Fort St. Mall gets 6 benches
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
After an absence of more than 2 1/2 years, public benches are back on Fort Street Mall.
Andrew Shimabuku • The Honolulu Advertiser
The city had removed dozens of benches from the mall between King and Beretania streets since early 2002 when homeless people were flocking to the area to sit or sleep on the benches. City officials said at the time that the removal was temporary until new benches could be brought in.
Karen Budke and her daughters, Mikaela, left, and Victoria were among Fort Street Mall visitors who used the benches yesterday on the first day they were installed. "This is so wonderful," Budke said. "I've never been so happy to see a bench."
But neighborhood residents became impatient. For months, at Downtown Neighborhood Board meetings, they asked the city to provide some place to sit on the mall. Early yesterday morning, city crews replaced six of the long-gone benches.
Hawai'i Pacific University graduate Matt Bedard said he was a student when the benches were removed and it changed the atmosphere of the mall to have no comfortable place to sit and talk.
"There will be homeless people here either way," Bedard said. "They are going to be sitting on the ground or on the benches. So we might as well have benches for the students to use."
Care providers, among those who criticized the city for having removed the benches, said that pushing homeless people from one area to the next did nothing to solve the problem. Benches were not removed between King and Merchant streets because homeless people did not gather there.
City managing director Ben Lee said yesterday that HPU and the Fort Street Mall Business Improvement District, a group of landowners, wanted the benches out because homeless people monopolized them.
"I hope that HPU and the BID understand there has to be a balance," Lee said. "They might not like the benches, but if the homeless are there sitting and not bothering anybody, I don't have a problem with that at all. There is this stigma that the homeless create a bad environment. (But) they basically want to be pretty much left alone."
Both the BID and HPU said last week that they did not request the removal of the benches and it was always up to the city when to replace them.
The new benches are bolted to the ground and made of a recycled plastic that is easy to clean. The benches have an armrest in the center to prevent anyone from stretching out and sleeping on them.
Three of the new benches are close to HPU, the largest tenant on the mall; another bench is in front of the Scientology shop at Chaplin Lane; and two are between Pauahi and Hotel streets.
Fort Street Mall is owned by the city and operated under rules similar to a public park's. The mall is closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily.
The Business Improvement District began operations in November 2002 and provides security officers and a full-time caretaker. Since that arrangement was in place, the mall has been safer and cleaner, there are more public activities and business is better.
Nemesio Rivera, 70, a retired maintenance worker, noticed the benches as he walked down the mall yesterday morning. Rivera, who lives near 'A'ala Park, was using a cane because of a severe attack of gout.
"I come here and don't know where to sit down," Rivera said. "I'm happy they are back. I need a place to rest."
Karen Budke was shopping with her three daughters, Mikaela, 6, Victoria, 4, and Samantha, 2. The family had parked several blocks away and needed a place to take a break. They were one of the first to use the new bench at Beretania Street.
"This is so wonderful," Budke said. "I've never been so happy to see a bench."
Lee said the city will monitor how these six benches are being used before adding any more.
"We'll wait on the benches on both sides of Hotel Street," Lee said. "Let's see how this first bunch goes and how well they are used."
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.
