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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Fountain will flow anew once parts arrive
Question: The Dillingham Fountain has been off for at least four months. About a month ago, they seemed to be cleaning and painting it, but the fountain is still not turned back on. My understanding is that when Mr. Dillingham gave the fountain, he also gave funds for its upkeep. Is there some reason it is turned off?
Answer: The fountain will be turned on as soon as new bulbs required for the water pumps are shipped in, according to the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
The fountain, across from the Elks Club on Kalakaua Avenue, was given to the city in 1966 by the Walter and Louise Dillingham Foundation.
However, no operating funds were included with the gift, said Deputy Parks Director Dana Takahara-Dias.
She said the original fountain had a precast limestone veneer and was built by Hawaiian Dredging at a cost of $55,000. Walter Dillingham was the founder of Hawaiian Dredging.
Numerous restorations and repairs have been made over the years, including one under the Harris administration for more than $400,000, Takahara-Dias said.
The latest refurbishing and painting of the fountain was completed last month.
However, an inspection showed that after the drying period, "bubbling had occurred in some areas," Takahara-Dias said. The contractor then had to do some repainting.
"Along with the surface restoration, the water pumps were repaired and reassembled, and new bulbs are required," she said. "The new bulbs are due to arrive soon and will be installed shortly."
Q: A traffic light was put in last year on School Street at Magellan Avenue. It might alleviate traffic coming off Magellan, for people turning left onto School Street. But when the light is red, instead of free-flowing traffic going up School Street, traffic now jams all the way down School to Pali Highway. For those turning left from Lusitana Street onto School Street, there is another traffic jam. The light doesn't alleviate anything because people are not able to make a left turn without the left signal. Who did that and why?
A: City traffic engineers did a study in 2002 and found that the intersection you refer to, which is actually Iolani, Kamamalu and Magellan, warranted traffic signals.
The city follows the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices," which is approved by the Federal Highway Administration and is the national standard used for determining the use of various traffic control devices, explained Ty Fukumitsu, of the Department of Transportation Services.
The manual lists eight conditions called "traffic signal warrants" that could trigger the installation of a signal at an intersection, he said.
The traffic signals at the Iolani-Magellan-Kamamalu intersection were monitored and adjusted after they were installed to optimize the timing, according to DTS. Subsequent checks "have confirmed that the signals have improved traffic conditions."
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.
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