Lifeguard towers stuck in lots
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
The concrete strike and construction challenges have slowed installation of new lifeguard towers around O'ahu, leaving three of the structures sitting in parking lots instead of on the beach.
Replacing the old lifeguard towers with the sand-colored Fiberglass models is an approximately $1 million project that began several years ago, with completion originally scheduled for 2006. The city is about halfway through the installation.
Two lifeguard towers have been at Koko Head District Park for at least six months while the city's Department of Design and Construction figures out how to install them. One slated for Makapu'u will require it to be lowered down the steep cliffs, and the other needs to be brought in, possibly by boat, to be placed in front of the Moana Surfrider Hotel in Waikiki. A third lifeguard tower, slated for Ke Waena Beach, has been parked at the Ocean Safety division's Paki Avenue headquarters waiting for construction contracts to be issued.
In the meantime, lifeguards at these beaches are still using the orange, wood towers. These structures do not protect them from the wind, rain and sun, said Ralph Goto, director of ocean safety for the City of Honolulu.
So far, 16 new towers have been installed, not including the three awaiting installation. Fourteen more are needed — two to be ordered by the end of the year, nine in the 2005-06 budget year and three that were ordered at the end of last year, Goto said. Depending on the size of the tower and complexity of installation, the cost of each may vary.
The city recently set a May 10 date to install the lifeguard tower fronting the Moana Surfrider, he said.
The tower at Makapu'u will require a crane to haul it down the steep sandy cliff and some additional shoring up to prevent the concrete foundation from being eroded away from the surf and shifting sands, said Capt. Kevin Allen.
Tinted windows in the new towers provide lifeguards protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays, as well as keep them out of the wind and rain. The new sand-colored fiberglass lifeguard towers are taller than the old wooden ones and have a wrap-around lanai that gives lifeguards better visibility. Some of the towers are designed for two lifeguards and some for one. But all have covered decks that make lifeguards more approachable to the public.
"Comparing the new lifeguard towers to the old one is like comparing night to day," said Allen, who works in the East Honolulu district, which spans from Maunalua Bay to Kailua. "The towers offer shelter and comfort. They have cut down on sick leave claims because there's room for office chairs to provide back support."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
