The growing Leeward communities certainly will drive the demand for medical services, and The Queen’s Medical Center wants to fill it. In addition to the hospital’s West Oahu facility, Queen’s sees a market for a new medical clinic at Ho‘opili.

Also part of the West Side conversation is a medical center just to the north, at the Koa Ridge development; it still shows up on that project’s master plan. And as Wahiawa General Hospital downshifts its operation, residents will welcome added options.

Reservations, not bribes, at Haena

The Haena State Park Master Plan’s framers deserve applause for drafting a strategy that caps the daily visitor count at 900 — down from the previous uncapped estimate of up to 3,000, which overwhelmed that remote area of Kauai. But due in part to the dramatic drop in access, plan implementation, which began in mid-June, has not been glitch-free.

Among the latest concerns: reports of motorists without the now-required parking reservation offering to grease a palm to score a space. Here’s hoping that ongoing surveillance efforts prompt all visitors to plan ahead — reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance and no later than the day before a visit.