Question: Who fixes sidewalks in front of houses? Water from my neighbor’s yard is slowly destroying the sidewalk but when I talk to them they say they can’t/won’t do anything about it.
Q: Who is responsible for cutting overgrown plants that block the sidewalk? Is it the city or the homeowner? In the Salt Lake area where I walk there is a residence where the overgrown foliage blocks the sidewalk and people often have to walk in the street.
Answer: Who is responsible depends on what is causing the problem. If the fault lies with a private property owner, as you both describe, that owner may be cited and required to complete or pay for the maintenance or repairs. You can call the residential code enforcement branch of the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting at 768-8127 to request that a crew assess the situations.
The Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Sec. 14-20.1, state that “every property owner whose land abuts or adjoins a public street shall continually maintain, and keep clean, passable and free from weeds and noxious growths, the sidewalk and gutter area which abuts or adjoins the property owner’s property.”
The city has a Sidewalk Maintenance Program that focuses primarily on whether erosion, cracks and other sidewalk problems create tripping hazards. The program relies on ongoing inspections by crews from the Department of Facility Maintenance’s Division of Road Maintenance and by reports from the public about areas of concerns. Calls from the public are routed through the planning department, at the number above.
The city pays to repair damage caused by the roots of city trees, for example, while private property owners are responsible for damage attributable to their activities, such as encroaching landscaping or poor drainage.
If the abutting property owner is found responsible, the DPP issues a notice of violation and the property owner has 60 days to fix or rebuild the sidewalk, according to the Sidewalk Maintenance Program manual. If the property owner ignores the notice, the DFM repairs the sidewalk and bills the property owner.
The tripping hazards that warrant sidewalk repair are: vertical separation in the concrete greater than one-half inch; horizontal separation greater than one-half inch; vegetative overgrowth encroaching onto the the sidewalk; obstructions within the sidewalk area and “other defects deemed necessary for repair,” according to the manual, which you can read at 808ne.ws/1piZLBk.
Q: I thought this would be easy to Google but so much conflicting information came up! So I’ll ask Kokua Line: Does vinegar work on box jellyfish stings or not?
A: Yes, vinegar was one of the tried-and-true methods that stood up to rigorous tests by University of Hawaii at Manoa scientists who explored ways to relieve painful stings from Hawaiian box jellyfish (Alatina alata). Dousing the affected area with vinegar, immersing it in hot water and applying the over-the-counter treatment Sting No More (developed by one of the researchers) all were found to be effective, according to the study, which was published in the journal Toxins. Sting No More, which is a cream or spray, was found to inhibit the venom directly.
Applying ice did not relieve the sting, once again confirming results of previous research that showed marine venom to be highly sensitive to heat, not cold.
Mahalo
Last month, I called the Social Security office in Honolulu. Andrew Gould was very knowledgeable, helpful and provided complete service. — Mahalo, Martha Bush
Mahalo
Mahalo to the gentleman who helped me fix my bike when its chain came off near Diamond Head. I had been struggling for almost 10 minutes (while a group of bystanders across the street stood watching and waiting for the bus) when a nice man in a white car pulled over to help. Thank you for your kindness! I am sorry it was a little dangerous for you to get back on the road afterward. — A reader
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.
