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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Barbed-wire fence around Tripler legal
Question: Recently, an 8-foot-high chain-link fence, complete with barbed wire, was installed on the perimeter fronting Tripler Army Medical Center and the Moanalua Gardens residential area. Is this legal? I always thought that hospitals could not be enclosed with barbed wire. This new fence makes the area look like a prison instead of the always beautifully maintained grounds at Tripler Hospital.
Answer: The new barbed-wire fence "is a standard Army physical security perimeter fence," according to Stefanie Gardin, spokeswoman for the U.S. Army. "As such, there are no regulations against this fencing at Army hospitals."
The fence at Tripler was installed "to ensure the safety of both our people and our installation," she said.
All projects dealing with Army properties have to be coordinated with, and approved by, the Directorate of Public Works, to ensure that engineering design and construction standards are met, she said.
However, the Army does not have to obtain a building permit from the city to install security fences at any Army installation here.
Asked if the fence entirely encompasses the hospital grounds, Gardin said she could not give details regarding the physical perimeter for security reasons.
Q: Are there any hourly restrictions on noisy yard-cleaning businesses? Once a month, one of the residents on the next block has a crew of at least six yardmen who begin with weed eaters before 7 a.m. on Sunday. Last year, they came on Christmas Day. Although they live a block away, we live in a valley, so the noise is amplified and sounds as if they are in our back yard.
A: There are no time restrictions, by law or rules, regarding such activities, according to Russell Takata, program manager for the state Department of Health's Noise, Radiation and Indoor Air Quality Branch.
You are advised to call police at 911.
An officer would then make a decision about whether the noise is unreasonable for that time of day.
Q: Who do I call to complain about a car parked in front of our house for more than two weeks?
A: Call the city's abandoned vehicle section at 733-2530, providing a description of the vehicle, license number, if available, and nearest address.
If the car is parked illegally, call police at 911.
Auwe
It has become more and more common to encounter drivers using the gas pump lane as a regular parking space at my local gas station/minimart. The last time, all the pumps were blocked, with one driver blocking two sets of pumps at once. Everyone who wanted to buy gas had to wait for these inconsiderate idiots to do their shopping. After waiting way too long for a clear pump, pumping my gas and leaving, the drivers on the other side of the gas island had still not returned to their cars. May those drivers run out of gas somewhere. -- No Name
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