Question: Would you explain to the many drivers who use Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki every day, why after months and months of repaving work and completion dates extended multiple times, when the road was finally repaved and a delight to drive on again, why it is now being torn up again by Hawaii Gas? The current work between St. Louis Drive and 2nd Avenue is extensive and leaves multiple steel plates in the road every night. Why couldn’t all this work be coordinated for one time so that drivers would be inconvenienced only once? When is the work going to be completed, and what assurance is there that they’re going to put it back in good shape? (Two complaints combined.)
Answer: "Hawaii Gas always tries to schedule any maintenance work with the city or state’s repaving efforts to minimize any inconveniences," said spokesman Casey Nishimura.
In this case the work by Hawaii Gas was not anticipated. It is expected to be completed by the end of next week.
It was during the company’s regular leak inspection process that workers detected multiple leaks on the line between 2nd and 4th avenues, after the repaving of Waialae Avenue, Nishimura said.
"Hawaii Gas detected a leak in their line and initially applied for a street usage permit with (the Department of Transportation Services) for work near 3rd and 4th avenues," said Mark Yonamine, deputy director for the city Department of Design and Construction.
Subsequently, additional leaks were detected near 2nd Avenue and around Saint Louis School, he said.
The emergency repair work involves the "renewing" of about 1,200 feet of a 4-inch bare steel line that runs up Waialae Avenue, Nishimura said.
"After an investigation, we determined that renewing a large section of that line was the best course of action for safety purposes," he said.
The steel plates will be removed once Hawaii Gas finishes its work, which is expected to be Wednesday.
Hawaii Gas has hired Ideal Construction to repave the torn-up roadway. Nishimura said the contractor will start repaving Tuesday, "starting where we started in the hopes that we can finish all of the work concurrently or at least no more than a day behind us."
"Hawaii Gas is responsible for returning Waialae Avenue to a smooth riding condition," Yonamine said.
"We apologize for any inconvenience our work has caused and thank everyone for their understanding," Nishimura said. "Safety is our top priority, and we will do our best to complete the work in a safe and expedient manner."
Question: Regarding Benny the seal, who recently had surgery to remove a fishhook: Where are surgeries on mammals and such large animals done? Surely not in a private veterinarian practice.
Answer: Hawaiian monk seal Benny, also known as RE-74, was treated at a facility at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Inouye Research Center, on Ford Island.
The center, named after the late U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, also houses 700 employees working for 15 NOAA offices, including the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Weather Service, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary and Pacific Region Climate Service.
Last year, NOAA opened a facility in Kona, Hawaii island, named Ke Kai Ola — "The Healing Sea" — dedicated to rescuing and caring for Hawaiian monk seals.
It depends on the situation, "but we do have a team of vets we look to that are specially trained for marine mammals and are either full-time NOAA staff or veterinary contractors," said David Schofield, NOAA’s marine mammal stranding coordinator for the Pacific Islands.
Meanwhile, the Honolulu Zoo’s Animal Health Center opened in 2005 to provide medical care for its zoo animals, as well as other animals.
In 2014, for example, eye surgery was performed on another monk seal there. See bit.ly/1BNqMjO.
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