Kokua Line June Watanabe

Kamehameha set to clean up as taggers mar CompUSA site

Question: The old CompUSA building at South Street and Ala Moana Boulevard is becoming an eyesore with much graffiti sprayed onto the building. Surely the owner must have an obligation to keep the building clean and free from unsightly graffiti. Many tourist buses pass by this building, and it speaks poorly of our beautiful Hawaii. It also affects residents and their use and enjoyment of the area.

Answer: The city Department of Planning and Permitting says the owner is not in violation of any city building or zoning codes.

That was the finding after an inspector was sent to investigate your complaint.

Regarding the graffiti, the department "has no codes or jurisdiction that would address that issue," said Art Challacombe, customer services manager for the department. "There's not much we can do about the graffiti."

State and city laws regarding graffiti address the penalties against the culprits, not the victims.

The landowner is Kamehameha Schools (formerly Bishop Estate), but the site is still leased by CompUSA, according to Kamehameha spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.

"Our managers have been in touch with the owners of the (vacant) building, which continues to be CompUSA," he said.

However, the "indication we're getting" from the company is that it is not "interested in investing any more money in that property," so Kamehameha Schools is working with vendors to get the graffiti removed, Paulsen told us last week.

"That's probably something we're going to have to take care of, then try to recover the cost from them," he said. "We have the ultimate responsibility for the property."

We were unable to get a comment from CompUSA.

Q: At 3:50 p.m. April 11, a woman driving a state car made an illegal left turn from Piikoi Street onto Beretania Street when the light turned green. She was not in the left-turn lane and was talking on a cell phone. She could have hit my car, as I was in the proper left lane already turning. She was to my right. Luckily, there were no pedestrians crossing. How do I report the unsafe driving of a state vehicle?

A: Call the state Department of Accounting and General Services' Automotive Management Division at 586-0343.

In this case, the employee acknowledged that your description of events "likely did happen," said DAGS chief Russ Saito. She had just dealt with family, medical staff and police and "was attempting to respond to several pressing issues on the way back to the office."

After discussing the matter with her supervisor and being counseled, she has "committed to being more careful," Saito said.

He passed on her response: "I want to express my apologies and appreciation to the concerned mother who took the time to contact the state to ensure greater safety for all."

Saito said he believes she "is sincere and will try to avoid this kind of reckless behavior."