Manoa, Palolo district pools remain closed due to repairs

Question: The Manoa swimming pool has been closed all summer. Maybe you can find out why. It’s been very hot in Manoa. We all love our pool. What the heck is going on?

Answer: The pool at Manoa Valley District Park closed in February because the roof of the adjacent gymnasium is being replaced. The city said then that the project was scheduled to finish by the end of the summer. We asked Nathan Serota, spokesman for the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, for an update this week. He said Tuesday that construction work is scheduled to continue for “several more weeks,” and could not yet provide a more precise timeline for the pool’s reopening.

Readers also have asked why the pool closed when the gym is the focus of the construction. A city news release in February said that “because of its proximity to the park’s swimming pool, the roof replacement will require closure of both the pool and gym throughout the construction project.”

The hexagonal gym roof is decades old and has undergone multiple repairs over the years. It is being replaced with a new, single-ply roofing system that should provide stronger, more durable weatherproofing, according to the city.

Serota offered a more immediate update about the pool at Palolo District Park, which he said is expected to reopen by the end of August. It closed in April for major repairs of the park’s pool facility, gymnasium and weight room, which suffered water damage because of leaking roofs. The pool’s shower building was among the areas affected. At the time, the city said the entire project should be finished by this fall.

Regarding both pools, he said: “We want to thank the public for their patience while these facilities receive much needed renovations.”

In related news, the city is looking to hire part-time lifeguards for city pools, positions that “start at over $13.50 an hour and have many benefits,” Serota said. Qualified individuals should contact the specific pool for which they wish to work, he said. The locations of and contact information for city pools can be found at 808ne.ws/poollist.

Q: How do we properly discard an old rifle? It’s registered to my brother, but he moved to the mainland 40 years ago and no longer wants it.

A: Firearms may be turned in to the Records and Identification Division located at the entrance to the Honolulu Police Department’s headquarters on 801 S. Beretania St, said Michelle Yu, an HPD spokeswoman. “The individual turning in the firearm will be asked for basic information, including the gun owner’s name and why the gun is being turned in. Police personnel will check to determine that the gun is not linked to an open investigation before the gun is destroyed,” she said.

Auwe

Law or no law, people are still crossing the street without ever looking up, much less looking both ways for oncoming traffic. Walk akamai, folks. Look up from your cellphone. – Careful driver

Mahalo

Mahalo to the thoughtful gentleman at Goma Tei Pearlridge on August 15. I was having a late lunch and getting ready to pay my bill when the waitress informed me the bill was already paid. I was so surprised and felt sad that I couldn’t thank him in person as he had already left and we were not able to get his name. I am very thankful and blessed by his kindness and have already paid it forward with aloha. Many blessings and aloha to the gentleman. — Gloria

Mahalo

Mahalo to the stranger named Tom, who took home our dad’s damaged flower vase from his grave and repaired and returned it. Our family is deeply grateful and touched by your thoughtful gesture. — Grateful family

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.