Mahalo for his support of Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
suestion: Several months ago the city said there would be new rules for the use of outdoor public courts, due to competing demands. Are they actually?
Answer: No, more general input is sought before the rules are formulated. There is a public hearing scheduled for next week, and an online poll now, asking whether commercial tennis and tennis lessons should be allowed in the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Oahu parks.
DPR “is in the process of evaluating whether fee-paying tennis or playing ball lessons in city parks will be an authorized business permitted on public grounds; and if so, the specific rules and regulations that should be imposed on such activities to ensure the initial recreational use of the courts are to be Respect and preserve it.
The department conducted a broader survey in January, asking about all uses of outdoor sports grounds. Most of the respondents were tennis or pickle players. Business was the subject, but not the only focus; Nearly 73% of those who responded to a question about the commercial use of general courts disagreed.
In the current poll and upcoming hearing, the DPR wants to hear whether commercial tennis or pickle ball lessons should be allowed, and if yes, the terms under which they should be allowed, given court availability, playing time, group size and management fees, for example Not limited.
The survey says people may also share their ideas to “increase compliance with rules for more equitable participation in recreational courts.” For example, a suggested playing time of 45 minutes for all tennis players or a pickle ball on the court is meant to “prevent a ‘rogue’ coach from staying on the court for several hours, giving lessons to a series of ‘nephews’ and ‘nephews,'” came in question One.
Here are details about next week’s hearing and the ongoing poll:
>> he heard: June 28 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia St., Room 312. Session will be available in person or via Zoom. For details on virtual access, including a Zoom link, see the DPR website at 808ne.ws/dprhear. Details are also posted on the DPR web pages for pickleball (bit.ly/OahuPickleball) and tennis (bit.ly/OahuTennis).
>> survey: Connected at bit.ly/OutdoorCourtSurvey2. Responses can be submitted through July 5 at 4:30 p.m. People who wish to take the survey but lack online access can fill it out at Kapolei Hale (Room 309) or at the Garden Permits Department, on the first floor of the Frank F. Vasey Town Hall in Honolulu.
s: Regarding COVID-19, Dr. Sharr has said in the past that the average number of daily cases in Hawaii is likely five to six times higher than what has been reported, given that the results of home test kits have not been formally recorded. What is this estimate based on? Will the Ministry of Health develop a method for reporting home test results? Is this possible?
aBrooks Baher, a spokesperson for the state health department, said, referring to remarks made by Health Director Dr. Elizabeth “Libby” Shar. He said the heavy use of testing at home, as well as cases not being tested asymptomatic and a lack of testing by some people with symptoms contribute to the uncertainty.
As for your other questions, he said, “So far there doesn’t seem to be a good system that accurately captures or can verify the results of all these home tests,” noting that this is a challenge for public health entities nationwide.
He urged people to use “the effective tools at their disposal, including masks and vaccines, to protect themselves and their families” from COVID-19.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; Call 808-529-4773; Or send an email to kokualine@staradvertiser.com.