Hawai'i Kai sign still damaged
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
Not even the area's City Councilman can find out why Hawai'i Kai's damaged community identification sign hasn't been fixed months after work was expected to begin.
The city says the sign is cracked and leaning forward because of vandalism. Many residents believe the damage stems from a design flaw or faulty construction. Either way, it isn't going to be a simple fix, said Manny Menendez, a city official representing the mayor at community meetings.
The issue comes up regularly at neighborhood board meetings, and City Councilman Charles Djou said he has sent several letters to the city asking for more information on the condition of the sign and what it will take to fix it.
"I've not gotten a good explanation from them as to why we can't go forward with the community volunteers to fix it," Djou said Tuesday night before the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board meeting.
The city is consulting with several contractors to determine if epoxy can be used to fill the cracks in the sign, said Carol Costa, city spokeswoman. In October, the city said it would do the repairs in-house, rather than hire an outside contractor to do the nearly $20,000 worth of work required. But work never began.
Meanwhile, everyone who drives by can see the crack between the words.
"It makes the city look bad when it says it's beautifying the community," said community activist Murray Luther, the sign's primary champion.
The 2-year-old sign at Hawai'i Kai Drive and Kalaniana'ole Highway faces commuters as they enter the community. The part of the sign that reads "Hawai'i Kai" is pulling apart in the middle and hairline cracks are appearing around the words, despite being held in place by 4-inch-round pillars anchored in the lava rock foundation.
The sign is topped with a concrete sail.
The city has determined that the cracks are from vandals pushing or sitting on the sail.
Phone calls to the sign's designers, Wimberly, Allison, Tong and Goo, were not returned.
Luther believes that the cracking is caused by "a goof in the construction." He said everywhere he goes people ask him about "his sign," a project he proposed for the city's vision process as a way to build community pride.
"It's obvious it was a political plum," Luther said. "They designed it and then walked away. Who's ever hiring these people are not being held responsible for their work."
The sign has been plagued with problems ranging from construction delays to rocks that were the wrong color. The sign was initially facing the wrong direction and needed adjustment. And the 'okina or diacritical mark in the word "Hawai'i" was originally an apostrophe that had to be corrected. The designers bore the cost of those fixes.
Menendez, also a newly elected member of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board, said he is trying to get the city to agree to let the community help fix the sign. Residents had volunteered to do the work so the city would not incur additional costs.
"The community wants the work done right, but not at an extra cost," Luther said. "The sign is an example of how the city didn't look at the contract carefully. It didn't dot the I's or cross the T's."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
