Lake Wilikina view on horizon for beneficiaries of clean-up

By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer

•	Ways you can help Make a Difference Day, (800) 416-3824 or usaweekend.com To find out about local efforts, call the clearinghouse at the Voluntary Action Center: 536-5006.

At the Wilikina Apartments in Wahiawa, residents can't see a lake that's just 100 yards away because of the overgrown trees, head-high weeds and tons of trash out back.

"You have to go all the way to the 10th floor if you want a glimpse of Lake Wilikina," said Tiva Aga, service coordinator for the 110-unit, low-income complex.

All that is going to change tomorrow, Aga hopes, when volunteers plan to clear the area as part of the annual Make a Difference Day program.

State Rep. Marcus Oshiro had been interested in helping the apartment residents and was instrumental in putting them together with the Make a Difference Day program, she said.

It's going to be a real community effort.

• The Army will bring about 50 soldiers and some big trucks to haul away the trash, including lots of refrigerators, washers and other bulky items that have been dumped there for years.
• Leilehua High School is sending 60 students from its Sierra Club, band and ROTC programs to clear the brush.
• The Rainbow Club of Wahiawa is providing sandwiches for the workers, and the police department is sending its kaukau wagon to barbecue hot dogs.
• The Wahiawa Botanical Garden is donating plants for a new garden area, and Wahiawa businesses are chipping in with donations of money and services.
• And the residents of the apartment, many of whom are single and elderly, will thank the volunteers by serving lunch.

Aga thinks the clean-up project will benefit apartment residents and others in the area.

"It's a really nice location when it gets cleaned up," Aga said. "People will be able to come fish, picnic or just enjoy the cool breeze that blows across the lake."

Or just enjoy the view.