O'ahu briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
HONOLULU
Mau'umae park plan approved
The Kaimuki Neighborhood Board last week approved a master plan for the 33-acre Mau'umae Nature Park, allowing the first phase of construction to move forward.
The board voted unanimously to support the project, but a proposed archery range was cut from the plans because it was deemed inappropriate in a "passive park."
Landscape architect Dana Anne Yee gave a presentation on the project and said the first phase of park improvements will include new grass in the field area already used by residents and commonly known as 16th Avenue Park, a new irrigation system for the four-acre section, a 6-foot-wide meandering path around the perimeter and more native plants.
The second phase would include a parking lot off 16th Avenue and playground equipment. A comfort station would be installed in phase three. The first phase is expected to begin next year.
Project closes Waikiki library
The Waikiki-Kapahulu Public Library will be closed for an interior painting project through Aug. 18.
The library is scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. Aug. 19.
LEEWARD
Woodworking show seeks host
Are you ready for your close-up?
The Wai'anae Coast Coalition, a community-based nonprofit group, is looking for someone experienced in narration who is comfortable speaking in front of lights and cameras to host a new environmental woodcrafting television show.
Applicants should be 30 to 55 years of age and be familiar with woodwork and the ecology of Hawai'i.
For more details or to set up an interview, call Leina'ala Rock at 696-1217.
Three teens on trek plucked off ridge
Three teenage hikers were rescued last night from the ridge above Makaha Valley.
The boys, ages 17, 14 and 13, were not injured but realized as sunset drew near that they would not be able to make it back home before darkness fell.
They used a cell phone to call 911 at about 6 p.m., said Capt. Richard Soo of the Honolulu Fire Department.
Firefighters launched the Air 1 helicopter. When the boys spotted it, they helped bring it in closer by relaying information to a battalion chief who radioed their location to the pilot.
When the helicopter got close enough so its pilot could see them, the boys waved their white shirts. The pilot lowered the craft to a ledge, and a rescue specialist got out to check the condition of the boys.
Then, one by one, the rescuer put them aboard the copter. The pilot flew them to the 18th green of a nearby golf course. Police met them there and questioned them, then sent them home.
The teens had mapped out a two-day hike that they thought they could accomplish in one day, Soo said. They started at 7 a.m. and failed to realize at noon that they had not made it to the halfway point of their route and would be unable to complete the trek in time.
They were dressed appropriately and carried sufficient water and the cell phone, but had neglected to bring flashlights, he said. Firefighters were pleased that the boys realized they needed help and made the call before dark.
WINDWARD
Kane'ohe board to meet at WCC
The Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board will meet at a different place this month — Windward Community College's new campus center, Hale Akoakoa, Room 101, at 7 p.m. Thursday. The meeting will include a tour of the campus and the regular agenda.
Next month's board meeting is expected to return to the Kane'ohe Senior and Community Center on Puohala Street.
Food program set for Aug. 19
The Honolulu Community Action Program will distribute free food to low-income Windward households as part of a pilot project from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 19 across the street from HCAP's office 47-232 Waihe'e Road in Kahalu'u.
The program, developed by HCAP and local churches, will give away food on a first-come, first-served basis.
Recipients must meet a maximum yearly income requirement of $15,300 or less for a single person. For each additional person add $5,310 per year.
For more information, call HCAP at 239-5754.
CENTRAL
Rescue by friends goes awry in 'Aiea
Firefighters rescued an injured hiker yesterday from above 'Aiea Heights after a botched attempt by friends who also tried to get him out.
The hiker, a 34-year-old military man who moved to Hawai'i two months ago, started out alone along 'Aiea Loop Trail about 9 a.m., said Capt. Richard Soo, spokesman for the Honolulu Fire Department.
The man fell at 10 a.m. and hurt his knee and was unable to return on his own. He declined assistance from a group of Boy Scouts who offered to call the Fire Department. Instead he used his cell phone to call his wife.
She called two of his military friends. The wife and the two friends hiked up the trail, taking along a device with a seat and bicycle tires, similar to a rickshaw, intending to use it to move the hiker down the mountain. But the device was unwieldy, so they tried to help him walk out.
That didn't go well, either, Soo said. The hiker fell and hurt his other knee and also injured a shoulder.
The group called 911 about 2:30 p.m. and firefighters had him off the mountain within a half-hour.
Soo asked that hikers who become injured on O'ahu's trails call 911 before calling family and friends.
EAST HONOLULU
Fire crew helps injured boater
A 28-year-old man in a sailboat race off Maunalua Bay Beach Park had to be rescued yesterday afternoon after he broke his upper right leg when it became entangled in tackle pulley rope lines aboard the 40-foot craft Tiare.
Two rescuers from the Fire Department traveled by boat to the Tiare and stabilized the injured man, said Capt. Richard Soo. The man was then taken by boat to the Hawai'i Kai Boat Ramp.
According to Robert Pedro, an Emergency Medical Services supervisor, the man was then taken by ambulance to The Queen's Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition.
Correction: The Kane'ohe Neighborhood Board will meet at Windward Community College's new campus center, Hale Akoakoa, Room 101, at 7 p.m. Thursday. An incorrect location was given in a previous version of these briefs.
