Maunawili Community Association

Maunawili Community Association Minutes February 3, 2004

Maunawili Community Association Minutes February 3, 2004

Maunawili Community Association
Regular Meeting: February 3, 2004
Maunawili Valley Neighborhood Park Pavilion

Present: David Laeha (MCA President); Channel 8 News; Dr. Chuck Burrows; Erik Guinther; Elizabeth Keller; Carol Loose; Bill Lennan (USACE); David Bill (Biills Engineering); Robert & Laura Coker; Nancy Azeri (Councilwoman Marshall’s Staff); Rod Haraga (DOT); Scott Ishikawa (DOT); Todd Capen (Trinity Church); Buck & Sue Ashford; Paul Gagnon; Kelly Tomioka; Eloise Aguiar (Honolulu Advertiser); Kimo Steinwaseher (Kaneohe Ranch Co.);Corinne Bauske (MECA, Secretary); Nancy Shaw (Trinity Christian School); Frances Jones; Miles Nishijima; Vanita Rae Smith;Sam Moku (Senator Hogue’s office); Carolynn Farris; Janice & Wyman Williams; Mary Leandro; Mike McMahon (KBAC); Michael & Suzanne Carnes; Eleanor Pence; Suzy Hemmings (MCA Director); Art Lambert (Goodfellow Brothers, Inc.); Alfred Chang (Goodfellow Brothers, Inc.); Alan & Naomi Murakami; Matt Healkhe (Goodfellow Brothers, Inc.); Jim Corcoran (MCA Director); Linda Ure (MCA Secretary).
The meeting was called to order by President David Laeha at 7:00 p.m.
Minutes: November 4, 2003, December 2, 2003 and January 6, 2004 minutes were deferred to next month.
The Standard Agenda was motioned to be suspended to address only the Castle Junction Dirt Dumping Project in Maunawili.
Castle Junction Dirt Dumping Project Related to Castle Junction, February 3, 2004:
Subject: Report on Maunawili Community Association (MCA) Meeting on Dirt Dumping Project Related to Castle Junction, February 3, 2004.
I. Results of the Meeting:
A. The proposed Trinity Christian School playground project on Kaneohe Ranch/Castle Foundation (KR/CF)-owned land next to TCS in Maunawili will not take place. TCS and KR/CF representatives stated that the playground project was dropped because the land next to TCS is zoned as Wetland. Both parties would not rule out the possibility of a TCS playground project sometime in the future.
B. The dirt-dumping project on KR/CF-owned land (TMK 42014001):
1. The 240,000 YDS3 of Castle Junction dirt will be dumped on 7 ½ acres of small valley land sited between the horse stables (1015 Auloa Road) and Kal Highway, about 2-300 yards in from the Kapaa Quarry Road--Kal Highway intersection.
2. A new access road will be built across from Kapaa Quarry Road, off the right side of Kal Highway heading toward the dump site.
3. The 7 ½ acres will be grubbed and graded, but the Goodfellow Brothers, Inc., (GBI) representative did not know where the grubbing and grading material will be dumped.
4. The dump site will be leveled and grassed over in 2 ½ acre sections as the project proceeds. Bills Engineering representative stated that drainage construction, to protect the Wetland and Kahanaiki Stream down-hill from the dump site, will be carried out around the dump site.
5. GBI representative stated that moving the dirt from Castle Junction to the KR/CF-owned 7 ½ acre site will require approximately 18,000 dump truck loads. That will require approximately 5 dump truck loads per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for 6 months. Counting return trips that will mean a truck passing through the intersection at Kapaa Quarry Road and Kal Highway once every 6 minutes, 24/7 for 6 months. Any Castle Junction site project job delay, or traffic delay, will require more trips per hour to make up the lost time. All figures are estimates and could increase, or decrease, depending on the situation. News media reported a need for 25,000 truck loads, 7,000 more than the GBI representative stated at the meeting.
6. Work at this dirt dump site on KR/CF owned land will require dumping, leveling, compacting, grassing, and drainage construction.
7. The newly built gravel-covered access road to the dirt dump site, across Kal Highway from Kapaa Quarry Road, will require an additional traffic light, a special management area permit (SMAP), and will be removed at the end of the construction project.
8. As of February 4, 2004, the C & C of Honolulu has not approved the plans
for the dirt-dump site on KR/CF land. Hawaii State Department of Health Clean Water Branch reports that it has issued an NPDES permit for the dirt-dumping project on KR/CF-owned land (TMK 42014001). The City DPP requires the dirt-dumping plan to adhere to SMA requirements and Land Use Permit requirements. Other permits requested and granted are unknown at this time. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) representative stated that because the dirt-dump site and the newly-built access road are not on a wetland-zoned property, the ACOE has no requirement to rule on the project. The Wetland is on the adjacent TMK 42013009.
II. Issues left outstanding:
A. The State DOT and GBI are going to make the plans for the dirt-dump site and access road available to MCA.
B. MCA seeks assurance that the dirt dumping project will not disturb Maunawili Community residents with dumping/construction noise (to include vehicle back-up alarm signals), lighting, or dust from the project at nights, weekends and holidays. Residences along Auloa Road, Maunawili Road, Lunaai Street, Lunaai Place are, at present, impacted by regular traffic noise along Kal Highway. Residents fear an even greater impact from a 24/7 dirt-dumping project, even closer to the residences and which will last six months. State/City governments assurances against noise/light/dust disturbance to Maunawili residents are requested before the dirt-dumping project is allowed to begin.
C. MCA seeks assurances that the dirt-dumping project and new access road on KR/CF land will not damage Kahanaiki Stream and riparian zone, the Wetland, the Kawainui Marsh, natural vegetation and wildlife, nor historical/archaeological sites (understanding that the site and access road will be properly permitted). The land owner KR/CF asks that visitors to the dirt dumping site get permission prior to walking the area. Dr. Chuck Burrows, Kawainui Heritage Foundation, naturalist and historian, and Mr. Eric Guinther, environmentalist, both requested access to the site.
D. The State DOT (reportedly in coordination with the City DTS) will mitigate unnecessary traffic flow along Auloa Road into and out of Maunawili Community. The City Bus has already been seen traveling along Auloa Road toward Castle Junction, although the Community has not been advised of any bus route changes. Transiting traffic (not Maunawili residential traffic) is reported to be increasing along Auloa Road in order to avoid the traffic jam on Kal Highway brought about by the Castle Junction work.
III. MCA position:
A. The Maunawili Community opposes any dirt-dumping project disturbance to residents from noise/lighting/dust at night, on weekends and on holidays.
B. The Maunawili Community opposes any dirt-dumping project damage to nearby Kahanaiki Stream and riparian area, Wetland, Kawainui Marsh, historical/archeological sites (on and off the site), and vegetation and wildlife.
C. The Maunawili Community requests full and timely disclosure of all and any earth-moving, construction or traffic activities which might impact the residents.
D. MCA understands that the 7 ½ acres of new landfill on KR/CF-owned property will be entirely paid for by taxpayer money provided by contract from the State of Hawaii to the contractor (GBI), and that reportedly no cost will be incurred by KR/CF.
Adjournment: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Submitted by Linda C. Ure, Secretary

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