By James Gonser
Advertiser Central Bureau
The odds just got worse for Pearl City residents hoping to see the juvenile sex offender treatment center moved out of their community.
After visiting three proposed relocation sites for the treatment center yesterday, Rep. Dennis Arakaki, chairman of the House Health Committee, ruled out two, saying he would likely recommend either moving the facility to Kahi Mohala or leaving it where it is.
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| Area residents argue that the Pearl City Sex Offender Treatment Center for boys ages 12 to 17, seen here, should be moved. Three other sites are being considered.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser |
Arakaki, D-28th (Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights), said the other two sites, Kalaeloa and Wahiawa, are too expensive, because they would have to be built from the ground up. Arakaki said the Kahi Mohala site offers advantages over the Pearl City location: It would be cheaper because it would use the existing hospital, and some of the costs are flexible. And it seems to fit Health Department requirements better, he said.
"There may be a less expensive way of doing this at Kahi Mohala," Arakaki said. "I think we can either keep it where it’s at or we can negotiate a cost at Kahi Mohala that is a lot more realistic."
In December the state opened the treatment center for juvenile sex offenders at the Waimano Training School and Hospital over opposition from residents who said the center was too close to Pearl City High and Momilani Elementary schools. Gov. Ben Cayetano told area residents the state would move the center if a suitable location were found and legislators allocated the money.
Legislators will make the final decision on the possible relocation of the center. Cayetano and the House Health Committee will offer recommendations for the site.
Benchmark Behavioral Health Systems was the only company to bid on a $3.79 million, two-year contract to operate the Pearl City facility. The center is for boys ages 12 to 17 who are not classified as sexual predators or violent sexual offenders but are being treated for having sexual relations with family members. State health officials said they needed to open the $1.8 million center to meet a deadline set by the Felix consent decree, a U.S. District Court order that requires the state to improve mental health services for students with special needs.
The plan developed for the state by Kimura International includes three locations:
 Wahiawa near Kemo‘o Farm: The projected $2.1 million facility would be on a 2.7-acre property along Wilikina Drive. It would be about a quarter-mile from Hale Kula Elementary School at Schofield Barracks.
Kalaeloa: The center, estimated to cost $2.6 million, could be placed east of Shangrila Street and makai of Leyte Street near a proposed shelter for the homeless.
Kahi Mohala: The psychiatric hospital would be willing to lease all or part of one of its lower-campus units. Renovation would cost nearly $500,000 and annual lease payments would be $600,000.
On Feb. 2 the ‘Ewa Neighborhood Board heard a presentation on the project and voted against moving the facility. However, that vote was advisory only.
The Waihawa Neighborhood Board vote unanimously last night to keep the center in Peral City. The board said it would save taxpayers money.
Arakaki said the state could save money if Kahi Mohala’s staff ran the facility rather than contracting with an outside health-care provider, and the lease price could be negotiated down. He said renovations would not have to be as extensive as planned.
"In terms of the (health) department’s guidelines on a restricted environment, Kahi Mohala seems to fit much better than the current facility at Waimano," Arakaki said.
The committee and the governor will a make recommendation to the Finance Committee on a final selection, Arakaki said.
Department of Health Director Bruce Anderson said the department will not take a position on where the facility should be located.
"We have completed the alternative site assessment study and have provided for funding in our executive budget for the facility with the understanding that (the Legislature) will make a decision on where the facility should be located," Anderson said.
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