w Editor’s note: Old-timers might still remember the introduction from “The Shadow” radio program: “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” Jerome Freitas, a retired state Department of Transportation worker who is now better known as Da Shadow, since 2004 has been meeting with government representatives about problems he has discovered or that have been reported to him, and reporting the county’s responses.
Kapaa police substation
When driving through Kapaa, signage is needed to indicate the location of the Kauai Police Department Kapaa substation at the old Kapaa Armory. Are there any plans to put a sign up to help people locate the substation? As a suggestion, a sign near the Kahau Road entrance would be a good location. Please also consider installing speed-limit signs and crosswalks on this road as a matter of safety for pedestrians.
Mahalo for your suggestion. A work order is currently in progress for the substation’s location signage. The County of Kauai is looking into the possibility of traffic safety measures near the County of Kauai right of way.
Lihue Boys & Girls Club clubhouse
We were notified in December 2017 that the Boys and Girls Club was in the process of securing fundraising to improve the abandoned building across Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. What is the status of these efforts?
In an effort that crossed over administrations, an agreement has been put into place that gives control of an abandoned office near the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall to the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii. With this agreement, the organization has been able to secure support to renovate the structure.
Food trucks on Rice Street
There are two food trucks weekly that are parked curbside fronting Kauai Beer Company on Rice Street during their Thursday food truck event. Is this legal for them to take up parking stalls that should be available to the public?
Any licensed vehicle may park in a parking space provided that they are not violating any traffic laws, such as the vehicle extending into the traffic lane, or exceeding a time limit for parking. Vending in the county right of way has been a “gray area” in county code for many years. In order to clarify this issue, County Council, in 2018, approved Ordinance number 1030, which amended County Code to state:
“No person shall park or place a vehicle or structure wholly or partly on any county right-of-way for the purpose of selling therefrom … without a permit, thereby creating a hazardous condition or a public nuisance…” (Kauai County Code,§18-5.1)
In November 2018, Administrative Rules were approved by the county’s Department of Finance for the issuance of revocable permits for vending in public rights-of-way. The application form for the revocable permit is now being completed based on the Administrative Rules, and permit applications will be accepted soon by the Office of Economic Development.
Until the county is ready to accept applications for revocable permits, the county has limited its enforcement of no vending in county rights-of-way to egregious safety issues. Once the application process is in place, the county will encourage the adjacent business owner to apply for a revocable permit for the food trucks on Rice Street in conformance with the Kauai County Code.
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Jerome Freitas can be reached at theshadow96751@gmail.com or 635-3528. Visit his website at http://theshadow96746.tripod.com.
