Question: Last year Hawaiian Electric Co. installed a new pole directly across the street from our home. They dug the hole, saved the dirt in barrels, installed the new pole, moved their lines to the new pole and left. The old pole remains there along with the rusting barrels of dirt. The city has not moved its streetlight, nor have the telephone lines and other communication line been worked on. Who is responsible for coordinating the work so that the old pole can be removed and the area restored?
Answer: “We understand your reader’s frustration,” said Hawaiian Electric spokesman Darren Pai, noting that the pole removal was completed more than a year ago.
With more than 72,000 utility poles on Oahu carrying lines for multiple utilities, as well as streetlights and other fixtures, coordination is required. However, the process apparently broke down after HECO completed its work.
HECO follows a standard process in notifying other utilities and the city when it plans to replace a pole, so they can plan for the work they need to do, Pai explained.
In this case, HECO sent a notice to the other utilities and the city that it intended to replace the pole on your street on May 17, 2012. The pole was changed a month later, on June 18.
On June 26, 2012, HECO notified all parties that its work on the pole was complete. But, “so far, we have not received any responses indicating the other parties have completed their work,” Pai said this week.
He thanked you for bringing the matter up: “We have informed the other parties of (your) complaint and hope this situation will be resolved quickly.”
Question: The bus stop shelter on Prospect Street near Maunaihi Street was damaged during the repaving of Prospect many months ago. A temporary bus stop down the street, with no shelter, exposes riders to rain most mornings and evenings. I called the city, and they said that the contractor with Grace Pacific was responsible for fixing the shelter. I called Grace Pacific’s paving department and left a message, but no one ever called back. When will they repair the shelter? Is that such a big job they need months to plan for it?
Answer: The problem was that no one initially was accepting responsibility for the damage.
And, it’s good that you made a complaint because until we asked about it, top officials with the city Department of Transportation Services were not aware of what happened.
Since finding out about it, DTS Director Michael Formby said, he is working to expedite repairs.
The shelter was damaged during a city repaving project on Prospect Street last December. A DTS contract employee was informed about the damage, but did not pass that information on to officials at DTS before he left the department, Formby said.
In the meantime a bus stop crew from Oahu Transit Services, which operates the city’s bus system, braced the shelter pending repairs and set up the temporary stop.
Last week DTS’ transit staff learned that Aloha Trucking, a subcontractor, will accept responsibility for repairs, Formby said. “Staff communicated the need to make repairs urgently. … We will follow up with Aloha Trucking to make sure the repairs get made.”
MAHALO
To a kind stranger and generous woman named Anne. A few months ago my 85-year-old mom and her two mo‘opuna (grandchildren) were at the Kahala Mall theater to view the movie “Croods.” Anne approached Mom and gifted the children with popcorn, beverages and candy. It meant a lot to them, and Mom is still reflecting on Anne’s kindness. The aloha spirit is alive in the hearts of many. Random acts of kindness go a long way and brighten the day! — Donna Ching on behalf of Rebecca Ching, Tyler and Bryson
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