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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Fountain fixed, but vandalism turns off tap
Dillingham Fountain, newly repaired, painted and turned on just last week, was vandalized two days later.
On Saturday, maintenance workers for Kapiolani Park found the fountain foaming with bubbles, two empty dish detergent containers nearby, said Dana Takahara-Dias, deputy director for the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
They also found water jets damaged and no longer working, and after draining the water, they found a broken pipe and broken support rods.
So once again, the fountain is shut down, this time for at least two weeks, Takahara-Dias said.
We weren't able to find out whether the water jets, pipe and support rods were damaged because of the foaming water, or vandalized separately.
In addition to repairing the plumbing, the fountain pool will need to be completely hosed down to remove all the detergent residue, to prevent resudsing of the water.
The fountain had been shut down for months for cleaning and repairs and for parts for the water pumps to be shipped before it was turned on (Kokua Line, Jan. 15).
A vandalism report was filed with police.
Q: I am a longtime resident of Aiea, and this is the first time I have felt so unsafe. The left-turn lane from Moanalua onto Kaonohi has been realigned and is in line with the Ewa-bound traffic on Moanalua Road. I thought I was going to be hit head-on one day when a woman, driving quite fast heading Ewa on Moanalua, realized at the last moment that the road doesn't go straight. I'm afraid there will be a very serious accident, especially at night. Can something be done?
A: At this point, no change is planned.
The city Department of Transportation Services says there usually is a period of adjustment for motorists after modifications are made to an intersection.
The department observed the intersection after the new striping was placed "to determine if additional traffic control measures are needed to minimize the number of conflicts," an official with the Traffic Engineering Division said.
The project was made possible with money put into the capital improvement project budget by area Councilman Gary Okino, he said, and was meant to improve traffic circulation and pedestrian safety.
This was accomplished with the additional left-turn lanes from Kaonohi onto Moanalua and dedicated right-turn lanes, as well as the construction of a median on Moanalua Road to prevent jaywalking.
The new design was presented to the general manager of Pearlridge Center and the Aiea Neighborhood Board, the transportation official said. A "favorable response" was received from both before the project was undertaken, he said.
For now, according to the Department of Transportation Services, "the new design has already improved the circulation at the intersection and has prevented pedestrians from jaywalking across Kaonohi Street."
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.
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