O'ahu briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
HONOLULU
No change in water rates
Water rates on O'ahu will remain the same for another year, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply decided.
City deputy water manager Donna Kiyosaki said Thursday the board voted not to raise rates, because revenues will cover the cost of operating the island's water system for the year.
O'ahu water customers pay $1.77 per 1,000 gallons for the first 13,000 gallons, then $2.12 per gallon. After 30,000 gallons, the rate goes up to $3.18. The schedule has been in effect since July 1, 1995.
Higher rates were recommended after a study done in 1993, when high construction bids would have made increases necessary.
The board approved a $220.2 million budget that includes $89.7 million for operations, $66.7 million for research and facility improvement and $63.8 million for capital construction. It takes effect July 1.
Upgrades are planned for various communities around O'ahu: Ala Moana, Kalihi, Kaimuki, Waikiki, Punchbowl, Wilhelmina Rise, Pauoa, St. Louis Heights and Palolo.
Chinatown due for rat count
State health officials plan to take a count of rats in Chinatown after receiving reports that the rat population there may be increasing.
Norman Sato, a Department of Health vector control supervisor, said there have been more sightings and more reports of activity in the area. He said his division will conduct a nighttime count within a month to determine the severity of the problem.
Any increase likely is related to garbage left on the sidewalks overnight, Sato said.
There appears to be no immediate health threat, as most rats were seen on the streets rather than inside buildings, he said. But he said it is important to try to remedy the problem before it gets worse.
Downtown Neighborhood Board Chairwoman Lynne Matusow said the board has not heard any complaints about rats lately but says garbage on the sidewalks is a continual problem.
EAST HONOLULU
Ka Iwi focus of meeting
The Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board will talk about improvements to the Ka Iwi Shoreline, broadcasting future meetings on 'Olelo, and supporting a police station in the community at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Haha'ione Elementary School cafeteria.
Meetings are broadcast on 'Olelo, Channel 54, on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. For information, call 527-5578.
WINDWARD
Traffic project set for Kailua
The city has awarded a $140,000 contract for a Kihapai Street traffic-calming project in Kailua that should begin this summer.
The project includes plantings, a median in some areas on the road and new signs, said Robert McEldowney, with Council member John Henry Felix's office.
"The big hope is it will reduce speeding there, which continues to be a problem," McEldowney said.
The project was delayed, along with many others, when federal rules for handicapped accessibility changed, requiring plans to be redesigned, he said.
Students share work at fair
Kane'ohe Elementary School will hold its curriculum fair on Wednesday from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Students will share their projects, writing and artwork at the fair. The fifth-grade science showcase will be in the library; work from all other grades will be displayed in the cafeteria.
