A blessing that was to have been held today in advance of the reopening of the city’s rebuilt Kuhio Beach Surfboard Lockers this month has been canceled, according to Alexander Zannes, spokesman for Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

However, the refurbished racks will still be reopening this week, with priority given through Aug. 31 to applications from current renters who were impacted by the Feb. 27 arsonist blaze that completely destroyed the lockers and an estimated 525 surfboards in the alleyway between HPD’s Waikiki substation and the Moana Surfrider Hotel.

The city’s Department of Enterprise Services has been emailing current locker renters the applications for renewing their leases, including instructions to make an appointment to drop off their paperwork and unlocked locks in person at the department’s Neal Blaisdell Center office.

Once applications have been processed, the assignment of a move-in date may take 1-2 weeks, according to the DES website.

In recognition of renters’ losses from the fire, the city is waiving fees ($25 per month for residents; $40 per month for nonresidents, with reductions for seniors and disabled persons in both categories) until Dec. 31.

The mayor’s office did not provide a reason for the cancellation, which followed Caldwell’s Monday announcement banning gatherings of more than 10 people in city beach parks and elsewhere due to the current surge in Oahu cases of COVID-19.

For more information, including instructions for moving in, and to download an application, go to honolulu.gov/des.