|
Kokua Line
June Watanabe
|
Dump worker gets proper instructions
Question: My husband and I are remodeling and landscaping our 50-year-old house. It's a slow process that creates a lot of rubbish. Most of our trips are to the dump in Kaneohe -- a quick, painless and generally friendly experience. Unfortunately, we also have to dispose of concrete and rock. The only place you can dump these materials that we know of is Waimanalo Gulch.
On weekends it's a pain just because the drive is long and hard on our little pickup truck. But during the week the problem is human. The woman who works the check-in window most of the time seems to delight in harassing homeowners. She keeps telling my husband that he has construction waste and shouldn't be bringing it out there. When he asks her where he should bring it, she waves him in. This annoying and harassing exchange happens pretty much every time he sees her, which can be a couple of times a week. Isn't he within his rights as a homeowner to make these trips? Is there anything we can do to have this woman re-educated if she is, in fact, just completely wrong?
Answer: The scale attendant in question has been reminded that homeowners can dispose of dirt, rock and concrete at Waimanalo Gulch Landfill, according to an official with the city Refuse Division.
"Apparently, she tries her hardest to discourage abuse by small contractors, who disguise themselves as homeowners and, in the course of this, affects legitimate homeowners," he said.
The person in question was reminded to follow internal procedures set up to get after abusers, and not "her own methods," which, as you described, tended to generate complaints.
"The scale attendant has agreed to comply," the official said.
Affixing safety stickers
I have a suggestion for your readers regarding safety sticker thefts (
"Kokua Line," Oct. 25). That is to affix the sticker in the proper location, then score it with a razor blade in a tic-tac-toe pattern so that the sticker cannot be removed in one piece. I learned this after my registration tags were also stolen. -- Pete, Street-wise from Long Beach, Calif.
That's good advice as an additional deterrent to sticker theft, said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.
He noted the primary recommendation is for motor vehicle owners to remove the old safety sticker before placing on the new one.
"Whenever a new sticker is placed on an old sticker, a thief can quickly remove both stickers and keep the topmost sticker intact," he explained.
Auwe
To all the University of Hawaii students who keep driving around and around our Manoa neighborhood near the university. There is no parking available after 5 a.m., so stop looking. Save gasoline and wear-and-tear on the roads. Do everyone a favor and take your noisy mufflers and just look for parking further up Manoa Valley. -- No Name
See the
Columnists section for some past articles.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com