Question: I have been a volunteer at the Hawaii Kai Dog Park for four years, and I have to thank the city for a wonderful area for our dogs to run. All was great until a large green sunken rubbish container was recently installed at the front of the park. I do not think it will hold three weeks’ worth of dog droppings when it is scheduled to be emptied by crane. Also, three rubbish cans in the back of the park will no longer be emptied by the city, and volunteers have to haul heavy rubbish bags to the front of the park. There is a public trash can by the adjacent bus park and ride, which I assume will be emptied by the city, so why not ours? Can you please help reinstate regular rubbish pickup for our park?
Answer: It depends on whether the city will save money using a trash pickup system that employs large underground trash compactor bins.
The idea is to "reduce the requirement of manpower it takes to service a park," said Todd Hiranaga, acting manager for the city Department of Parks and Recreation’s District I.
In addition to the Hawaii Kai Dog Park, the city is testing the system at Moanalua Valley Dog Park, Mililani Mauka Dog Park and Kamananui Neighborhood Park.
The compactor bins, which cost $1,375 each, are most efficient at parks that don’t produce a large volume of trash, but a steady amount normally requiring daily pickup, Hiranaga said.
He explained that only the stainless steel column of the compactor bin is visible, with the rest of it sunk into the ground. The bins are lined with specialty garbage bags and have gasketlike covers to keep the lids closed.
The container is much larger than a standard park trash can and will compact waste thrown into it over a period of weeks, Hiranaga explained.
The compactor is then emptied by "a crane-type vehicle" every two or three weeks.
Although a special crane has been purchased in some municipalities to empty the bins, Hiranaga said the Parks Department uses vehicles it already has to lift and dispose of the specialty trash bags that line the bins.
There are no plans to buy more of the bins until the current ones have been evaluated.
Meanwhile, Hiranaga noted that the three regular trash cans were placed at the rear of the park at the request of park volunteers.
Parks staff is not emptying those trash cans because the idea behind testing the underground bins was to cut down on the frequency of trash removal so staff could be used elsewhere, he said.
Question: Why weren’t there some benches for us seniors with canes and walkers to sit on while waiting for our buses at the Hawaii Seniors Fair last month at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall? There was only one bench! There used to be benches near the entrance, and those were gone. Even chairs inside the fair were scarce. The entertainment was great, but I had to stand for one hour, so left because there were no seats.
Answer: The normal procedure is for event promotors to provide chairs for patrons in the entry and show areas, said Keoki Miyamoto, director of the city Department of Enterprise Services.
Buses for various seniors groups stopped on the roadway next to the Galleria section of the Exhibition Hall, which is in the open sun and has no benches, he said. The Galleria entry was closed, and pedestrian access to the roadway was from the main concourse, which has benches, he said.
"We will bring this concern up next time to the event promoter," Miyamoto said.
MAHALO
To Daniel of Waimanalo, who saw me alongside the road with a flat tire, turned around and came back to change it for me. Even though my plans for the day had been ruined, I smiled all the way home as I thought of this kind and generous man and his spirit of aloha. — Susan Morrison
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.
