Intermittent road closings at Waimea Bay to remove rockfall hazards will begin today, one day ahead of schedule, the state Department of Transportation said.

Road closings of about 10 minutes at a time will be necessary as crews remove loose rocks from the cliff. Contractor Goodfellow Bros. Inc. has installed a temporary protective mesh to contain falling rocks and debris.

Work will be done daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., except Sunday, through July 17.

BEACH REOPENS; NO SIGN OF SHARK

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The county ocean safety staff yesterday reopened Salt Pond Beach Park to swimming, a day after a shark was spotted along the shore.

The shark, which was seen Sunday, did not appear to be present yesterday morning.

Salt Pond Beach Park is on the west side of Pu'olo Point, near Hanapepe.

MAUI BRUSHFIRE BURNS 5 ACRES

HALI'IMAILE, Maui — A brushfire yesterday in Hali'imaile burned five acres and a small shack, county spokeswoman Mahina Martin said.

Residents of six to eight houses were briefly evacuated after flames came within 20 feet of homes. The fire was reported at 3:17 p.m. Four fire engines, a helicopter, and three water tankers, two provided by Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co., responded to the alarm. The fire was extinguished at 6:30 p.m.

The Baldwin Avenue access into Hali'imaile was closed at 4 p.m. and reopened an hour later, Martin said.

The cause of the fire was not known.

LINGLE AIDE NAMED TO DCCA POSITION

Ron Boyer, a policy analyst for Gov. Linda Lingle, has been named deputy director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Boyer has served as an adviser to former City Councilmen John Henry Felix and Mike Gabbard and as an office manager to former state Rep. Cam Cavasso.

"Ron has been a valuable member of my policy team for the past three legislative sessions," Lingle said in a statement yesterday. "I am confident that as deputy director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, he will continue to demonstrate the same dedicated work ethic and commitment to improving the quality of life for all the people of Hawai'i."

Boyer replaces Lawrence Reifurth, who is now the department's director.

FALL VICTIM WASN'T ON DESIGNATED TRAIL

A 16-year-old boy, hospitalized after falling from a cliff at Makapu'u Point on Sunday, was not on a designated trail at the time of the fall, the Fire Department said yesterday.

The boy fell about 25 feet and landed near a tide pool area east of the trail. He suffered head trauma and other injuries but was alert and conscious when firefighters reached him at 6:09 p.m. Sunday. A rescue crew airlifted him to the trail parking lot, where emergency medical workers were standing by.

The boy was accompanied by three friends, one of who made the 911 call and another who stayed with him while the others went for help. A physician also happened to be hiking on the trail, and she assisted until the rescue crew arrived, Fire Department spokesman Capt. Robert Main said.

UH ASTRONOMY CENTER TO GET $2M

The University of Hawai'i's astronomy research center on Maui will receive $2 million for laboratory and building equipment, Gov. Linda Lingle said.

The money will allow the UH Institute for Astronomy's Advanced Technology Research Center to buy high-speed data infrastructure, lab tables, optical mountings with lasers, cryogenic equipment, a micro-fabrication mill, as well as data wiring and network hardware.

Located in Kula, the research center, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, will serve as the main facility for the Institute for Astronomy on Maui and will include laboratory workspace for micro-fabrication, advanced metrology and optical/infrared sensor development.