Hawai'i Kai develops aversion to noise, dust

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — Residents of Hawai'i Kai had forgotten what development meant in terms of noise, dust and inconvenience.

With the bulk of the community built in the 1960s and 1970s, there had been been no significant building here in more than 30 years until recently.

But now black dust screens dot the landscape, symbol of four large projects under way, and residents are complaining of dust and noise, most of which is centered in a half-mile radius along Hawai'i Kai Drive and Lunalilo Home Road.

"It's unbelievably noisy," said Bob Rocheleau, a Niumalu Loop resident, whose home is across the marina from the newest project to come on line in Kamilonui Valley. "They've been pounding for months and months. We've complained. You hate to call the police to complain, but that's what you have to do."

Developers say the sound of power tools, hammers and heavy equipment will be around for at least two or three years more, with hundreds of new homes being built and sold in installments. Officials for the state and city say that while dozens of complaints have been received since the first project began more than a year ago, the contractors generally are within the bounds of their permits. That means residents will just have to put up with the conditions until the projects are finished.

Complaints like these are common when new construction takes place in the midst of an established neighborhood, but that's little comfort to residents.

From morning till night, construction activity is high at the projects on Hawai'i Kai Drive by the post office, in Kamilonui Valley by the farm lots, at the Peninsula on Lunalilo Home Road and in Kalama Valley by the strip mall.

Rocheleau said he called police two weeks ago because workers were starting early on a Saturday morning. He was jolted awake at 8 a.m. by the sound of heavy equipment.

Steve Carr, a Kealaula Kai resident, has called the city numerous times complaining about workers starting too early on a weekend, and about the dirt littering Hawai'i Kai Drive, a main street in and out of his waterfront community. His home is right below the earth-moving equipment at the Kamilonui project.

Dust has also been a problem, but "Schuler is making an effort," said Carr. "We're living with the dust."

The state Department of Health has been out three times to check on the project following complaints about dust and noise, said DOH spokeswoman Janice Okubo. Last month, health officials sent a warning letter notifying the developer of a noise violation for starting work too early. Health officials also come out twice a week to monitor air quality, Okubo said, standard practice after a complaint has been lodged.

Stanford Carr, who is developing the 600-unit Peninsula project, said he has workers on staff whose job it is to monitor the dust and deal with it.

"I've been before the neighborhood board and told people to call me personally," Carr said. "I call people back. We want to be a good neighbor, so we're all over our contractors for dust control."

Bob Brown sits on his lanai and looks out at a mountain of dirt piled on a cleared lot where Stanford Carr plans to build more homes. Only the underground work has been done at the site.

"We have noticed an increase in our house with dust, particularly in the past four months," said Brown, who lives at the Anchorage. "I know some of my neighbors have complained. We're getting it from both sides, from Carr and Schuler. It does drift."

Mike Jones, Schuler Homes Hawai'i president, said the firm and the contractors have tried to respond to residents' concerns over his Kamilonui project called Leolani.

"The dust is from hauling away all the dirt," Jones said. "It should be minimized as we gravel the roadway and put the dust screen back up. I have gotten a few phone calls from residents on and off."

Several months are left before the digging and dirt hauling are completed on the 58-home project in the back of Kamilonui Valley, Jones said.

In response to complaints, Schuler Homes formed a crew of street sweepers to clear the road of debris left by trucks taking dirt from the project area. Those same crews work trucks that spray water on the hillsides and piles of dirt to minimize blowing. This is a typical construction technique to keep dirt from blowing around, Okubo said.

Some residents choose to close their windows and doors and turn on the air conditioner. But for other residents, that's not an option.

Reach Suzanne Roig at 395-8831 or sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.