Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
Kokua Line
Question: In September, I called the city's tree-trimming department to have the tree fronting my property trimmed. In October, I called to ask about the status of the request and was told it was on their list. The tree still has not been trimmed. I plan to have my yard done over with new grass. Any trimming done after that will damage whatever improvements I make. Can I hire a private tree trimmer and have the bill sent to the city? Tree-trimming
work must be
done by cityAnswer: Trees along city streets are owned by the city so you are not allowed to hire a private contractor to prune any tree, whether or not you bill the city.
That's the word from William Balfour, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation, which handles the city's tree-pruning chores. There is no average waiting time and requests are prioritized based on the nature of the request, he said.
If you provide an exact location of the tree, the department should be able to give you a more specific schedule. Meanwhile, Balfour assures you "tree pruning is performed carefully and should not damage whatever improvements (you) will make."
Q: We voted from out of state in the last election and have voted absentee from out of state many times. With what's been revealed in the Florida election, can you find out if indeed our vote is counted for local and national elections in Hawaii? We understand from the news media that in some states, hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots have not been counted. If absentee ballots in Hawaii are not counted during the relevant counting period, why would we bother to vote?
A: All absentee ballots, "as long as they are received by 6 p.m. of election day" and as long as they meet all requirements, are counted, said Rex Quidilla, spokesman for the state Office of Elections.
Unlike other jurisdictions, "which canvass afterwards and which have a postmark deadline," the state's deadline is to have possession of the absentee ballots by 6 p.m. election day, he said.
Although absentee ballots may come in at different times, "we don't begin counting" until election day, Quidilla said.
Q: We went on a hike to Makapuu Point and from the lookout, we saw two islands. The larger one, I assume, is Rabbit Island. What is the name of the smaller, flat island visible from Makapuu Point?
A: The smaller island fronting Manana Island, aka Rabbit Island, is Kaohikaipu Island, aka Black Rock. Both are bird refuges, the latter specifically targeted to attract Laysan albatrosses. There's even a much smaller protrusion between the two islands known as Kakalaioa Rock.
Auwe
Family and friends were hiking at Kaena Point recently and were completely disgusted with the conditions at the beginning -- where the end of the road hits the start of the trail. It was a major dumping spot for mattresses, old batteries and other large items left for the human eye to get an infection from.The positive thing was a group of Hawaiian-speaking teenagers giving up their Tuesday picking up the litter, but, of course, totally unable to handle the large items.
I hesitate calling the city because responsibility just gets passed back and forth between it and the state. Maybe Hawaiians and residents in the area can bring back a little island pride. A clean vista is enjoyable both to the human eye and soul. Let's make it "lucky we live Hawaii" again. -- Beth Cutting
Need help with problems? Call Kokua Line at 525-8686,
fax 525-6711, or write to P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802.
Email to kokualine@starbulletin.com