Posted on: Thursday, June 17, 2004
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BUREAUCRACY BUSTER
Noise laws limit hours of construction work but not the duration
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Write
Q. Is there a law against protracted noise pollution from a neighboring home that's been undergoing construction for three years? It's being done by a homeowner in Mauna Olu Estates in Makaha. The noise includes the beep-beep of vehicles backing up, the crunch of rock, and noise from digging.
State Department of Health officials oversee the state's community noise laws. Noise section supervisor Daryn Yamada said that his inspectors check on construction activity when they are notified of projects that might be in violation.
Larger projects such as subdivisions and roads usually apply for noise permits that detail hours of operation. However, there is no specific limit on how long construction may take. Yamada said the one-year noise permit can be extended for up to five years.
Inspector Philip Wong said construction noise generally must occur weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. He said the state generally considers Sundays and major state holidays "a day of rest" and doesn't issue permits for those days.
Wong said they follow guidelines on volume and duration of sound. So, they wouldn't cite someone for "a one-hammer slam" on a Sunday but would cite for more extended noise. Yamada said nothing can be done to eliminate the beeping that is required by safety laws.
• • • Q. There is a homeless person who lives near the corner of Keolu Drive and Kanapu'u Drive in Kailua. While I am sympathetic to her situation, she has accumulated a large amount of paper and numerous cardboard boxes that are becoming an eyesore in our neighborhood. What can we do to prevent this?
Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu said that officers in the area and social services agencies are familiar with the woman. After they spoke with her, she cut down on the amount of items she had gathered, she said.
• • • Q. In our subdivision of West Loch Fairways, we have been frustrated for the past two years by some cars that appeared to have been abandoned on Aeae Street. When we call the Police Department, we are told that they can only mark the cars and if the cars have been moved, they can't do anything about them. We understand the cars' owners moved out last year. So how is it that his cars are still here and have been joined by two more?
Police Capt. Greg Lefcourt, of the Kapolei station, checked on your report. He said that three of the vehicles were marked as abandoned vehicles. Now, all four of the vehicles, the cars and the minivan, have been removed, he said.
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