Kokua Line June Watanabe

Sign sweep eyes suspected illegal postings in Kaimuki

Question: Over the past few months, quite a few large -- and rather "loud" -- banners have shown up along Waialae Avenue between 2nd and 5th avenues. It started off with the Shipping Shack placing multiple banners over the hedges at Waialae and 3rd. Then Times Kaimuki started getting in on the act, placing banners along the 5th and Waialae corner of Kaimuki Shopping Center. ONO Korean BBQ followed with their own banner alongside the Times one, and then Times added another one for its water-refilling machine right near the bus stop on the Waialae side of the building. It's ridiculous: Pretty much all they could do to make it worse at this point is add neon lights. Doesn't Hawaii have a law against billboards?

Answer: If you have any questions or concerns about a sign, contact the Outdoor Circle, which was organized nearly 100 years ago specifically to fight for an anti-billboard law.

Call 593-0300 or e-mail mail@outdoorcircle.org.

On its Web site, the organization says anyone reporting problem signs can do so "with the expectation that the complaint will be handled quickly, appropriately and in absolute confidence."

In this case, we forwarded your concerns to Bob Loy, the Outdoor Circle's director of environmental programs, who acted quickly in documenting the signs with photographs.

Loy said suspected sign violations were reported Thursday to the city Department of Planning and Permitting, with the hope that citations would be issued "to all of these scofflaws."

We weren't able to find out whether inspectors had been able to check the signs or whether any citations had been issued. But it appeared many of the banners in question had been removed when we drove by yesterday.

"Within about a five-block stretch of Waialae (Avenue), I documented at least 40 suspected illegal signs," Loy said. "Most of them are banners but there are many others as well. This is in the area from 2nd Avenue to 7th Avenue."

He said numerous businesses were responsible for the suspected illegal signs.

"This 'sweep' of lower Kaimuki, and the morass of suspected illegally posted signs we found, has encouraged the Outdoor Circle to plan similar 'sweeps' in other areas well-known for displaying illegal signs," Loy said.

Auwe

To the woman all dressed in pink on the morning of Saturday, July 26, paddling her surfboard at Ala Moana Beach. I don't know why you were flabbergasted at my statement that you didn't belong on a public beach after you drove your board head-on into my HEAD as I did my morning swim! You said you didn't know how to turn the board. Well, would you get onto the freeway in a car if you didn't know how to DRIVE? Don't endanger any more lives until you learn to operate your board. -- Irate Regular Swimmer