Work To Upgrade Sewer Pump Stations Will Affect Two Areas, Kaneohe Neighborhood Board Learns

Construction is coming to two Kaneohe neighborhoods, we learned at our February meeting. The projects will upgrade sewage pump stations to help ensure that untreated waste doesn’t flow into Kaneohe Bay.

The pump stations are at 45-013 Kahanahou Place and 45-044 Holowai Place. They were built in 1966 and are two stories tall, with most of the works underground. The two stations are among 26 that move sewage from low-lying areas of Kaneohe and Kailua to the Kailua Wastewater Treatment Plan.

Tyson T. Toyama tells
our meeting about
pump station plans.

A representative of Okahara and Associates, the engineering firm that is overseeing the project, told us that the work to upgrade the stations is expected to start in October and last about two years. Okahara Vice President Tyson T. Toyama said the work will involve:

Replacing pumps, pipes, valves and generators at both stations.

Installing a standby generator at the Holowai Place stations.

Putting in new sewer lines to serve the Kahanahou Place station.

Mr. Toyama said the new sewer lines will require digging up some streets and relocating some power lines in the Kahanhou area but not the Holawai area. 

He said crews will provide either vehicle and pedestrian access or other accommodations for people who need to get access to the affected areas during construction.

Mr. Toyama said the work is part of a larger project that also involves digging a tunnel under the bay to carry waste to the Kailua treatment plant. He said the pump project is designed so those facilities can provide strong service for an additional 50 years.

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Alert: Second Work Shift at Kaneohe Wastewater Pre-Treatment Facility to Begin

From The City And County Of Honolulu

Excavation of the Kaneohe – Kailua Gravity Sewer Tunnel is almost complete. In order to maximize the efficiency of this work, the contractor, Southland / Mole JV (SMJV), will be commencing a second work shift allowed per the project noise variance approved by the Department of Health. The noise variance allows work within the Kaneohe Wastewater Pre-treatment Facility (WPTF) 24 hours/day, except Sundays.

The second shift SMJV is planning to work at the Kaneohe WPTF will be from 5:30pm to 4:30am, Monday thru Friday and Saturday from 5:30pm until Sunday morning at 12:00am starting Monday, June 6, 2016.

Work will be restricted to be within the Kaneohe Wastewater Pre-treatment Facility and will be focused near the tunnel entry/exit shaft away from residences. Work will include removal of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) that excavated most of the 3-mile-long tunnel, and installation of 10-foot final tunnel lining pipes. Deliveries to the site and backup alarms will be restricted to the permit daytime hours only. There will be no deliveries to/from the site during the nighttime variance hours.

If you have any questions about this update or the project, please feel free to contact the Construction Management Team.

Project Hotline: (808) 445-9079 
Email: info@kktunnel.net

Mahalo for your patience and understanding.

Kaneohe Construction Update

Here’s an update on Kaneohe-area construction projects, from our January meeting:

Kamehameha Highway: A city contractor is scheduled to complete repairs from a pipe replacement project by the end of February. Francisco Figueiredo, from City Councilman Ikaika Anderson’s office, said the work is taking place from Heeia Street to Heeia Boat Harbor. Once that is finished, the city will patch other parts of the road that need work. He said the city also is planning to completely repave the highway from Haiku Road to Kahekili Highway. That project is about a year away.

Kaneohe-Kailua Tunnel: Oversize trucks are scheduled to deliver pipes down Kulauli Street past Puohala Elementary School, through Friday, April 1. Project Liaison John Katahira told the Board that about 10 deliveries a day will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Deliveries are to be suspended within 30 minutes of school pickup times and during the evening commute from 4 to 5 p.m. Mr. Katahira also said work would begin soon on upgrading a pump station and installing new pipes in the neighborhood around Mikiola Drive and Kimalu Place. He said the project team is considering doing some of that work 24 hours a day, which would require a noise variance from the city.

Ohana Pacific Management Company: The owner of Ann Pearl Rehabilitation & Health Care is seeking city permission to remodel a building and build a parking structure to provide office space in the 45-500 block of Pahia Road. Architect Casey Kusumoto told the Board that the project would consolidate office space and parking for 15 employees who handle accounting, payroll, billing and other jobs. The parking structure would have a residence on its second story.

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology: Work is expected to start soon on replacing utility lines to the Institute’s Coconut Island research facility. Institute Director Ruth Gates said the project will involve tunneling under the bay from the HIMB parking area to the island, with some related truck traffic on Lilipuna Road. She said the project is projected to take about a year. Project officials plan to distribute information leaflets to neighbors before work begins.

