Kokua Line
Kokua Line
No sidewalk plans
in place for KeaahalaQuestion: The sidewalk on Keaahala Road (Kaneohe) needs to be repaired. I hear there are going to be great renovations done on Keaahala Road, but the plans are still on the drawing board and it could take two to three years before the job takes place. In the meantime, we still need to walk on that sidewalk every day. Further, cars and rubbish cans on the sidewalk force you to walk on the road even if the sidewalk were repaired. If this problem is taken care of, maybe the man in a wheelchair could use the sidewalk instead of the road. Can you help us who walk on this sidewalk every day get it repaired?
Answer: You did not specify the area, but we assume you mean the section of Keaahala between Kahekili and Kamehameha highways.
The "sidewalk" between Kahekili and Kamehameha highways, along the Kailua side of Keaahala, is basically an unimproved asphalt walkway, city officials said.
Asphalt was first laid along a 6,500-foot-long stretch of the road about 30 years ago, according to Alvin Au, deputy director of the city Department of Facility Maintenance.
"When needed, the city road crew has been repairing the asphalt cover," he said. The next scheduled repair is about the middle of this month. Au said there is no funding currently programmed for laying a permanent sidewalk.
Regarding the rubbish cans, Kaneohe police Sgt. Robert Town said notices were placed on trash cans advising owners that they are not be left out 24 hours after pickup is made. When he last checked, there were no violations.
Regarding the cars, he said cars are allowed to park on the Kahuku side of Keaahala. He saw no cars parked on the sidewalk on the Kailua side.
As for the man in the wheelchair, Town says he is well known to police, who respond to calls about him being in the roadway in various parts of Kaneohe. Apparently, "he does it for attention," including going into the middle of intersections and turning "around in circles," Town said. Police escort him home whenever they find him in the road.
Q: With so many reportings of snakes on Oahu, aren't there ways of trying to keep the reptiles or other exotic animals in one place, so that when the authorities come to collect them, they are there in front of our eyes?
A: If you are comfortable with handling or going near a reptile on the loose, you can try to trap it.
Otherwise, just keep an eye on it and call the state Department of Agriculture's pest hot line, 586-PEST (4378), for advice, said Domingo Cravalho, invertebrate and aquatic biota specialist with the department.
However, if it is a matter of public safety -- if the creature were an alligator, for example -- then call police at 911, he said, because "the quickest response would be by the police department."
Cravalho said the problem is that by the time authorities can respond, the animals usually have left the area. But in some cases, people have been able to corral the animal for easier capture. For example, in a recent case, someone was able to trap an iguana in a garage before the experts arrived, Cravalho said.
In any event, use caution.
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