WAIPOULI — An “eyesore” in Waipouli has been removed. After Jerome “The Shadow” Freitas, a government watchdog, voiced concerns with county leaders, members of a Kaua‘i County Department of Public Works crew recently took down an old shed located on the
WAIPOULI — An “eyesore” in Waipouli has been removed.
After Jerome “The Shadow” Freitas, a government watchdog, voiced concerns with county leaders, members of a Kaua‘i County Department of Public Works crew recently took down an old shed located on the grounds of the Kaua‘i Fire Department Kapa‘a fire station off Kuhio Highway near Waipouli Town Center.
“It is great. Right on. And thank you, Jerome,” said a firefighter at the Kapa‘a fire station, about the removal of the shed.
Some Kapa‘a residents said the shed had become an eyesore due to its age, and its removal shows how government can be responsive to public concerns.
The shed, said to between 30 and 40 years old, looked to be termite-ridden, and housed debris, including large, metal hose couplings and an old table, that could have become homes for cats and rats.
A possible health hazard was eliminated when the shed was taken away, exposing bare earth on the spot where it once sat.
County leaders decided to move the shed after a resident voiced concerns to Freitas, who took pictures of the shed in February and contacted KFD Chief Robert Westerman about taking down the structure.
Westerman reviewed the request, and gave approval for the job.
“They did a great job,” Freitas said in a brief interview with The Garden Island. “(County Engineer) Donald Fujimoto and the public works and the boys all did a great job.”
Yet to be taken away Thursday were propane canisters, containers of used oil and batteries, all resting on the concrete foundation of a radio tower.
The items had been stored in the old shed, and members of a DPW crew promised to remove the debris, Freitas said.
• Lester Chang, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.
