Posted on: Thursday, January 13, 2005

BUREAUCRACY BUSTER

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. In 1990, the state began a major renovation project of Kalani'anaole Highway through East Honolulu. The work was completed in 1995 and included curb ramps to provide access required by the Americans With Disabilities Act. Now, about 10 years later, the state looks to be redoing the same curb ramps beginning at Lunalilo Home Road and heading toward town. Why are they redoing ramps that were put in not quite a decade ago?

A. The state is required to redo the ramps because of a lawsuit charging that the roadside facilities did not meet the standards set by the federal ADA, said state transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa.

Ishikawa said the state is spending more than $30.9 million to bring 1,720 curb ramps across the state into compliance with the federal guidelines. He said the work, which started in December, must be completed by summer under the deadline set under a court consent decree in a lawsuit demanding that the facilities along state roadways meet the federal requirements.

He said 1,429 of the ramps are on O'ahu. Ishikawa said other new ramps will be installed with the same project.

The project also includes plans to add larger pedestrian push buttons at stoplights to be accessible to the disabled and modify roadside emergency phones so the hearing-impaired can type in a request message that ties in to the state's emergency phone operators.

Ishikawa said that project involves about 150 emergency phones along state highways. Even with the proliferation of cellular phones, the state needs the emergency phone boxes, he said.

"Not everybody has a cell phone and not all cell phones reach in all places," he said.

Q. I'm trying to get an application for property tax exemption. Where do I go?

A. You can get those forms in Honolulu at the city's Real Property Assessment Division office at 842 Bethel St. or download them from the Web at www.co.honolulu.hi .us/rpa/forms.htm. The deadline to file an appeal is Tuesday. The basic home exemption is $40,000 — meaning $40,000 is deducted from the assessed value of your property and you're taxed on the balance.

If you're between 55 and 59 years old, your exemption rises to $60,000. For those 60 to 64, it's $80,000; for 65 to 69, it's $100,000; and for 70 and older, it's $120,000. For more details, see www.co.honolulu.hi.us/rpa/rp exempt.htm.

If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways.

Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message. Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number in case we need more information.