honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, December 18, 2003

Repair backlog leaves termites unchecked

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

HAWAI'I KAI — Termites have chomped on wooden window louvers, storage cabinets in the science room and doors throughout Haha'ione Elementary School.

Safety cones and buckets mark the spot in a sixth-grade classroom of Haha'ione Elementary School where water drips from a leaky roof.

Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

The school is not alone. Termite damage is common on campuses throughout the state.

But the degree of damage at Haha'ione Elementary surprised area lawmakers who toured the school recently on a routine inspection.

"The cabinets are so badly eaten in the science room, you can put your finger through the wood," said Rep. Bertha Leong, R-18th (Kahala, 'Aina Haina, Kuli'ou'ou). "Everywhere we went you could see termite damage. I was shocked it was so bad."

Haha'ione has other maintenance issues as well. A leaky roof in the sixth-grade classroom is so bad that a bucket has to be used to catch the drips, and the school's computer lab doesn't have enough electrical outlets, so new computers sit unused in boxes.

But it was the termite damage that caught the eye of principal Cindy Giorgis when she took over at Haha'ione this school year.

Over the years the termite problems were not even listed among the school's top priorities for repair and maintenance, Giorgis said. But this year she asked for an amendment to the school's list and placed it second, behind computer lab upgrades so that all of the school's computers can be used.

Principal Cindy Giorgis looks at termite damage to cabinets in the science lab of Haha'ione Elementary School.

Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser

"I've spoken to the head custodian and in the past the termite issue was only spot treated. Nothing has been done on a wholesale basis," Giorgis said. "This is a concern for me, and now we have to wait another year" until repairs can be planned and money budgeted.

But in a year, termites will have chewed through more of the building, Giorgis said.

Termite damage is common among the list of school repairs, said Greg Knudsen, state Department of Education spokesman.

"There have been examples of extreme cases, but routine termite treatment is common," Knudsen said. "The newer school structures, however, use more brick and concrete, rather than wood. So the older buildings would be more affected."

The state Department of Accounting and General Services, which performs the repair work at schools statewide, does not have any work orders for termite repair at Haha'ione, said Russ Saito, state comptroller.

Top five problems

The top five repair and maintenance projects needed at Haha'ione are:

1. Renovating the computer lab to accommodate all the school's computers.

2. Treat termite infestation scattered around the campus, particularly in the science room, and put the campus on a routine termite maintenance program.

3. Resurface the cracked parking lot.

4. Fix termite damage in the science room.

5. Replace rusting water lines on campus so that drinking water isn't rusty.

Source: Haha'ione Elementary School Principal school priority list

Backlog of repairs

Haha'ione's termite damage is among about $675 million in accumulated school repairs statewide — down from a peak of nearly $800 million — but budget cuts have slowed an effort to reduce the backlog.

"If the damage is minor enough to be handled via work orders, we would respond after the DOE requests our help," Saito said. "If there is structural damage or if the damage is extensive, we may schedule the work under the repair and maintenance CIP (capital improvement) program."

Leong said that of all the repair issues facing Hawai'i schools, termites are the most preventable thanks to the variety of treatments for ground and dry-wood termites.

Haha'ione Parent Teacher Student Association president Leslie Sarale was sympathetic to the situation that schools find themselves in: too little money and too many projects.

"I'm upset about the fact that it will take such a long time to be repaired," Sarale said, referring to the termite damage. "By the same token, the state is trying to do everything it can to fix the problem, especially with the limited funds."

Giorgis is pleased that Haha'ione's leaky classroom roof will get addressed this summer, but noted that reroofing of the entire school, which was built in the 1970s, is still a ways off, ranked No. 6 among the school's top 15 repair and maintenance issues.

While the sixth-grade classroom is the only one that allows rainwater to drip inside, other classrooms have water stains on the ceiling tiles, indicating water seepage.

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