Dairy land goes unused in Waimanalo

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer

WAIMANALO — A year after the last cow was removed from the Meadow Gold Dairies farm in this Windward community, most of the structures on the property have been torn down and removed as the company restores the land to its original state at a cost of more than $1 million.

But the company has no plans for the 400-acre site, which includes property once used by defunct Unisyn Biowaste Technologies, said the dairy's Waimanalo farm manager, Arnel Gallardo.

"Up to this point the corporate office hasn't made any decisions," Gallardo said, noting that the lease on the property runs until 2014. "All the activities here involve cleanup."

The cleanup has been under way for about a year, since the company closed its operation here, ending decades of dairy farming at the location, about 12 of those under the Meadow Gold name.

Buildings have been torn down and grass has been planted as requested by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which leases the property to the dairy.

One small building that was used as the farm's office remains, Gallardo said, estimating that the cleanup will last three more months.

In 2000, the company spent an undisclosed amount to clean the property it had sublet to Unisyn, which went bankrupt and left 1 million gallons of food waste, 800,000 gallons of wastewater and 2,400 tons of compost at the site.

Meadow Gold also has dismantled the structures from that site and is removing all concrete slab and rubble there, Gallardo said. A water system will be installed and grass will be planted.

The University of Hawai'i and the Waimanalo vision team had expressed interest in the property.

When Meadow Gold announced its intention to shut down its operations in Waimanalo, it negotiated with the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to take over the lease, equipment and some cows for research and education programs in exchange for services.

But that effort failed. The UH Board of Regents had questions about possible soil contamination and had asked for an extra $1.5 million to be put into escrow for cleanup. The company had offered $1.5 million as part of the deal.

The vision team had hoped to obtain about 80 acres of the property to build an equestrian center for the community, but that project has run into obstacles and its status is unclear.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.