QUESTION: I work as a lifeguard at Waimanalo Bay Recreational Area, better known as “;Sherwood's.”; The roof of the men's restroom at the center bathhouse was damaged by the same storm that hit the Kailua gym back in December. The restroom has remained boarded up since then. The women's side remains open, and for quite a while men were forced to use one of the other two restrooms at the park or oftentimes, the women's. The city finally placed two port-a-johns for the men outside the damaged restroom. Apparently, the damage to the bathhouse is only to the roof, and there is no damage to the plumbing fixtures. I recently learned that the parking lot at Sherwood's is scheduled to be repaved in the near future. Does the city plan to fix the roof at the same time, when beach attendance will be low? Why hasn't the roof been repaired in almost a year—the damage does not look that bad.

ANSWER: The roof hasn't been repaired because it's not as simple a fix as it appears.

The good news is that there is a move to get the roof fixed; the bad news is that there is no time estimate yet on when work will begin.

Initially, because the damage did not look to be severe, repairs were going to be done in-house, said Lester Chang, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Even when it became evident that the damage was “;more extensive,”; staff thought repairs could be done internally and for less than $25,000. However, they then “;found some of the damage had to do with asbestos, and that put it into a whole other realm,”; Chang said.

If repairs were relatively simple and under $25,000, “;it would have been easy for us to execute it quickly,”; he explained. But for jobs between $25,000 and $50,000, the department has to get written bids and it becomes “;more time-consuming.”;

Currently, staff is defining the scope of work, trying to keep costs under $50,000, and seeing what can be done in-house, Chang said.

“;We're going to decide on a course of action within the month, and the goal is try to get it done as quickly as possible,”; he said. But, there's no time frame for when repairs will be done.

In the interim, Chang pointed to the two other restrooms available at the park, albeit acknowledging “;they're not convenient.”;

Auwe

To the lady who walks her small dog on the Diamond Head side of Liliha Street, between Kuakini Hospital and Wyllie Street, and allows the dog to defecate on the grass strip. Worst of all, the droppings are also on the sidewalk. She does not pick up the droppings, showing irresponsibility, lack of respect for the property owner and for the many people who use the sidewalk. What is the law regarding the picking up and disposal of solid waste from pet dogs?—Concerned Resident/Dog Owner in Liliha

Again, for all the dog owners who walk their dogs: You are required to pick up their poop.

Section 29-4.4 (a)(9) of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu says no person shall “;permit an animal owned by such person or while in the person's custody to excrete any solid waste in any public place or on any private premises not the property of such owner.”;

However, there is no violation “;if the owner of the offending animal promptly and voluntarily removes the animal waste.”;