Posted on: Friday, June 28, 2002

Road closure disrupts Puna life

By Hugh Clark
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

'AINALOA, Hawai'i — Normally it's a short drive for Olivia Filotea of 'Ainaloa to drop off her two children at her mother's house, just blocks away in the Puna subdivision of Hawaiian Acres, before she heads off for her two jobs.

But when a neighborhood dispute with the county resulted in Wednesday's shutdown of the road connecting the two communities, Filotea was facing a 40-mile round trip.

So she waited yesterday for her mom to pull up to the new gate blocking the road to hand over sons Li'ikoa, 2, and Kumalani, 4. The delay was "a big humbug" but the alternative would be worse, she said.

The 'Ainaloa Community Association, representing residents in the subdivision's 650 homes, put up the gate after running out of patience with county officials, who had promised to assume official control of the road, which was built two years ago as an emergency bypass linking Highway 11, known as the Hawai'i Belt Road, with Highway 130, the Kea'au-Pahoa Road.

While the $2 million road in 'Ainaloa made it easier for police, fire and ambulance crews to get to remote areas in Puna, it also drew increased traffic and speeders through 'Ainaloa.

Community association leader Bill Coney said an average of 600 cars would pass through from Hawaiian Acres on a daily basis, and his group is worried about liability in the event of accidents.

Coney said that since the county has not claimed the route, which was built with federal and county money, it is a private road under subdivision control. County officials have acknowledged tha ownership remains unclear.

The association has been threatening to block the road for months, but agreed to postpone the action at the request of Mayor Harry Kim. When installation of the gate began Monday, county officials rushed to reach an agreement with Coney and his group that allowed a temporary 91-day shutdown of the road, except for emergency purposes. That would allow the county time to work out a solution.

County officials said that under the agreement, the shutdown would not go into effect until Monday. But Coney said yesterday that the wait till Monday was not part of the deal, so the gate was locked as soon as volunteers and a paid community worker finished the job.

Hawai'i County Corporation Counsel Lincoln Ashida said yesterday that another effort at compromise is planned for this morning. Ashida said the county has considered seeking a temporary restraining order to keep the road open as a last resort.

"The mayor wants to try to settle this amicably," he said.

Meanwhile, residents of Fern Acres, who also are affected by the road shutdown, are planning a Sunday protest near the entrance to 'Ainaloa Boulevard off Highway 130.

Yesterday, Sandford Williams and his son, Blake, 12, of Hawaiian Acres, were dropped off by his wife on the 'Ainaloa side of the gate and were trudging uphill with groceries and a small container of diesel to restart the family's generator, since there is no electrical service in the area.

Williams' wife, Chere Fenton, and their daughter, Hannah, 10, were headed back to Pahoa so the girl could go swimming and Fenton could get to her job. There was no time to make the longer 40-minute drive.

"I want my money back," said Fenton, referring to the taxpayer money used to build the route.