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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Overgrown grass gets cut quickly
Question: Who is responsible for cutting the overgrown cane grass on Waimano Home Road and Hookiekie Street? When driving down Waimano Home Road from the Pearl City Cultural Center and trying to make a left turn onto Hookiekie Street, it is difficult to see oncoming cars coming up Waimano Home Road because the cane grass is so tall and thick and comes right up to edge of the road.
Answer: How's this for fast action: We asked the city on Monday, Oct. 31, if this area was under its jurisdiction.
Larry Leopardi, chief of the city Division of Road Maintenance, responded immediately that Waimano Home Road was, and sent someone out to check on the overgrowth.
A crew "started the clearing and cutting along Waimano Home Road today," he said the next day.
Meanwhile, Hookiekie Street, which runs along Momilani Elementary and Pearl City High schools, is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Education. We passed your concern on to the DOE.
More on cats
An official with the Animal Care Foundation, a no-kill, animal rights and rescue advocacy organization, met recently with the city Department of Parks and Recreation to discuss its decision to post "No Feeding Animals" signs in all its parks (
Kokua Line, Oct. 2).
The concern is over the welfare of feral cats in the parks, many of them fed by volunteers involved in a trap-neuter-release (TNR) program.
"The purpose of the meeting was to make sure that there was truly no policy change, as the HHS (Hawaiian Humane Society) had reported, and to offer to create a public-private partnership to ensure that the parks are safe and enjoyable places for all park users," said Frank De Giacomo, vice president of the foundation.
"We explained TNR and its benefits, and we suggested ways in which we could work together."
The Humane Society told Kokua Line (Oct. 9) that it believed the Parks Department had instituted a policy change by posting "No Feeding Animals" signs in the parks, where there previously was no such prohibition. It also said it would like to help parks officials "develop a criteria for caregivers to agree to, and for city to partner with them and us on this issue."
Deputy Parks Director Dana Takahara-Dias said she met with De Giacomo on Oct. 28 and discussed several issues, including the TNR program.
She also said Parks Director Les Chang met with Pamela Burns, executive director of the Hawaiian Humane Society, earlier in the year, but has not had a follow-up meeting since Kokua Line reported on the blanket "no feeding" rule.
However, the parks director said she did speak with Burns by phone regarding the change.
For now, the department is continuing to post the "No Feeding Animals" signs.
Takahara-Dias had said parks officials believe the move is a matter of being consistent, and was not a change in policy.
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