Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
Water-cleansing equipment donated
The Rotary Club of Honolulu and other Rotary clubs this month donated water-cleansing equipment to an orphanage near Phnom Penh, Cambodia, after a Rotary member discovered that contaminated water in the area likely caused the death of a 10-year-old girl.
The equipment is scheduled to arrive in Cambodia next month, said Will Hartzell, a member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu Sunrise.
The girl became seriously ill and then died from a gastrointestinal illness.
It was later determined that the probable cause was a disease transmitted by contaminated drinking water.
The water-cleansing device, called a Solar Water Pasteurizer, disinfects contaminated drinking water without fuel, electricity, pumps, chemicals or a pressurized water supply.
Heat from the sun pasteurizes water and makes it safe to drink. Pasteurization achieves the same results as boiling but without the consumption of fuel.
In addition to the water disinfection equipment, a water pipe will be installed from the safe water storage tank to the kitchen area of the orphanage, a distance of 300 meters. Work has already begun on the trenching and pipe installation.
Cathedral project gets financial help
The Historic Hawaii Foundation and the Freeman Foundation have awarded a $75,000 matching grant for the restoration of historic St. Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu, which is scheduled for completion in mid-June, officials said.
The construction of St. Andrew's Cathedral was started in the 1860s, with additions completed in the 1950s.
The plans called for a copper roof at that time, but the church ran short of money.
The present addition of a copper roof and exterior restoration will complete the rehabilitation of the Honolulu landmark. The restoration started last fall, said Bishop Richard Chang of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i.
The grant will match money raised by the parishioners and the community between now and the end of the year, said David Scott, executive director of the Historic Hawaii Foundation.
Scott said the Freeman Foundation's funding of preservation projects in Hawai'i will have a "profound effect on the preservation of our rich cultural heritage."
Man involved in standoff sentenced
A 31-year-old man who held police at bay for seven hours during a standoff in Waikiki was sentenced Tuesday.
Braze Kapeliela was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the January standoff. He had pleaded guilty to numerous criminal charges, including robbery, criminal property damage and auto theft.
Police were attempting to serve a contempt warrant Jan. 3 when Kapeliela locked himself in a 23rd-floor room at the Ohana Maile Sky Court hotel on Kuhio Avenue.
The resulting standoff led to the closure of streets in the area, leaving Kalia Road and Kapahulu Avenue the only open roads into Waikiki.
