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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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City says it can do little to stop Makiki waterer
Question: There is a man who has taken it upon himself to "water the grass" throughout Makiki District Park, using water from the community gardens and the park facilities (he has an adapter to open the water spouts). He is basically creating mud puddles, as these hoses and sprinklers are left on for quite a while. The main pipe at the Makiki Street parking lot was left dripping for a week after he was done "watering" one Sunday. He seems to be there at all times on all days. We have reported it to the staff, but he is still doing it. We saw a police officer on another Sunday, checking on a complaint about someone cutting the hedges and painting graffiti on a building. It may have been the same guy, but nothing was done. Are you able to help us stop this waste?
Answer: Unless he is actually threatening someone or damaging park property, there's apparently little that can be done, according to a city parks official.
Staff could not find him doing anything illegal, especially since he was watering city plantings, said Craig Mayeda, administrator of the Department of Parks and Recreation's Maintenance and Recreation Division.
If he were damaging property by overwatering, or wasting water by running it down drains or roads, "then we might have something," he said.
The staff eliminated a few hose "bibs" that weren't really needed, figuring this would make it harder for the mystery waterer to hook up his hoses. But that also may make things inconvenient for the staff, Mayeda said.
"I don't think that there is anything else we can do to stop this person except to ask him to stop," he said. One problem is that he seems to show up when the staff is unavailable.
"If the gardeners see him during regular staff hours, they should notify our staff and we will talk to him and ask him to stop," Mayeda said.
If you feel threatened, he said to immediately call police. The same advice goes if you see any sort of vandalism or damage/destruction of public property.
Q: Recently, when I was pushing my husband in a wheelchair along Keikilani Circle, we saw workers removing the front concrete sidewalk and black stone curbing. Tenants were expanding their driveway by about 20 feet by 30 feet. My husband asked one of the workers, "Don't you need a building permit?" and he replied, "No," and continued using a Bobcat to remove the concrete and dirt. Neighbors are still wondering why a building permit is not required for such a big job. Could you look into this matter for us?
A: A building permit had been issued for a 13-foot concrete extension to the existing driveway drop curb "in accordance with approved plans," a building inspector with the city Department of Planning and Permitting told us Monday.
Projects like this do require a permit from the department.
If you want to find out if a permit is needed or has been issued for a project, call the Permit Issuance Branch at 768-8220.
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