Posted on: Friday, April 18, 2003

Hawai'i briefs

Dump inquiry to continue

The city plans to clean up and cap a gully where illegal dumping was discovered recently, a state official said yesterday.

The city also will continue investigating the illegal dumping there as well as at two other nearby sites, all close to a closed city incinerator site in Waipahu.

Following a meeting yesterday with Frank Doyle, acting director of the city Department of Environmental Services, Steve Chang, chief of the state's Solid and Hazardous Waste branch, said the city has taken responsibility for the removal of the material at the third site. The U.S. Navy owns the property.

Chang said if investigations determine the area to be an old abandoned dump site, the city may not be responsible for paying any fines.

Chang said the area used to be a dump-and-burn site predating the landfill, which has been closed since 1990. Ash, bricks, metals and other solid waste were found in the gully, Chang said.

He believes the dumping at this site may have occurred years, even decades, ago. One worker found a newspaper dated 1968.

The city will check to see if the bricks and ash dumped at the third site match those from the incinerator.

Program seeks applications

The Preschools Open Doors childcare financial assistance program of the state Department of Human Services is accepting applications through April 30.

The state assistance program, which helps nearly 900 Hawai'i families pay for preschool, is operated by Maximus Inc.

To qualify, a family of two must earn less than $2,978 a month before taxes, a family of three must earn less than $3,678 and a family of four must earn less than $4,380.

First priority will be given to 4-year-olds with special needs who do not qualify for state Department of Education special-education programs and are eligible to enter kindergarten at the start of the next school year. Second priority will go to 4-year-olds without special needs. Some 3-year-olds with special needs may also qualify.

Families selected will start receiving money in August or September.

For more information, parents on O'ahu should call 587-5254. Neighbor Island parents should call (800) 746-5620.

Coil sparks Round Top fire

A fire that heavily damaged the bottom floor of a three-story home at 2765 Round Top Drive late Wednesday was caused by an unattended mosquito coil.

The fire was reported at 11:47 p.m. and brought under control by 12:10 a.m. Damage was estimated at $230,000 to the home and its contents, said fire spokes-man Capt. Kenison Tejada.

Five people, including two exchange students, live in the home. No serious injuries were reported, but a resident was treated at the scene for chest pains, said Tejada.

Voyaging lecture slated

The Polynesian Voyaging Society and Outrigger Waikiki Hotel will sponsor a free lecture on traditional navigation and the voyaging canoe Hokule'a Tuesday evening, followed by a tour of the canoe the next day at the Hawai'i Maritime Museum.

Master navigator Nainoa Thompson and navigator Catherine Fuller will present an hour-long slide show and lecture at 7 p.m. May 22, at the hotel, and will provide participants with passes for a tour of the canoe Wednesday.

The Outrigger Waikiki is helping sponsor the canoe's three-month statewide sail, during which the Polynesian Voyaging Society is launching its new theme, "Navigating Change," which will focus on education and preservation of island and ocean resources.