Porcelain seen as quick fix when vandals strike parks

Question: When sinks or toilets get smashed by vandals in public park comfort stations, why do they replace them with porcelain, breakable units? Can’t they get unbreakable ones like many of the big-box stores have in their restrooms?

Answer: “Our normal procedure is to replace any damaged park amenity with the same type of feature,” said Jeanne Ishikawa, deputy director of the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation. “We do this for several reasons. First, we carry an inventory of replacement parts so we are able to conduct repairs on a quick basis. We try to make our facilities as available and open to the public as possible. Second, using another type of unit will likely require different utility hookups and can have a wait time as we order the different part.

“It is important to note that while other types of bathroom amenities may be ‘vandal-resistant,’ it is very difficult for anything to be completely ‘vandal-proof.’ Considering the amount of force that was required to cause the damage at Waialae Beach Park, it is difficult to think that many public amenities could withstand such an attack,” she said.

Ishikawa referred to the destruction last month that prompted your question. Separate acts of vandalism at Waialae Beach Park occurred days apart, destroying sinks in the comfort station of the Kahala park.

The damage was first discovered Feb. 9, a Friday; a total of four sinks on the men’s and women’s sides had been wrecked. Parks staff replaced them Monday morning, Feb. 12. By that night one of the newly installed sinks on the women’s side was demolished. Again a replacement was installed. Greater security measures are being considered for the park, including gates and security cameras, according to the city.

Vandalism at Oahu parks is a continuous, costly problem; DPR crews responded to some 660 cases from 2014 to 2017, according to the department.

Anyone who witnesses such crimes is urged to call the police.

Q: I’m greatly concerned about a call I keep getting from a woman who claims to be calling about “my” federal student loan. She says that due to new federal regulations I must call to restate my payment options. She has called nine times and left messages. I have never called back. I am 60 years old and graduated back in 1978. I don’t have any student loans. I think this is suspicious, but then I also wonder if she is calling the wrong number and there might be someone who actually needs this information.

A: Don’t call back, don’t answer the call and block the number if it remains in your cellphone’s “received calls” log. At worst this was a scam attempt and at best a marketing ploy.

You provided Kokua Line the purported name of the caller and the callback number, which show up dozens of times in an online forum that tracks suspicious calls. People all over the country have reported receiving the same call during the past few weeks, down to the caller’s name, callback number and “loan” reference number. None of them had student loans, either.

Mahalo

I would like to thank a kind young man named Hudson for holding on to our dog until we made contact. Our dog got loose, and he found her wandering in our subdivision near a busy highway. Worried that she might get hit or run over, he was able to get her into his car. I received a call from a nice lady at the city and county licensing department, whom I guess Hudson called, and she was able to give me his contact number. I was caught off guard when I got called since my husband was home at the time, but he didn’t realize our dog had gotten out. Hudson returned our dog and wouldn’t accept any compensation. I’m so grateful for his compassion and simple act of kindness. Thank you, Hudson! — Mahalo, Ray

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.