Question: Do the new LED streetlights also have a camera? What is the function of the dark hub on top of the fixture?
A: No, they don’t have cameras, said Andrew Pereira, a spokesman for Mayor Kirk Caldwell.
What you describe as a “dark hub” is a control node, a component of the wireless network that allows the city to operate the streetlights from a distance. The city can remotely monitor and manage a single streetlight or a group of streetlights and measure energy consumption.
“There are control nodes positioned within a cluster of streetlights, which enable this level of control and monitoring,” said Robert Kroning, director of the city’s Department of Design and Construction.
About 53,500 city-owned streetlights on Oahu are being converted to LED (light-emitting diode) streetlights. “We are 90 percent installed, islandwide,” Kroning said Tuesday.
You can check the status of your neighborhood and read more about the project at myoahustreetlight.com.
The city expects the LED system to use about 60% less electricity than the old lamps, saving $5 million annually. These savings are intended to pay for the conversion project, over time.
Other readers have expressed concerns about light pollution, saying the new streetlights in their neighborhoods are brighter than they expected. The city has said that the LED streetlights being used in most residential areas have flat glass lenses to eliminate up-light, an internal reflector system to focus light on the road, and a 3000K color temperature approved by the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA).
Color temperature, measured in the Kelvin scale, indicates how an illuminated bulb appears to the human eye. At 3000K the light would appear yellowish- white. As the color temperature rises, the light would appear whiter and progress to bluish-white and then blue.
Q: Why did we have to wait several hours after the polls closed to find out who won the District 4 City Council race, when the huge majority of votes had been cast by mail many days earlier? Aren’t the votes counted as they come in by mail?
A: No, mailed ballots are not counted as they come in. They are opened and counted on Election Day. That’s true of any Hawaii election, not just Saturday’s rematch between Tommy Waters and Trevor Ozawa, which Waters won.
Q: Is parking free on holidays?
A: Metered parking on city streets generally is free on holidays that the city government observes. There are exceptions, though. For example, this Friday street parking will be free, except for at meters on Kalakaua Avenue along Kapiolani Park, in observance of the Good Friday holiday. Parking in the city’s metered lots is not free, even on holidays.
Q: Except for those multitrack schools, are public schools all on the same calendar?
A: No. The Department of Education’s official school calendar (808ne.ws/doecal) also doesn’t apply to public charter schools.
Mahalo
I wish to express my appreciation to Nadine, a staff member at the vital-statistics office of the state Department of Health, who personally assisted me in completing the computer online form to obtain a copy of my birth certificate. After my struggling to enter the required information and not making any progress beyond the first page, I sought help at the service window. I was surprised that Nadine left her post and walked to the reception area where the computer was located and graciously and efficiently completed the online form for me, then returned to her post and printed the certificate. Whew! What a relief! Mahalo to Nadine for her quick and efficient response! — Grateful senior
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.
