City Watch

No picnic

Jul 22, 2009

Kapiolani Park is one of our best-used resources on Oahu. But some areas of the sprawling green are a little worse for wear, including nearly a dozen picnic tables, which (as anyone who’s gotten bug-bitten from lying in the grass can tell you) are a necessity for those who like to spend entire days in the park. Some residents report seeing paint-peeled tables wrapped in caution tape for months.

“Every once in a while we have the maintenance staff go through and do what they can as far as repair,” said Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation Les Chang. “Those that can’t be repaired or are hazardous, we have to mark with caution tape. Most of those have been removed–about nine of them–and they will be replaced, but they’re not replaced one for one.”

Chang says that there are “more than dozens” of picnic tables in the park and that worn-out equipment doesn’t always get replaced right away.

“The good news is, they get used a lot,” he said. “And the main thing is that we take out the hazardous ones. If you see the yellow tape, that’s what it is. Until we can get another crew out there to disassemble them and take them out, we have to mark them. It can take a long time to schedule removal.”

Chang says he wants to hear from park -goers who encounter picnic tables that have either been taped up for too long (removal shouldn’t take more than a week, he says), or any tables or benches that aren’t sturdy or appear unsafe.

“We don’t have the fortune or budget to keep people there, checking through the park all the time, but call the city, especially about unsafe ones,” said Chang. “The staff does go through to check but sometimes for whatever reason we get a bad spell where people are extra hard on these tables. Unfortunately those things happen beyond loving use and care and fair wear. As a general rule, we are careful.”

Who’s responsible: Les Chang, Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, 768-3003, [email: parks]

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