Question: Where can I apply for a sea wall permit?
Answer: If the sea wall is to be mauka of the certified shoreline, you may apply for a shoreline setback variance (SSV) from the city Department of Planning and Permitting.
Seeking such a variance is not simple. You can read the DPP’s application instructions (10 pages) at 808ne.ws/varapp, which explain that development within the shoreline area triggers Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 343, the environmental impact statement (EIS) law.
The instructions say DPP processes an application in two phases. The first phase involves having an environmental assessment or EIS done for the project (the DPP decides which is necessary), followed by the processing of the actual SSV application, which typically includes a public hearing.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to meet with DPP staff before getting started on the application, to go over the various requirements. Call 768-8014 for more information.
Q: Regarding the Ala Wai Canal dredging, what is the duration of the work, on a daily and completion basis?
A: The work hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays and holidays; overall, the project is expected to take about a year to complete, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
DLNR last dredged the canal in 2002, using the same daily working hours, it said.
About 186,000 cubic yards of material is expected to be removed from depths ranging from 6 to 12 feet.
Q: What happens to items left on airplanes that arrive at the Honolulu airport? Is there a Lost and Found office at the airport where passengers can see whether someone turned in an item they lost or left behind on the plane?
A: Yes, there is a Lost and Found office at the Honolulu airport, but that’s not where you should go if you left something on the plane. In that case you should contact the airline directly, according to the state Department of Transportation. You can find a list of airlines, their locations at the Honolulu airport and their phone numbers at 808ne.ws/airlines.
If, however, you believe you lost an item in the airport terminal (not at a security checkpoint), contact the Lost and Found office, which is on the ground level of the Terminal 2 Parking Garage, according to the airport website. This office is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The phone number is 836-6683, or you can email dot.air.hnl.lost@hawaii.gov.
If you forgot something at a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Honolulu airport, or something is missing from your checked luggage, call the TSA at 831-2312.
The DOT’s Airports Division eventually auctions off property deemed to have been abandoned or surrendered. Check 808ne.ws/auction to see what is for sale. Potential buyers must create a free online account at login.ehawaii.gov to bid.
Auwe and mahalo
Mahalo to the estimated 0.1% of exercise walkers who multitask and pick up litter when they walk and then dispose of it in trash receptacles, and auwe to the 99.9% who can also help but don’t when seeing such litter. — E.K.
Mahalo
On Oct. 5 I went to visit my eye doctor at 1029 Kapahulu Ave. The parking there is very tight. My husband had a hard time backing into the stall. Along comes this young man with a child. He hands over the child to his wife and offers to back the car in for us. He got the car in so fast. What a wonderful person. May God bless him and his family. We want him to know how much we appreciate it. The aloha spirit still lives. — Senior couple
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.