THE ONCE-NASTY tunnel underneath the Garden Grove Freeway leading to Bolsa Grande High and Garden Grove Park (Tribune photo).

A debut of a new Retorts feature: Kudos and Komplaints pointing out what’s worthy – in my opinion – of praise or worth of gripes.

Tunnel We Love: The pedestrian tunnel (between Magnolia and Brookhurst streets) that runs underneath the Garden Grove Freeway has been a pain in the asterisk for literally more than a half-century.

A primary pathway for students to walk to and from the Bolsa Grande High School campus and for anyone seeking to do the same to visit the adjacent Garden Grove Park, it’s been slathered with graffiti – much of it obscene and all of it ugly – for almost 70 years.

I know that we at The Tribune (and earlier with the Garden Grove Journal) have been complaining about this for decades. The grungy spray-paint encourages litter and the presence of folks who may or may not be Rhodes Scholars, if you receive my meaning.

The ball has been passed back and forth more than at a rugby match. All three should-be interested parties have been looking the other way. The city had said it’s owned by Cal Trans and isn’t their problem. The school district has said it’s owned by the city. Cal Trans says, yes, it’s theirs, but a) don’t dare paint our property and b) we don’t have the time or budget to paint that property.

Well, the logjam has finally been broken. The city has expanded its anti-graffiti program and the tunnel is now painted and cleaned regularly.

Kudos go to a bunch of people, no doubt, but we want to especially point out City Manager Lisa Kim and Assistant City Manager Matt West.

It may seem like a small thing, but to me/us it represents a big step toward solving “a small thing” with a big impact for a city wishing to continue to polish its image.

On Wednesday, it’s time for Komplaints.