Parking fiasco
Parking fiasco
This is written for all of us with handicapped parking permits who can never locate a handicapped space in the municipal parking lot adjoining the Mooheau Bandstand, across from the Hilo Farmers Market.
I just found out why we cannot find handicapped parking here: Only 40 percent of the mandated spaces were ever set aside for handicapped use.
According to federal and state ADA requirements, this lot — with about 140 spaces — should have at least five handicapped spaces. It has only two.
Go see for yourself. Next to the police parking zone, there are only two handicapped spaces.
Why? After an inquiry with the county ADA office, I learned the state and county have unsettled jurisdictional overlap in this area.
So, when the recent parking lot expansion project concluded, no governmental entity claimed responsibility to ensure the mandated number of handicapped spaces were put in place.
Sound familiar? A government official signs off on a mismanaged project and our tax dollars pay for it.
Attention handicapped drivers: Arrive early because 60 percent of the spaces to which you are entitled do not exist.
For this, thank the government official who signed off on the project.
Richard Dinges
Hilo
Humane or inhumane?
I am writing with a concern I’ve had for many years. I think the Humane Society in Keaau has a hidden agenda.
What could the reason be to euthanize way more dogs than they adopt out? I understand they euthanized 10,000 dogs last year. That is beyond cruelty.
Why don’t they make a free or $20-day every month for adopting pets? Could it be they get paid more for euthanizing animals?
I don’t understand the reasoning. I know it costs to keep these animals, but there are guidelines they are supposed to follow.
I heard about a man who got a call from someone who found his dog and told him he took it to the Humane Society. The owner went the same day to get his dog but it already was euthanized.
There are some great organizations that foster pets until they can be adopted. I wish the Humane Society would work with these organizations.
If you find my dog, please don’t take it to the Humane Society. I love my dogs.
Toni Soares
Keaau