Category Archives: Planning

Another Honolulu Airport tidbit

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The November issue of Pat Tummons’ Environment Hawaii newsletter includes a brief note about the international gardens at Honolulu International Airport, which “have long been sanctuary for weary travelers….”

Gardens Gone? The item describe construction preparations underway both at the concourse and garden levels, with plywood fences now blocking the view of the gardens.

Elsewhere in the garden area, benches suffered from neglect; stats between concrete standards appear to have been painted most recently in the last century, while the benches themselves wobble on a crumbling foundation. The once-manicured gardens are unkempt and overgrown. Sidewalks are unswept and untidy.

Before the recent neglect, the airport garden was among “Seven Picture-Perfect Airport Gardens” recommended by IndependentTraveler.com.

Environment Hawaii notes that email requests for comment from DOT Airports officials went unacknowledged.

Will the gardens be making way for new commercial development in the airport? I guess we have to wait and see what unfolds.

Another sad tale of airport maintenance woes

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Oh, my! Here we go again.

As reported by Hawaii News Now a couple of days ago:

The largest security checkpoint at Honolulu International Airport’s main overseas terminal is closed because of a leaky ceiling.

The closure could mean longer wait times for passengers now diverted for Transportation Security Administration screenings at other checkpoint areas. And some passengers have reported missing their flights because of the security delays.

According to HNN, closing this particular security checkpoint means the loss of nearly half of all the passenger screening lines in the main terminal, causing delays at the remaining checkpoints.

The worst thing is that I’m not at all surprised.

Honolulu Airport seems to suffer from chronic disrepair, lack of maintenance, and a lack of any ongoing apparent plan for routine repair and maintenance. Long term planning for big new projects? That seems to get done. But routine maintenance that would bring the airport into the same class as those of other major cities? Our State Department of Transportation has consistently earned failing grades going back decades.

You would think that no one in the department flies anywhere, so they just aren’t introduced to the social comparisons that visiting other airports would provide.

And you have to wonder what system is used to track required maintenance and repairs, and to stay ahead of them. Do they still do this with 3 x 5 cards and handwritten notes or something?

Perhaps a review of the administration of airport maintenance by an outside and independent organization would be helpful in identifying the problems?

Sign of the times: UH offers “active shooter” training

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The University of Hawaii’s flagship Manoa campus is now offering “Active Shooter Awareness & Response Training” to interested faculty, staff or student groups on the campus.

According to an announcement distributed on Wednesday, participants in the the 2-hour sessions will:

– Learn about various active shooter situations

– Discuss measures and options that can be taken to reduce the
likelihood of victimization

– Learn what to expect when DPS and law enforcement arrive on
scene

– Engage with DPS staff to learn about campus safety

More advice is given on the campus’ Department of Public Safety website.

The short version: “When an active shooter is in your vicinity…Run, Hide, Fight”

One problem that’s obvious off the bat is that there’s a disconnect between the straight forward advice offered and the realities of the Manoa campus.

For example, one key piece of advice is to hide and lock the door if an active shooter is believed to be in the area.

But I’m told that many, perhaps most UH classrooms can’t be locked from the inside. And those walls of glass windows on the ground floors aren’t designed for security.

You can see that there’s going to be an emerging field of security-conscious architecture for gun-crazed society.

Help save the Ka Iwi coastline (historical photos)

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Today’s Star-Advertiser reports on the attempt to purchase the last large parcels along Oahu’s Ka Iwi coastline in order to protect them from future development (“Hui want to buy parcels, Groups attempt to buy Ka Iwi Coast property to keep them out of the hands of development“).

The effort is the culmination of 40 years of conservation activism to protect the rugged coastline.

The mauka land — two parcels between the Hawaii Kai Golf Course and Makapuu, above Alan Davis Beach — have been the target of various development proposals over the years.

But the 182 acres became available after mainland landowners fell into bankruptcy, and in June the Trust for Public Land was able to obtain a contract with the court receiver to buy the parcels for $4 million.

The Ka Iwi Coalition and the Trust for Public Land secured $1 million from the state Legacy Land Conservation Program and $2.5 million from Honolulu’s Clean Water and Natural Lands Fund.

That left a balance $500,000 — most of which has been raised in one final push to the finish.

But the job is far from over. An Aug. 30 deadline looms, and only 70 percent of the balance has been raised.

Contributions are fully tax-deductible. More information is available at www.kaiwicoast.com.

And in honor of the community conservation effort, here are two more photos from the series of negatives featuring Hawaiian Airlines planes flying over parts of Hawaii.

The top photo shows the full length of the Ka Iwi coast, stretching from the entrance to Hanauma Bay in the foreground, to Koko Head, Sandy Beach, Queen’s Beach, and beyond.

The bottom photo shows the plane as it comes past Hanauma Bay, and the area from Portlock through what was later to become Hawaii Kai is now visible.

Click on either photo to see a larger version with additional detail.

And I would encourage you to make a tax deductible contribution towards the effort to prevent further development. I’ll be doing that later today.

About 1949

about 1949