Boat ramp, parking areas will be closed
The city will close the boat ramp, boat-ramp parking lot and the parking area at Kailua Beach Park over the next two weeks for a sand replenishment project.
Sand dredged to prevent flooding from the mouth of Kaelepulu Stream will be placed near the boat ramp to replenish sand lost to erosion.
The project will require closure of the boat ramp and the parking areas adjacent to the concession stand comfort station all day Monday through Friday and again March 17-21. The city will reopen these areas for weekend park users.
Wheeler residents can expect loud noise
An Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo jet will be using the Wheeler Army Airfield during a training exercise Saturday.
Residents on Wheeler Army Airfield and the surrounding community may experience an increase in noise between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday.
The C-17 will be participating in a deployment preparedness for units in the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade. Soldiers will undergo training on folding and loading UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters into the cargo aircraft.
To report concerns about noise or training, call 656-3487.
Boat operator found, arrested
Hawaii County police arrested a 30-year-old Kailua-Kona man Thursday on suspicion of operating a vehicle, a commercial dive boat, under the influence of an intoxicant.
The Coast Guard notified police at 10:13 p.m. Wednesday that a commercial dive boat and its operator had been reported missing.
The dive boat operator apparently left the boat’s customers stranded at a dive spot off the Kailua-Kona coast.
Another tour company picked up the boat’s customers.
The inflatable boat Sea Wolf and its operator were found drifting offshore and were towed to Honokohau Harbor by another boat, police said.
Police arrested the man shortly after midnight Thursday.
He was released pending further investigation.
Pool shuttered pending notice
Cooke Memorial Pool in Kaunakakai will be closed indefinitely starting Saturday.
The Maui Department of Parks and Recreation said the pool filter needs to be replaced; the department has placed an order for the part.
The department will notify the public when repairs are complete.
Lihue runway must get longer
A Lihue Airport runway needs to be extended to comply with Federal Aviation Administration rules.
The Garden Island reported one of the airport’s two runways ends just a few hundred feet from the ocean, with no room for a necessary buffer.
State Transportation Deputy Director Ford Fuchigami said the runway will be extended to ensure proper clearance.
