Question: My son has all kinds of junk on my property, including vehicles he can’t pay the fees on. I heard the city will take them away for free. How do I do that?
Answer: Oahu does have a taxpayer-funded vehicle-junking service aimed at decreasing the number of abandoned cars blighting the landscape. Before we get to the details, though, two clarifications: If your son is the owner, he would have to fill out forms, not you. Also, this disposal method would relieve him of unpaid registration fees, but not of parking or traffic tickets.
Here are instructions for vehicle owners from the city’s Department of Customer Services:
>> Fill out the city’s junking form (808ne.ws/junking form).
>> Remove license plates from the vehicle. Take the form, license plates, registration and title to any satellite city hall for processing.
>> Follow the clerk’s directions to prepare the vehicle for towing at no cost to the owner. For a junked vehicle to be towed as part of this program, it must be free of debris and rubbish; parked on the applicant’s property or legally parked on public property; and be easily accessible to the tow truck, with at least two inflated tires, either front or rear, depending which end is accessible to the tow truck.
Q: When are they going to open the Pearl City park pool?
A: Not until fall 2019 at the earliest. The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation says the pool at Pearl City District Park needs nearly $1 million worth of work that will take about a year to complete. The pool closed on Nov. 1.
Q: I am planning a sabbatical outside Hawaii … . If I take my dog with me will he have to go through quarantine when we come back to Honolulu?
A: Not necessarily, but to avoid quarantine your dog (and you) must meet stringent requirements that you should review well in advance of your departure. Among them: that the dog has a current health certificate, working microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations (including one within 14 days of departure) and passes a FAVN Rabies antibody test.
The state Department of Agriculture has checklists to guide owners traveling with dogs and cats. You should use Checklist 3, for those leaving from and returning to the Honolulu airport; find it at 808ne.ws/checklist3.
Your dog must meet the essential requirements before leaving Hawaii. He also would need a second health certification where you are visiting, and a tick treatment, since you’ll be away more than 14 days.
Forms and documents verifying that he qualifies for direct release must be received by the Animal Quarantine Station more than 10 days before you return to Honolulu; don’t plan on handing in the paperwork when you land. If you fail to meet the requirements your dog could be quarantined for up to 120 days.
You can find more information on the DOA website, at 808ne.ws/doaquar. Hawaii is rabies-free and rules designed to keep it that way are strictly enforced.
Auwe
Auwe! After all that maintenance work, and being closed for months, homeless people are back living in Thomas Square Park. Their tents are on the side by the art school. — A reader
Mahalo
I’d like to send heartfelt thanks to the kind person who handed in my car key at the Starbucks at Manoa Marketplace on Feb 1. As I was hastening back to my car that afternoon in driving rain with gusty winds, my arms full with bags and my pet, I must have dropped my key in the street. I retraced my steps at first without success, but on a second go-around I checked with adjacent businesses. You can imagine my relief when I was handed my key! This kind person saved me a whole lot of frustration and cost, and I am so grateful. — Scarlett Z.
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.
