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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Street flowers cost too much to maintain
Question: The city put in lovely lamp posts that included receptacles for flowerpots in Waikiki. I am sure you and your readers have seen them on Kalakaua Avenue. The new lampposts are also on Kapahulu Avenue between Kalakaua and Kuhio. When installed, they also had pots with flowers.
About three months ago, folks came by and removed the flowerpots and flowers. I witnessed this removal and assumed that they would be replaced. They have not been replaced and are missed. Now the receptacles are empty.
I contacted the city via a form on their Web page regarding the missing flowers. I got a phone call from someone who explained that because the climate on Kapahulu differs from the climate on Kalakaua, the flowers "just didn't do well." So, they decided to go with no flowers.
The flowers were fine. They even looked fine on the day I saw them being removed. Where have all the flowers gone, and how can we get them back?
Answer: The flowers were doing fine, but they proved too much to maintain.
About 190 "flower bowls" were removed from both Kapahulu and Kuhio avenues, said Dana Takahara-Dias, deputy director for the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Another 235 along Kalakaua Avenue remain "where there is highest visibility," she said.
The Parks Department's Division of Urban Forestry is responsible for maintaining the flower bowls.
That involves growing plants in a nursery, placing the bowls in the hangers on the street light posts, watering them frequently and changing the plants every three weeks, Takahara-Dias said.
Because the Urban Forestry Division does not have the personnel or resources to maintain all the flower bowls, and because it was determined that it would be too costly to contract the job out to a private company, the number of bowls was reduced by nearly half.
Asked about the "difference in climate" explanation you received, Takahara-Dias said there is "no difference in climates."
The flower bowls were part of former Mayor Jeremy Harris' efforts to revitalize and beautify Waikiki. Last year, 86 of 277 trees planted along Kuhio Avenue by the Harris administration were removed because of safety concerns.
Q: At the corner of Moua and Fricke streets (Lahilahi side), there is supposed to be a stop sign. But the tree next to it is so overgrown, it is difficult to see the sign. Meanwhile, when the road was repaved, the stop line and sign on the road were removed and never repainted. It is a very dangerous situation, and there have been some near collisions.
A: A work order was issued to replace the missing "stop" and bar on Fricke Street, at Moua Street, as well as a double solid yellow centerline, said Paul Won, chief of the city Department of Transportation Services' Traffic Engineering Division.
Also based on your complaint, the overgrown tree was trimmed so that it no longer obstructed the "stop" sign, he said.
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.
See also: Useful phone numbers