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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Call or click can nab bad drivers of city vehicles
Question: Whom do I need to contact to report reckless driving by City and County of Honolulu drivers? I was on my way to town recently when a city truck began tailgating me about a car length behind, traveling at 60 mph. He then whizzed past, cutting in and out of traffic. On my way home a few hours later, another city truck came flying past me. These trucks had to have been going 70-80 mph. If they got into an accident while traveling at those speeds, who knows what might have happened? The two trucks looked like refuse trucks with containers on the back.
Answer: Your complaint, with the identification numbers of both trucks, was routed to city Refuse Division officials for investigation.
In situations like this, you are asked to contact the city Department of Customer Services, which will take the pertinent information and direct it to the responsible department.
You can report a city-related problem in several ways: online at www.co.honolulu.hi.us.
us/csd/publiccom/index.htm, calling 523-4381, e-mailing complaints@honolulu.gov or by writing a letter to Director of Customer Services, 530 S. King St., Room 302-A, Honolulu, HI 96813.
Q: Why is it that the University of Hawaii season football tickets are printed on the mainland when it seems that would be an ideal chunk of work to give to one of Hawaii's small business firms? I had asked why ticket delivery had been delayed and was told by an athletic department representative that UH was waiting for them to come in from a mainland printer.
A: UH asked for bids from both local and mainland vendors and awarded the contract based on the lowest bid, according to Derek Inouchi, media relations director for the UH athletic department.
Globe Ticket & Label has won the bid for the past several years, he said.
Because of the volume of football tickets involved - 20,000 tickets each year - the printing is contracted out. All other tickets are printed in house, Inouchi said.
Q: The lights at Enchanted Lake playground have been broken since February. Despite repeated complaints, they have not been fixed. There are at least half a dozen lights that need to be adjusted or replaced because they are just hanging, creating a field hazard. Why have they not been fixed?
A: Back in March we were told that high-intensity lights blown out of position at the Enchanted Lakes Park baseball field had been realigned ("Kokua Line," March 14).
This time, the city Department of Facility Maintenance replaced on Oct. 3 burned-out lights at both the outdoor basketball courts and on the field.
Field lights again required adjustments in the aftermath of strong winds earlier this year, said Dana Takahara-Dias, deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation. "Some bulbs were badly positioned - a few were facing directly to the ground or directly to the sky."
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