|
Kokua Line June Watanabe |
Police lack leads
in case of truck
left along LilipunaQuestion: On approximately April 29, someone left a pickup truck and a small motorcycle on the side of the road on Lilipuna Road in Kaneohe. Neither of the vehicles had license plates, and both had been pretty much stripped. The bed of the pickup was full of 5-gallon containers of what was labeled adhesive, and several automotive parts.
One of our neighbors in our development called police to advise them of the vehicle, which was partially into the road and creating a safety hazard on this fairly narrow road.
On May 1 someone placed a sticker on the pickup identifying it as an abandoned vehicle and also grease-penciled some lettering on it. On May 6 the vehicle was removed.
However, the containers are now on the side of the road, creating an ugly sight and, worse, creating a different safety hazard.
It appears whoever towed the pickup didn't want to deal with having to dispose of the material and left it for someone else to take care of.
Who is that someone? It is obviously not the responsibility of the neighborhood. Whose responsibility is it to dispose of the material?
Answer: After we asked about the dumped containers on May 8, we initially were told the city Environmental Services Department would remove and dispose of them.
However, after asking again about who would determine if the materials were in any way hazardous, we were informed on Wednesday that the Honolulu Fire Department's Haz-Mat Unit would first check the containers to determine whether they contained any hazardous substances.
Some of the containers were partially filled or filled with "an unknown substance, but the label says commercial adhesive," according to Carol Costa, director of the city Department of Customer Services.
It turned out they were not hazardous, and a crew from the city Department of Facility Maintenance removed the containers on Thursday, she said.
The inspector who marked the vehicle "derelict" said the containers were not on the truck when he saw it, according to a report received by Dennis Kamimura, administrator for the city Motor Vehicle & Licensing Division.
The tow truck driver also said the bed of the pickup was empty when he saw it, Kamimura said.
Neither was there any sign of a motorcycle.
At this point, both Kamimura's office and police were looking into the matter and trying to determine who was responsible for dumping the truck and containers.
Police have opened a criminal littering case but had no immediate leads, according to Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu.
The truck did not have any vehicle identification number or license plates.
In general, the city's tow contractors are required to tow designated vehicles, including all contents, Costa said.
The contractor is required to secure all loads before towing any vehicle away, she said.
Auwe
Re: the item about the damage to a tree, street light and traffic pole at the mauka corner of Farrington Highway and Kealanani Avenue in Kapolei ("Kokua Line," April 16): The tree has not been replaced. And, after some vicious pruning applied to trees several months ago between that corner and Makakilo Drive, one tree's branches began growing downward, partially obstructing the sidewalk. They were in need of corrective pruning.Lo and behold, the city Parks Department simply cut the tree down to the ground! Now there are five trees missing in that location. It gets worser and worser. -- T.J. Davies Jr.
While city parks crews did trim many of the trees in the area, it is not accepting responsibility for at least four of the missing trees you cite.
It turns out that some of the trees in the area either are not under city jurisdiction or only recently were turned over to the city by the developer, according to Robert Midkiff Jr., acting park grounds improvement supervisor for the Division of Forestry.
A parks tree-trimming crew selectively pruned 53 shower trees along Farrington Highway, between Kealanani Avenue and Makakilo Drive, in April, he said. The trees are under the maintenance of the Forestry Division.
Prior to that, a city crew responded to a priority request to remove a branch blocking a traffic signal light. Then, following the car accident referred to in the April 16 "Kokua Line," a city crew removed an uprooted tree on Farrington Highway at the request of police.
However, although city crews responded to these two emergencies, it turned out that the city did not have jurisdiction of the two trees because the roadway had not yet been turned over to and accepted by the city. Jurisdiction then was under Campbell Estate and/or the state Highways Division, according to Parks Director William Balfour.
While the Parks Department did cut the tree blocking the traffic signal, Balfour said his department has no information regarding the removal of the four other trees. However, the Forestry Division "will examine the area for possible planting of replacement trees," he said.
Meanwhile, Midkiff explained that in that area, the developer was responsible for planting the roadside trees.
"When the street is dedicated (to the city), we take over the maintenance of the trees," he said. "Until they are turned over, they may be pruned once or twice or whatever by a contractor that a developer hires that we have no control over."
Often, trees are not in the best of shape prior to being turned over, Midkiff said.
He and his staff are working with the developer to upgrade the standards by which the trees are maintained so that they "are in better shape" when they are turned over. "If there's too much damage, we're going to make them replace trees before we accept the trees," he said.
"What we're really trying to do is start from the beginning and get them (developers) to understand what standards we want for tree selection and how they should be maintained so that when they are turned over to the city, they are up to our standards," Midkiff said.
|
Useful phone numbers
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com