Posted on: Thursday, September 30, 2004

BUREAUCRACY BUSTER

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. For several months, since the early part of this year, I've been reporting to the state Civil Defense that the siren at the corner of Pupukea Road and the second Alapio Road is not working when the monthly test is made the first working day of every month. Will I have to write again next month?

A. After receiving your complaint, state Civil Defense Division spokesman Ray Lovell said technicians replaced the control board for that siren on Sept. 17. He said the siren will be tested tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. in the regular monthly tests.

Lovell said officials try not to test the sirens outside of the regular schedule because people may mistake the test for a real emergency.

He said the sirens are more complicated than people may think, with loudspeakers that are activated by radio signals and powered by solar cells.

Q. I live in Nanakuli near a pig farm. The smell is so bad sometimes that I wonder if the farmers can be required to put down lime or something else to control the odor. Is there a state law that can help me?

A. State Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said there are no requirements for farms to control odors that occur naturally, such as those from a pig farm. In areas like yours, which are zoned for farming, officials will step in only in the case of unusual odors.

Beach parking follow-up

Longtime Lanikai resident Alice Secor responded to last week's column about parking problems near the beach. While she believes that beachgoers do have a right to park in the neighborhood, she said the other side of the story is that visitors and residents need to be more courteous about how they park.

She said she can understand why some residents have planted trees to discourage parking. She said some people park in the bike lane; others park close to corners, blocking the view of traffic. "We have almost been hit three times; there's no way you can see," she said.

Secor, 74, said she's lived in the beachfront Windward neighborhood for more than 60 years and believes that the problems have increased in the past 10 years. "The way they park, there's no consideration," she said. She hopes that people will be more considerate and make the neighborhood safer for everyone.

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