Question: Do the Lanikai parking restrictions apply to residents? We are hosting an Easter brunch and egg hunt for some of our family and friends who don’t live in the neighborhood. We can’t fit all the cars on our property. They usually park on the street. Where are our guests supposed to park? The city should have given more warning. Easter is a family holiday.

Answer: Yes, the parking restrictions the city has in place this holiday weekend apply to people who live in Lanikai as well as to those visiting the popular beach-side community in Windward Oahu. The Lanikai Association, a private group made up of area homeowners, renters and businesses, will help accommodate neighborhood residents by allowing them to leave their cars at Lanikai Park, thereby opening those residents’ properties to parking for their guests, said Mike Groza, president of the community association’s board of directors.

An email alerting Lanikai residents of this option was to be sent out Thursday, he said. You, or any other Lanikai resident who did not receive it, may email the association at info@lanikaiassociation.org for details. Be sure to write “Easter Weekend Parking” in the subject line.

The association offered this option when similar parking restrictions were imposed over Presidents Day weekend, and it worked out well, he said.

The association owns, manages and maintains the park on Kaiolena Drive. Although you don’t need to be an association member to avail yourself of this parking option, you do need to live in Lanikai. You’ll need to supply your name, Lanikai address and vehicle license number, and sign a document absolving the association of any liability before dropping off your vehicle, according to the rules last time around.

Even with this availability, it might be wise to advise your guests to be dropped off, carpool, take TheBus, walk or bicycle to your celebration on Sunday, depending on the feasibility of those transportation options.

Starting today and continuing through Sunday, the city has designated Lanikai a “special enforcement district,” meaning that no parking will be permitted on all streets and shoulders between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Honolulu Police Department will enforce by ticketing and/or towing violators as necessary.

The city is expanding bus access, with TheBus Route 70 Lanikai Shuttle scheduled to run at 30-minute intervals. For more information visit TheBus.org or call 848-5555.

The Easter weekend ban marks the second in a series of pilot projects restricting parking “due to public safety concerns associated with severe congestion in Lanikai that occurs on weekends and holidays, including a health and safety issue that impacts emergency first responders, residents, and visitors alike,” according to a news release from the city. Among the scenic area’s attractions are Lanikai Beach and the Lanikai Pillboxes Trail, which attract a growing number of visitors.

Q: Every school break it’s a struggle to find someone willing to take care of the class pet. I think we should be discouraging having class pets but don’t want to sound mean. Can you recommend any resources on this issue? Spring break reminded me of this again.

A: You might want to start with the Hawaiian Humane Society, which generally discourages the practice. The animal welfare organization does not support keeping animals in classrooms unless each animal has an owner committed to the animal’s proper lifelong care, according to the group’s online summary of its stances on various issues.

We followed up with Jacque Vaughn, the organization’s community relations director, who said schools nationwide are moving away from classroom pets.Technology has advanced so that children can learn a lot about animals through interactive online tools, educational videos and other means, all options that avoid having students keep pets at school.

“One of the most important needs of any pet is that he has a primary caregiver — someone exclusively devoted to his psychological, behavioral and physical needs,” she said.

You can learn more at hawaiianhumane.org.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.