Question: I have an old mo-ped that no longer runs. I would like to dispose of it, but all the city and state agencies I have called can’t seem to give me an answer. I can’t believe that I am the first person to have this problem, or that all nonrunning mo-peds are bedded down in people’s garages! Can you help me?

Answer: We thought perhaps the city might accept mo-peds under its free auto junking program, but no such luck.

Your best bet may be to contact a scrap dealer, unless readers have another suggestion.

Because registered owners of motor vehicles (including motorcycles) and trailers pay a Highway Beautification Fee as part of the annual registration process, they qualify for the city’s "junking program," said Dennis Kamimura, administrator of the city’s Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.

In addition to paying for the removal of abandoned and derelict vehicles from public roadways, the beautification fee pays for hauling away vehicles with the owners’ permission.

Owners who want to just get rid of their "junk autos" can do so by calling 532-4325 or by going to a satellite city hall to fill out an "auto junking" application.

They are required to turn in the vehicle’s title and license plates/emblem with the application.

If a vehicle is accepted, the owner will receive a notice to place inside the windshield, and a tow truck will remove the vehicle, whether it runs or not.

The owners of mo-peds and bicycles only pay a one-time registration fee to be permanently registered, so they don’t qualify for the program.

"The purpose of this one-time fee is to maintain a record so that the recorded registered owner can be notified in the event that a lost or stolen mo-ped is recovered," Kamimura said.

"I recommend that your reader contact the various scrap metal recyclers listed in the yellow pages to see if they are willing to accept the mo-ped," he suggested.

But whether you junk or sell your mo-ped, he advises submitting a notice of transfer form "to be relieved from future civil or criminal liability."

Question: What is the law regarding community pools being locked at all times? I clean pools, so I would like to know.

Answer: "We have fencing at all our pools, and (they are) locked and gated when we are not there," said Lester Chang, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

That is in line with Section 16-7.9 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, which requires a fence, wall, building or other enclosure to completely surround a swimming or wading pool containing water 18 inches or more in depth.

The intent is to make the pool "inaccessible to small children."

The enclosures, including gates, have to be at least 4 1/2 feet high, and all gates must be self-closing.

Exempted from these requirements are any swimming, dipping or wading pools at a hotel.

MAHALO

To the person who found my wallet in a shopping cart in the parking lot at Foodland Farms in Aina Haina on Oct. 10. I had left it there after getting caught in the rain, tossing groceries into the car. I appreciate your honesty and integrity and am sorry that I cannot thank you personally, since no name was left at the customer service desk. So, I hope you see this! — Mary O’Connor