Posted on: Thursday, March 17, 2005

BUREAUCRACY BUSTER

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. What can be done for us Wai'anae residents who shop at Wai'anae Mall? The bathroom there has been closed for months with no sign of it reopening. People who do their laundry there relieve themselves behind the buildings because of this situation. What can be done?

A. There is no plan to reopen the bathrooms, which were shut down because of severe and continuing problems with vandalism, theft and even a fire, said Wai'anae Mall managers.

Manager Debbie VanSice said the bathroom was closed and reopened many times as employees tried to solve the problem with security, video cameras and limiting the hours the bathrooms were open.

"It's been awful," VanSice said. She said the bathroom walls have been covered with waste, the fixtures ripped from the walls and the toilet paper stolen.

"They've torched the bathroom," too, she said.

Replacing the toilet paper holders alone cost $600 over several months, she said.

VanSice is sorry for the drastic action but can't think of another solution.

Q. I live in Kalihi in an area with a lot of apartment buildings and want to know what to do about the multitudes of car alarms going off. It's 1:10 a.m. and there will be at least five more alarm alerts by the time 7 a.m. comes around. By the time Honolulu police arrive, the alarms have stopped. Where can I call? What can be done? I am up all night being awakened by these car alarms.

A. Kalihi Police Lt. Sherman Chan suggests that you continue to call police to report these alarms, but he acknowledges that there is some difficulty with enforcement.

State law says if a motor vehicle alarm is on for more than five minutes, the vehicle can be cited and the owner fined $72, he said. City ordinance says a motor vehicle alarm activated for at least 10 minutes can be towed from public or private property and the owner fined $72, he said.

Chan said similar complaints come from Salt Lake and downtown, other areas with lots of cars parked outside of apartment buildings.

In addition, police have to be there when the alarm is going off to issue a citation, which makes it more difficult to enforce.

Sometimes, Chan said police can work with managers of nearby apartment buildings to hold meetings or send out notices about alarms, see what can be done to be a better neighbor and explain what the laws are.

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