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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Street permit for filming was proper
Question: Someone obtained a permit to prohibit parking in six spaces on the makai side of Green Street from 6 to 10 a.m. Dec. 8. I understand this was considered a construction area, but absolutely no work was done there during this time. It appears parking was reserved for workers who left the Easter Seals compound, opposite the spaces, at about 10:30 a.m. Is this proper use of the permitting process?
Answer: The incident happened nearly two months ago, but the information is useful should you see something like this happening again.
The parking was restricted for a film production, following proper permit procedures, said Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.
The department had issued a street usage permit to a local production company filming a public service announcement for Easter Seals.
Yoshioka said confusion might have stemmed from the use of "no parking" barricades that are required to be posted for construction areas.
According to the Honolulu Film Office, production companies must obtain a permit from the city to either clear a parking area for "picture" purposes -- what will appear on camera -- or to reserve parking for working production vehicles, such as grip and lighting trucks and camera vans.
Yoshioka said the permit was to allow the company to park production vehicles. No personal vehicles were allowed.
Q: There has been much publicity about the savings in electricity and long-term cost benefit to the consumer who switches to CFLs (compact fluorescent lights). I've tried several stores, but all they have are the small bulbs, equivalent to at most 100 watts. Where can we find the equivalent of 200 to 250 watts? We use the three-way on 250 wattage for our reading lamps. We see them advertised in mail-order catalogs but cannot find them locally.
A: Although the range of compact fluorescent light bulbs is growing, demand is still greater for the lower wattages, said Peter Rosegg, spokesman for Hawaiian Electric Co.
Because of that, he allowed, local hardware and home improvement stores might not carry them in the 40- to 55-watt range, which would roughly equal 150- to 250-watt incandescent light bulbs. (CFLs use about one-fourth the wattage of incandescent bulbs to produce the same amount of light.)
HECO has been touting the use of CFLs as a sure way to save energy and money.
"One alternative is to use a smaller-wattage bulb in a lamp designed to focus light directly on a task, like reading or detail work," Rosegg said.
Coupons for various popular CFL sizes, including dimmable bulbs, are available at heco.com, hawaiisenergyfuture.com and at many retailers, he said.
The other alternative, he said, is to check a light bulb specialty shop locally or go online (e.g., amazon.com), where CFLs in "unusual" sizes are available.
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