QUESTION: In Maunawili Valley we’ve had about five power outages since the beginning of the school year. The last one was Nov. 1, for about four or five hours. I missed recording the last game of the World Series! What is the recurring problem, and does Hawaiian Electric have any solutions?

ANSWER: The problem is with tree branches contacting electrical wires during high winds in the tree-laden valley.

HECO was working on a solution to a "number of outages on that circuit" when the last one occurred Nov. 1, said spokesman Peter Rosegg.

In late October HECO began the "Pali Circuit Tree-Wire Project" to replace open wires with insulated ones to prevent a short circuit from tree branches, as well as equipment deterioration.

Similar "tree wires" have been installed in Manoa, Palolo and other areas subject to frequent outages because of trees, but not as extensively as in Maunawili, Rosegg said.

The $1.25 million Maunawili project involves installing 33,000 feet of new wire, replacing eight or more poles with brown modular fiberglass poles and trimming trees.

The Nov. 1 outage has delayed completion from early December to an undetermined date. That outage was caused when the project’s contractor accidentally allowed a wire to contact a street light, Rosegg said.

HECO and the contractor notified residents about the work, especially about planned outages, he said.

However, it’s apparent not everyone was notified (we’ve since heard from other Maunawili residents).

"We apologize for that and for the inconvenience some temporary forced outages are causing our customers during the work," Rosegg said.

QUESTION: One-third of my neighbor’s mango tree is overhanging my yard and dropping a lot of rubbish. Do I have the right to cut the section at the property line?

ANSWER: You should talk to your neighbor first about the problem. If that doesn’t work, the prevailing legal opinion is that you are allowed to cut whatever is on your side of the property, but you can’t charge your neighbor for it.

The July 11, 2004, "Kokua Line" (click on Kokua Line in the middle of the left column) explained the background of the Hawaii Supreme Court ruling on this issue.

AUWE

To the crew that replaced the danger sign, advising people not to go any farther, near the water between Sandy Beach and Halona Blow Hole. The job was done so unprofessionally. Cement was spilled all over the place, and the way they secured the sign with the old broken foundation really showed a lack of care. For such a pristine spot enjoyed by many, the amateur way the government crew replaced the fallen pole and sign with no regard for the aina is sad. — Van Zee Family

It took a while to get a response, as the city Department of Parks and Recreation, which installed the sign, tried to track down who left behind the mess.

As far as he could determine, it wasn’t a parks crew, said Parks Director Lester Chang. But exactly who is responsible is a mystery. Chang acknowledged, "It doesn’t make sense."

His staff did go back to re-secure the sign, but it isn’t possible to remove all the spilled concrete, he said.

The primary problem is that the sign continues to be the target of vandals. Chang asks the public to contact his department as soon as anyone notices the sign being vandalized.