Kokua Line

By Hildegaard Verploegen

Friday, April 12, 1996

Water board chose hours to lessen shutoff's effect

Question: Can the city shape up? We've lived with dust, exhaust fumes, unsightly piles of rubble, and heavy equipment for months. Sunday night, March 17, was the last straw. The equipment started in at 9:30 p.m. and continued until after 2 a.m. We live in an area of medium-density apartments. There is a vacant lot next to the apartment building at 98-090 Lokowai Place. That lot has been home to huge piles of dirt, gravel, broken asphalt and heavy equipment for months.

Apparently it is some temporary public project. We live with daytime noise and dust. Neighborhood kids at night use the lot as a playground, clambering over the equipment and breaking bottles on it. Yes, parents should be watching out for them. They aren't. The fence is temporary, made of plastic, only about 4 feet high and easily bent.

Can the city be persuaded to stop the night work, put up a strong fence to keep the equipment safe, or better still, use nearby Blaisdell Park to house the equipment and piles of rubble?

Answer: The lot has been restored to being an empty, unfenced gravel-covered lot and the Board of Water Supply will take more precautions in the future.

The Board of Water Supply contracted with Ron's Construction Corp. to install 12-inch mains along Hekaha and Kanuku streets in Pearl City, said Raymond H. Sato, board manager. The contractor made arrangements with the lot owner to use the empty lot as a storage area.

The contractor did connecting work, which required shutting off the water, on Feb. 10 and March 16 and 17.

The board directed the contractor to do that work between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. in an attempt to have businesses and residents feel the least effect of the water being turned off, Sato said.

Sato said dust control on board projects is handled by wetting down the work site, but noise and fumes are more difficult to control.

In future projects in residential areas where children may be present, Sato said he has directed his staff to require adequate fencing and screening to minimize the chance of kids gaining access.


Other items in today's Kokua Line:

- The safety of aluminum cookware
- Mahalo
- Traffic alert


Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686, fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802. Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com

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