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Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Officials vouch for
safety of rock wallQuestion: There is a very dangerous situation on Komo Mai Drive, near the Children's House near Pacific Palisades in Pearl City. Some contractor has put up a unfinished rock wall with some huge boulders that are not cemented in place and are ready to fall on some innocent child or person. This was put up about two or three months ago. I notified police about it on Dec. 18, but it's still standing with one large rock already fallen. Can you help?
Answer: Neither police nor a city building inspector believe the rock wall poses a hazard.
We asked the Honolulu Police Department about your complaint, but a report could not be located. However, another officer was sent to check out the situation recently, and "the officer said that the rocks do not appear to pose a threat," an HPD spokeswoman said.
That was verified by a building inspector who inspected the area on Dec. 18, which is the date you reported the situation to police, and who revisited it two days ago.
The inspector verified that a building permit was issued for two rock walls along the vacant property, a supervisor for the city Department of Planning & Permitting's Building Division said.
Work was halted because the contractor is off island. However, the inspector was told that the contractor "will be back soon."
The building permit says that work "cannot cease for a period longer than four months," the city supervisor explained. When the inspector visited the site in December, he documented the work already done. When he went again on Tuesday, he saw no further progress.
If, after a four-month period, no additional work is done, the permit is deemed expired, the supervisor said.
Q: Kapiolani Boulevard has huge trees along both sides of the road. The tree branches are the height of the lamp posts and block out much of the light when the lamps are on. Going to work at 6:30 in the morning, the street is not illuminated as it would be, because of the trees. There are many people who walk or run across Kapiolani every day. Is there some way the city can trim the branches so that we can see these people who illegally cross Kapiolani Boulevard?
A: The obvious problem is with the people who are jaywalking/running, but regarding trimming the trees: A private contractor was hired to trim the trees along Kapiolani Boulevard on July 25, according to William Balfour, director of the city Department of Parks & Recreation.
Based on your complaint, a supervisor for the department's Division of Urban Forestry, which oversees the trees, inspected them on Jan. 13 and determined that "these trees do not require immediate pruning at this time," Balfour said.
However, the department is proposing that there be another tree-pruning contract with a private contractor for fiscal year 2004, he said.
Mahalo
To Mark, for helping me to jump-start my car at 11:45 a.m. Saturday at the Iwilei Costco parking lot. I really appreciate your assistance. Because of you, I made it to my hula class on time. -- Elizabeth
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Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
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