By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)-Chinatown business owners and merchants continue their collective volunteer effort to coordinate clean up efforts in the area. These efforts take place around busy area-wide events like First Friday and St. Patrick’s Day and during “normal” business.
The Arts District Merchants Association (ADMA) has recently joined the City’s Adopt a Block Program and is now responsible for the area bounded by Smith to Bethel Street and Beretania Street to Nimitz Highway. ADMA’s first Adopt a Block effort, Chinatown Scrub Down, takes place Saturday, April 6, 2013. A cadre of volunteers will meet at the Louis Pohl Gallery on Bethel Street at 8:30 a.m. for supplies and assignments and will then fan out to remove graffiti,staples, tape and unwanted posters from nearby buildings and utility poles.
As part of the effort, award-winning graphic artist and printmaker, Hans Loffel, has donated his time and talent to paint a large mural on the building owned by Hawaii Theatre, next to Restaurant Epic (on Pauahi Street, between Nuuanu and Bethel).
This effort is a collaboration between the Arts District Merchants Association, Friends of Chinatown, District 1 Community Policing, Honolulu Weed & Seed, City of Honolulu’s Downtown Clean Team, Department of Facilities and Maintenance, Restaurant Epic, Hawaii Theatre and the City’s Environmental Services Storm Water Quality Branch, Adopt a Block Program.
First Friday takes place the night before the Chinatown Scrub Down and volunteers from area business including Murphy’s, O’Toole’s, Bar 35, Manifest, Downbeat Diner, bambuTwo Café + Martini Lounge, Brasserie Du Vin and Lucky Belly will be stepping up their area clean up efforts during and after the event.