Question: I often see “;flags”; noting or celebrating events on city street lamps and light poles, most recently along Punchbowl Street near the Queen's Medical Center that appear to be commemorating the center's 150th anniversary. Who or what institutions, businesses, etc., are allowed to put them up? Are there criteria, approval of designs and/or events for putting them up? Who does the actual work? Who takes them down?

Answer: There's actually an entire section of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu that deals with “;display of banners on lampposts.”; The banners are allowed only in areas specified in Chapter 41-22, and as part of a “;festival”; that involves a series of five public events sponsored by a community organization and held during a period of at least 10 consecutive days.

A “;public event”; is defined as “;an event that promotes ethnic, historical or cultural values, or athletic competition, or is intended to be a general public gathering or assembly in a public place, or an event that is held at the Hawaii Convention Center.”;

The area around the Queen's Medical Center was added this year as an approved location, said city spokesman Bill Brennan. The City Council also increased the permit fee to $65 from $35 per banner at the time.

The display of banners involves three city agencies: the Department of Transportation Services has to approve the application; the Mayor's Office on Culture and the Arts has to approve the design; and the Department of Facility Maintenance is in charge of hanging and removing the banners.

According to the ordinance, the banners are allowed because doing so is “;in the public interest to promote public festivals that can bring the residents of the City and County of Honolulu and their visitors together and promote ethnic traditions, customs, historical or cultural events, or athletic competition, and foster the development of tourism.”;

Those allowed to hang the banners are nonprofit community organizations, including the Queen's Medical Center and Aloha Week Festival, as well as the Hawai'i Convention Center and Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.

The sponsoring organization is responsible for the cost of the banner. The maximum time the banners can be up is 14 days.

Among the streets where banners can be displayed are Kalakaua Avenue, between Ala Moana Boulevard and Kapahulu Avenue; Ala Moana Boulevard, between Atkinson Drive and Kalakaua Avenue; King Street, between Bethel Street and Kapiolani Boulevard; Bishop Street, between Queen and Hotel streets; Punchbowl Street, between Vineyard Boulevard and King Street; and Beretania Street, between Alapai and Alakea streets.

Also approved for banner-hanging are streets around the convention center.

Question: What ever happened to plans to restore the old Dole Cannery pineapple-shaped water tank in Iwilei?

Answer: The metal water tower, an iconic landmark for 66 years, was taken down in 1993 because of rust problems and safety concerns.

Castle & Cooke, which owns and operates the current Dole Cannery (a commercial and theater complex), looked at least twice at re-erecting the structure, a spokesman said.

However, in the end that never happened because “;basically, it was cost prohibitive.”;

Write to “;Kokua Line”; at Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).