QUESTION: Concerning Pearl Harbor, isn’t it a security risk for sailboats to be sailing there?

ANSWER: No, say Navy officials.

Pearl Harbor and the Defensive Sea Area surrounding the approach to Pearl Harbor are patrolled by Navy security forces 24 hours a day.

Recreational vessels from other areas are not allowed to sail into Pearl Harbor, said Philip Breeze, director of public affairs at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

However, privately owned vessels docked at the Pearl Harbor Yacht Club "do not pose a real security threat," he said. "The owners and operators of those vessels are all Department of Defense ID cardholders, and each has passed a background check."

The Pearl Harbor Yacht Club was founded in 1924.

Its members include active-duty, Reserve, retiree and Department of Defense personnel and their families, as well as the community at large (see www.ussailing.net/phyc).

"Prior to leaving the dock in Pearl Harbor, or when returning from sea, the boat operators must contact the harbor control tower and follow the directions received from the tower," Breeze said.

This is to ensure the safety of those on the private vessels since they share the harbor and adjacent seaways with much-larger Navy vessels that may be operating in the area, he said.

QUESTION: There is a new high-rise under construction (project recently revived) that faces Kapiolani Boulevard, with the rear on Waimanu Street, between Ward Avenue and Kamakee Street. The construction company has put up several "extreme" speed bumps on Waimanu Street. To avoid jarring impacts, you must almost come to a stop and ease over the bumps. Are they legally allowed to do this? I work in the area and must pass this way several times a day and night.

ANSWER: The part of Waimanu Street in question, makai of the Pacifica Honolulu condominium (formerly Moana Vista), is privately owned, said Wayne Yoshioka, director of the city Department of Transportation Services.

Because of that, it is not under city or state jurisdiction.

However, "If the intent is to dedicate this segment of roadway to the city, the speed bumps will have to be removed," Yoshioka said.

Since the area is also within the Hawaii Community Development Authority’s Kakaako Community Development District, it’s unlikely that the state would accept the speed bumps, either, he said.

For now, he said, the speed bumps are likely being used to slow traffic along Waimanu because construction equipment crosses the street between the construction yard and project site.

The city Department of Planning and Permitting says its understanding is that the project will be making improvements to Waimanu Street, and speed bumps are not included in the proposed improvements, Yoshioka said.

"We will monitor the situation," he said.

QUESTION: We just finished building our house and currently don’t have the gray, blue and green trash bins that our neighbors have. Who do we call to acquire the trash bins, or do we buy those?

ANSWER: The easiest way for you to get the carts is by calling the city Refuse Division, 768-3401, or by e-mailing info@opala.org. The carts are free.

Go to opala.org for information on refuse collection, bulky-item pickups, disposal of hazardous materials and recycling.