Residents brace for noise
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau
KAHALU'U - Joy Fuku-shima knows what to expect when a contractor begins four months of pile driving in April as part of a water main project on Kahekili Highway.
The noise will be unbearable, driving her dogs crazy and making daily life miserable, she said.
"I know what pile driving means," said the 30-year resident of Hui Koloa Place. "It's dusty. It's dirty. The vibration alone can cause a lot of damage internally as well as externally."
Contractor RCI Construction Corp. Pacific is installing about 14,000 feet of 42-inch water line from Ha'iku Road to Ahuimanu Road in a $12.8 million project for the Board of Water Supply, part of a bigger effort to replace an old, deteriorating system.
Work from Ha'iku to East Hui Iwa is about to wrap up. In the next phase of the project, about 7,950 feet of pipe will be installed in the shoulder of Kahekili from Hui Iwa to Ahuimanu Road. Some 5,900 feet of pipe will require 700 piles for support in the unstable soil.
Pile driving is expected to begin at the end of April.
Residents on Hui Koloa Place who will be directly affected by the construction said it's too early to predict if the project would harm them, but they're sure it won't be pleasant.
"I'm not too keen about it because I have a sick person and this pile driving is going to drive everybody nuts," said Lily Jay, who has lived in her home for 33 years.
Jay's husband must remain connected to an oxygen tank, and she anticipates that the dust from the pile driving will affect him.
She'll try to seal her home, but she said she has no air-conditioning to ward off the heat.
The contractor has asked for a design change that would reduce the number of piles that will be pounded into the ground. Martin Miller, company vice president, said if the water board accepts the change, the work may be shortened.
Like Fukushima, other residents are concerned that the pile driving will damage walls, foundations and structures.
Some residents said they've met with representatives from the Board of Water Supply and the construction company and both promised to fix any damage to structures. But others who went to the same meeting were not sure the promise was made.
"Nobody said they would pay for any damages," said Eloise Capellas, who has lived in her home since 1969. Capellas is especially concerned because she has more than 700 sets of salt and pepper shakers in an open display case.
She also has about 100 other items, including coffee mugs, bird figurines and other collectibles, that she'll have to pack away for the duration of the pile driving.
Water supply board spokeswoman Denise De Costa said the contractor is responsible for carrying out the work safely. To minimize the vibration, BWS will have its contractor drill holes for the piles, she said.
"We (also) committed to hiring a geophysicist to monitor the work and stop it if there is vibration strong enough to cause damage," De Costa said.
But, "we didn't go as far as saying we would pay for any damage. Normally, all our contracts say the contractor is responsible for any damages."
