Kailua community clears the cable clutter

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau

KAILUA — The tangle of black cables that crisscrossed the L'Orange Place community no longer mars the view now that the tiny neighborhood has buried its utility wires.

Trudy and Bob Moncrief compare before-and-after photos of their neighborhood. Residents had discussed clearing the clutter caused by utility poles and cables for 20 years before finally doing something about it. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

But it wasn't easy. The possibility had been discussed for 20 years, and when the neighborhood finally decided to do it, the project took 2 1/2 years.

By the time it was over last month, one homeowner had sued the association, another had moved out to avoid paying for the conversion, and relations were generally strained.

In a state renowned for its natural beauty, overhead wires are considered a blight, and the move to put them under ground has become a key environmental, safety and quality-of-life concern throughout O'ahu.

Cost has been the main obstacle to burying wires — in 1996 HECO estimated that a project in Lanikai would cost as much as $16,100 per household — but L'Orange residents figured out how to get it done for less than half that amount.

Keys to their success were having a volunteer coordinator who did much of the leg work, finding a consultant willing to work for a low fee and hiring a contractor who could get the most for the neighborhood's money.

The total cost of the project averages $7,862 per household, said Bob Moncrief, who coordinated the work for his neighbors, spending about 300 hours on the project.

	Advice from L'Orange Place
•	Getting started: Contact HECO. Hire a consultant and clearly outline the scope of the work, including drawing a plan. The consultant will work with city agencies and utility companies, and can handle the bid process and inspect construction.
•	Communication: Keep everyone who will be affected by the project informed through newsletters, mail or meetings. Stay on top of the project, always checking with the consultant.
•	Bids: Shop around; the first bid may not be the cheapest or best.
•	Perseverance: Don't take no for an answer. Remain calm.
•	Pitfalls: When dealing with agencies, find someone who is easy to work with. Hire an experienced consultant/designer.

HECO initiated the program at just about the time the L'Orange project was to begin construction, Moncrief said, adding that his community's ability to take advantage of the cost sharing was the icing on the cake. The project became the first completed under the cost-sharing program.

L'Orange, a 1,000-foot-long road off North Kalaheo Avenue, is home to a private, 16-residence community where everyone knows their neighbors. Developed in the 1930s as beach cottages, the homes there have been upgraded and a few have been replaced. Today, the homes are valued at more than $700,000 each.

Moncrief, an ecologist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was breaking new ground when he agreed to coordinate the project for his community, which wanted costs kept to a minimum.

Though a few such projects had been accomplished in the past, there was no pattern to follow, and Moncrief was unsure exactly with whom he needed to consult and from whom he needed to get approval. Through trial and error, he learned that he needed permission from HECO and the cable and phone companies and that he had to consult with the city's departments of Planning and Permitting and Environmental Services, as well as the Board of Water Supply.

Even then, hurdles such as not understanding where the wires had to be in relation to sewer lines and where to put the transformers added to the length of the project and its cost, he said. Six months were lost when one of the neighbors brought a lawsuit because he didn't like the location of a transformer in his front yard.

The cables and poles are now gone from L'Orange Place, a 1,000-foot-long road off North Kalaheo Avenue. Trudy Moncrief

Reed, the project contractor, said Moncrief provided the strong leadership necessary for the endeavor. Having coordinated a similar project for his Kahala property many years ago, Reed said he wasn't eager to do it again because it was too difficult to get everyone to cooperate.

But Reed, owner of Redesign Builders Inc., did step in to help the L'Orange neighborhood when the construction cost seemed too high. He put together a bid that cut the original by about 25 percent, he said.

Finding an electrical engineer to draw up the plans, a requirement by HECO, and a contractor that was reasonably priced also challenged Moncrief.

Consultant fees varied from $2,500 to $14,000, and construction bids ranged from $64,000 to $140,000.

The community opted for the lowest bid and agreed to put $10,000 per household into a fund for expenses, with the understanding that they would receive a rebate.

Everyone eventually contributed their share except one retired couple, who, previous to the project, had plans to move to a retirement home and did.

To date, the project has cost about $125,800, Moncrief said. This includes $64,000 for infrastructure, $41,500 for HECO design and installation, $14,000 to repave the road, $3,800 hook-up charges and $2,500 for the engineer.

	How to do it
	Here's advice from HECO on getting started:
•	Select a community representative for the project who will work with HECO. A single contact person is preferred to ensure accurate communication.
•	The community must hire its own designer and contractor, and HECO must approve the plans. HECO draws up its own plans for its equipment
•	Check the HECO Web site. Access "About HECO," "Fact Sheets," "Undergrounding utility lines," to get an idea if the project qualifies for the cost-sharing option.
•	If the project appears to qualify, contact Ken Morikami, director of HECO's Project Management Department, at 543-7819.
•	Also contact Oceanic Cable Customer Services at 625-8100 and Verizon Hawai'i at 840-5812 to obtain cost figures.

Though the L'Orange project is the first to take advantage of the new HECO program, other inquiries have been made by the city and the state, Kobashikawa said.

HECO initiated the program because so many people expressed interest in burying their power lines, he said.

"In the past, people thought we were against putting lines underground, but that's for the transmission lines," said Kobashikawa, citing high costs as the reason. "This is a nice opportunity for us to say we are sensitive to the views."

HECO's proposal to string a transmission line on Wa'ahila Ridge between Manoa and Palolo valleys has generated controversy and sparked calls to bury the 138,000-volt connection. However, HECO's estimates to bury that kind of line have ranged from $15 million to as high as $37 million.

Oceanic Cable and Verizon Hawai'i telephone company do not offer any cost sharing to place their lines underground, their representatives said. Residents are charged for the new wires and restringing them through underground conduits.

In 1996, Lanikai tried to be the first older neighborhood to clear their overhead views. HECO said it would cost between $10 million and $12.5 million, said Nancy Hall, a Lanikai resident. The price per household varied from $11,300 to $16,100, but there was no cost sharing at the time.

Momentum in Lanikai waned because of delays when trying to obtain information, Hall said.

Pleased with the success at L'Orange, she said Lanikai residents still want to convert all of Lanikai and with the new HECO program that could happen.

"The dream is still alive," Hall said.

You can reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 234-5266.