Q. My company manages Coral Commercial Center and our tenants have asked us why Auahi Street is blocked as you are heading 'ewa between Ward Avenue and Koula Street. It looks as though the Nissan dealership parks cars on Auahi Street there. I was wondering if we will ever be able to drive through Auahi Street so we would be able to use this as an alternative to Ala Moana boulevard.

A. First of all, let's take the blame off the car dealerships in the area. The lot you're referring to is owned by the city, which closed the street in the 1970s.

"They did it so long ago that we don't know why," said Anthony Ching, executive director of the Hawai'i Community Development Authority, which oversees development in Kaka'ako.

While Ching suggested Kaka'ako landowners such as Kamehameha Schools and Victoria Ward may want the street opened up, the decision rests with the city. It uses the area as a base yard for its coning division, which sets up contraflow lanes during rush hour, as well as a laboratory where the city tests soil and measures the strength of concrete.

The city is building a new facility for the testing lab but City Councilman Rod Tam said it has no plans to find a new site for the coning operation, particularly if it would require leasing a private facility.

"We don't want to give up land because we always have a use for it," Tam said.

However, since this is public land, citizens have the right to express their opinions. You might want to contact Tam at 768-5006 or Managing Director Wayne Hashiro at 527-6634.

They can also receive mail at Honolulu Hale, 530 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813.

Q. Late in 2007, the Honolulu Advertiser had a story about Hawaiian Electric Co. giving a $17 refund to its customers. I haven't heard anything on that story since and I wanted to know if you had more information on the issue.

A. According to Hawaiian Electric Co. spokesman Darren Pai, the refund arises from a 2005 rate case in which the state Public Utilities Commission proposed O'ahu electric customers receive a one-time refund. The amount of the refund will vary depending on electricity usage.

However, the PUC won't issue its final decision until later this month and Hawaiian Electric will have to have its refund plan confirmed after that.

This should all be resolved sometime in April, said the PUC's chief counsel Stacey Djou.