We welcome your thoughts about these projects. You may add comments to any item on this blog by clicking on the link with the word “comment” directly below it. You also may contact Board members directly using our Member Directory. 

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

Neighborhood Board Hears Residents' Concerns About Elder Care, Trucks, Alcohol & Drugs

Local residents brought a variety of concerns to the June meeting of the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.

Elder-Care Appeal

Norman Kawamoto made an impassioned plea to allow his parents to live together in the care home of their choice, and passed out a petition asking Board members and the audience to sign it. Mr. Kawamoto's parents, Noboru and Elaine Kawamoto, would like to use their own funds to live together in a state-subsidized care home. State law limits such homes to one private-pay client. If the Kawamatos qualified for Medicaid, the restriction would not apply.

The Legislature considered the Kawamotos' situation earlier this year but took no action. The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board approved a resolution in May urging Gov. David Ige to intervene in the situation, but there has been no action by the Governor's Office.

Truck Traffic Complaint

Residents complained about large trucks traveling at high speed on old Kaneohe Bay Drive. A representative from the Mayor's Office said that placing weight limits on the road would prevent many services from being provided to K-Bay Drive homes. However, a Board member noted that exemptions for local deliveries have been made on other streets.

Heavy trucks also have drawn complaints from residents along Kulauli Street, which gets regular use related to construction of a sewer tunnel from Kaneohe to Kailua. The city has said the extent of the damage has led it to accelerate plans to repair the street.

Worries About Alcohol, Drugs

A local resident complained about the 4 a.m. official closing time for bars. He testified that late night fights are common, as are drug dealers servicing clients in bar parking lots. 

Board member Bill Sager brought up the problem of a local resident who is being impacted by a marijuana farm and related drug activities in her neighbor's yard.  She said that late at night, the neighbor burns rubber, probably to mask the odor of a meth lab. Another resident testified that he has four drug houses in his neighborhood and asked the police to deal with them.

Board Chairman Mo Radke recommended re-establishing the Board's Cabaret License Committee. No one stepped forward to volunteer during the meeting.

Streets And Vacant Seats Are On April Agenda

Street repairs will be on the agenda when the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board holds its April meeting.

Kulauli Street, which serves a residential neighborhood and an elementary school, is being damaged by heavy trucks working on the new Kaneohe-to-Kailua sewer tunnel. The Neighborhood Board learned at its March meeting that the city likely will speed up its plan to repair the street.

A report on the plan is scheduled when the board meets at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 16, at Benjamin Parker Elementary School, 45-259 Waikalua Road.

Volunteers Are Needed To Fill Empty Board Seats

The Board also has set aside time in the agenda to fill four vacancies. They are in the following areas:

• Subdistrict 4 -- Kea'ahala
• Subdistrict 5 -- Lilipuna
• Subdistrict 6 -- Waikalua
• Subdistrict 11 -- Pilikoi (behind Castle High School)

The board is authorized for 17 members. In order to take action, the board must have nine votes in favor -- a majority of the authorized membership. Four empty seats are the equivalent of four "no" votes, and make it harder for Kaneohe to have its voice heard by local and state leaders.

Interested in serving? Check out the city's online street index and online map to find out if you live in a subdistrict with an open seat. For more information, contact Neighborhood Board Chairman Mo Radke at moradke@gmail.com, and come to the board meeting.

Those appointed will serve through June 30, 2015.

Impact Of Tunnel Trucks May Speed Road Repairs

Concern is growing about street damage from the new Kaneohe-to-Kailua sewer tunnel.

The Kaneohe Neighborhood Board learned at its March meeting that the city likely will speed up a plan to repave Kulauli Street because of damage caused by heavy trucks working on the project.

Street Serves Neighborhood, School

Kulauli Street runs through a residential neighborhood and past Puohala Elementary School before ending at the Kaneohe Regional Wastewater Pre-Treatment Facility. The pre-treatment facility is one end point for the tunnel, which will carry sewage to a treatment plant in Kailua.

When competed, the tunnel's 3-mile route will take it southwest from the pre-treatment facility and under Kaneohe Bay Drive. Then it will make a gradual turn under the Oneawa Hills until it heads northeast to the Kailua plant.

Project Designed To Cut Pollution, Protect Bay

The tunnel project is expected to cost $200 million. It is part of an agreement between the federal government and the city to reduce sewage pollution and protect natural resources such as Kaneohe Bay.

The construction management team has set up a hotline for the tunnel project at (808) 445-9079 and info@kktunnel.net.