Service lacking
In an effort to help my grandson take the driver’s test to get his license, I discovered it is currently nearly impossible to do so.
First, without going down in person, one can not get meaningful information to begin the process. There is a scheduling calendar online, but the calendar doesn’t show which days appointments are available. You are forced to check one day at a time to look for openings. After a hundred clicks, I gave up. Apparently, there are no openings for months.
The failure of the state of Hawaii to provide this basic service is unconscionable. Hawaii should be ashamed.
Gary Marshall
Keaau
Skate park needed
There are a gazillion soccer, baseball and football fields in Hilo, so why can’t there at least be a skate park?
I understand that the majority of prideful adults prioritize “recognized” sports that are shown on TV, rather than the sports that are unrecognized and shown less to the world.
By definition, a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Is that not what “minor activities” such as skating are?
Some might even disregard the idea of a skate park because, “Skating is dangerous!” or “My kid doesn’t skate.” Well, that doesn’t mean skaters should be isolated, neglected and left out.
Identifying what is considered a sport is similar to when two different political views clash. There is conflict in importance and understanding. Skating is a sport, and just like other sports there are safety precautions such as pad sets that hug and protect people from injury.
As a Hilo resident of 17 years, at some point this small town became boring and mundane. It is repetitive to just go to the beach or to Prince Kuhio Plaza. Hilo lacks recreational environments — a proper place designed to be active, where people can use bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller skates, etc.
I give my respects to the parents who sacrifice their time and gas to drive to skate parks in Waimea or Pahoa. My parents are not so willing. Some of us have to succumb to poor locations and prohibited areas. Sidewalks and flat rocky pavements aren’t as exciting as it seems.
If a skate park were to be built in Hilo, neighborhoods of wiser generations will complain less about “noisemakers,” there will be less skaters loitering and adolescents who don’t have a convenient and decent location designated toward their interests will be accommodated.
The idea of a skate park in Hilo precedes itself. It’ll be a sight to see, after COVID-19, active residents partaking in the delicacies of skating on ramps, fun boxes, ledges and rails surrounded by gatherings of smiles and a sense of belonging.
Jezrael Castilan
Hilo High School student
