Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Weighs Its Position On College-Hospital Disagreement

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board is considering whether to take sides in an ongoing disagreement between Windward Community College and the Hawaii State Hospital.

The Board received a resolution to that effect during its January meeting, and Chairman Maurice “Mo” Radke asked members to prepare to discuss the issue in February. Mr. Radke also asked the college chancellor, Doug Dykstra, and the hospital administrator, William J. May, to provide briefings on the issue at the February Board meeting.

Vice Chair Offers Resolution

The resolution came from Board Vice Chair Bill Sager. It asks the State Department of Health to consider the potential impact of a hospital expansion plan on the future of the community college next door. It also recommends that the department, which operates the hospital, negotiate over a land exchange that the college has offered as a way to reduce the impact.

Mr. Sager said the resolution is appropriate because the Board needs to take proactive role in proposals that affect the growth of the community. The hospital and college are two of the largest employers in Kaneohe.

Hospital, College Officials Comment

Asked to comment on the issue, Mr. May told the Board that the hospital is extremely overcrowded and that the plan, which uses hospital land exclusively, is the best option for fixing the problem. He said a land exchange would trigger a new procurement process and unacceptable delays.

Mr. Dykstra said that the hospital can’t begin work on a key part of the project because it lacks permission to demolish a historic building on the Great Lawn next to the college He also said the proposed land swap would provide the hospital with more land than it currently has, while allowing the college to use the Great Lawn for future programs.

Learn More

More information about the issue is available from the sources listed below. Click on the highlighted text to access the information:

The text of the resolution.

The hospital’s 2015 Master Plan Update.

A report from the Board’s Hawaii State Hospital Master Plan Review Permitted Interaction Group.

The minutes of the Board’s May 2015 meeting (in the section titled “Board Business.”)

Posts on this blog from October 19, 2015, September 19, 2015, and July 31, 2015.

We welcome your thoughts about this issue. You may add comments to any item on this blog by clicking on the link with the word “comment” directly below it.

Thank you for your interest in our community and the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.