit, perhaps 15 mph. One solution: Minneapolis, Minnesota prohibits aII commercial vehicles from parkways, including trucks and buses. We do, however, oppose the closing of the park on weekends, which would deny to handicapped citizens access when they are most likely to want to use the park. Many handicapped citizens have jobs, and being open on week days but not on weekends means that they would not have access to the park. Therefore, we suggest a real compromise keep Lihiwai Street open all day, every day, and close it only Late at night. We also question the procedures being used to close the street. In the 1940'x, Moses Company closed its employee parking area for one day every year. (The store chose Christmas Day.) When asked, Mr. Moses explained that if they did not close it for one day each year it would be required that there be public access to the parking lot it could not be closed, even though it is a private road. In order for the store to continue to have control over the driveway and parking area, it had to close the area entirely for one day a year. Wouldn't the County be similarly restricted? Lihiwai Street has had unrestricted access for much of the more than eighty years it has existed. On a related topic: Liliuokalani Park has signs which prohibit the use of skateboards, bicycles and the like on the park walkways. We respectfully request that these restrictions be enforced: that people using the park walkways for these vehicles be cited for violation of the park regulations. One way to do this could be for an enforcing officer to take the of~~ding vehicle to the police station, where th,~e/ Comm. No. ~ ~ ~ ' T"~ File No. R,ef. To: ~,ef. r~a~ SAY ~ 2 0 _ . person could retrieve the vehicle upon paying a fine. This park, being a Japanese park, is intended for quiet ffieditation and relaxation, not for racing about on the walkways with a not-too-safe vehicle. Therefore, we ask that Lihiwai Street be open all day, every day. ~De do not oppose closing it late at night. Respectfuully sub~aitted, ~'L~/t. 4 Roger E. Baldwin ~ + Elizabeth M. Baldwin `~2~%~ Anne E. Baldwin . .