Kokua Line
By June Watanabe
Friday, October 30, 1998
Kokua Line
Auwe to all the big trash containers left on the sidewalks in the St. Louis area. People are throwing in garbage and dog droppings, but the city isn't picking up the trash. Why can't the mayor take back those containers until they decide to use them? Store trash bins off road
until pickup is automatedIt's not feasible to do so, said city refuse collection administrator David Shiraishi.
Consider that there are 22,000 of those large containers that were given to residents in anticipation of automated pickup, still sitting idle, if not empty, because of a dispute between the city and the United Public Workers union.
First, "It would cost a lot to pick them up," Shiraishi said. Then, the city would have to find a place to store them. In the process, the containers may get soiled and/or damaged.
Shiraishi said residents should store the containers away from the roadside because they won't be touched by refuse crews for the time being. They don't have to be stored inside since they were designed to withstand the sun's ultraviolet rays, Shiraishi said.
About 70,000 households have been converted to the automated pickup system. In addition to the 22,000 households awaiting transition, about 50,000 more will be converted in the future.
Meanwhile, the labor dispute is before the state Labor Relations Board. Shiraishi said he could not predict when it would be resolved.
Auwe to sign-wavers
Who stand along Moanalua Road, just before Hoomalu Street in Pearl City. They block the view of motorists, causing a hazard. -- G.E.
This is the time of year when the streets are dotted with political sign-wavers. But there haven't been as many complaints so far this year, probably because there aren't as many of them, observed police Capt. Mike Hama, of the Traffic Division.
The only guideline, besides not sign-waving on freeways or their on- and off-ramps, is that sign-wavers should not create a hazard by distracting drivers, Hama said.
That means staying back from the road, not getting on the roadway, and not impeding pedestrian traffic. In fact, Hama said most complaints come not from motorists, but from pedestrians.
Some areas that tend to spark a lot of complaints: Vineyard Boulevard and the Nimitz Highway business district, he said.
To the couple who helped us at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, when our car died at King and Alapai streets. They pushed our car to the side, then came back to see if they could assist us. -- Mary T. Mahalo
Re the court item about a man charged under the federal "Safe Streets Act," which prohibits selling drugs within 1,000 feet of public schools, parks, or housing projects. If I stay 1,001 feet away, then I am legally allowed to sell illegal drugs? Come on, drugs are drugs, 1 foot or 1,000 feet away. -- M.G.C. Auwe
To Jayce, in a black Chevrolet pickup, FRG035, who towed my car to a clearing when it stalled on the Pali Highway during the afternoon rush hour. -- D.K. Mahalo
Halloween doings
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
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