Storm debris piling up at parks
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
Truckloads of branches and debris have accumulated in parks from a string of storms, taxing city crews that are operating shorthanded because of budget constraints as they try to clear the tangled mess.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Since the beginning of the year, winds toppled more than 300 large trees in parks, and hundreds more fell in streams, on roadways and structures, keeping city crews busy clearing the mess, city officials said. Now the city is focusing on parks, where dangerous areas are cordoned off and piles of debris wait for removal.
City worker Constante Delmendo ropes off what's left of a monkeypod tree knocked down by strong winds at Wahiawa District Park. The tree remains in the parking lot where it fell, but crews cut up enough of it so cars can pass.
At Kailua Beach Park, dying limbs hung precariously from several 30- to 40-foot trees on Monday as city workers sawed branches from another tree and tossed the pieces into a dump truck. One truck was filled from the work the crew did that morning, but workers said it was just a drop in the bucket compared to what needs to be done islandwide. About a dozen piles remain to be picked up, and yellow "warning" and red "danger" tape circled hazardous areas.
Kailua resident Bill Gaskey said he called the city a number of times to pick up the debris after spending several days putting branches in a pile. Gaskey said he thought there might be 15 more dump-truckloads to pick up and noticed children playing in the piles during the weekend.
"It's a dangerous situation," said Gaskey, 54.
Bill Balfour, director for the city Department of Parks and Recreation, said he was confident that most of the parks would be cleared by the end of the week.
"We got rid of all the emergencies, then went back and picked up the pieces," Balfour said. "We just chopped up and pushed it to the side and moved to the next one. We couldn't wait to pick it up. We had too many blocked driveways and roadways."
At Wahiawa District Park yesterday, most of a 50-foot monkeypod tree pushed over by the strong winds last week remained in the parking lot where it had fallen.
City crews had cut away enough of the tree to allow cars into the lot, but the lower 20 feet was still there along with about a dozen logs.
Shoppers at the open market walked around the mess, which was roped off with construction tape.
Crews have been working to clear parks in Mililani, Village Park, Waimanalo and Kane'ohe.
Balfour's crew was out in the rain in the middle of the night at the peak of the storms clearing fallen trees. They worked eight days of overtime including last weekend.
"We're not budgeted for overtime, but when those things happen we go," he said.
Bernice Brissette, who has lived in Kailua for 50 years and likes to walk in Kailua Beach Park, said the city was doing a good job and people need to be careful when they are walking.
"You have to keep watch," Brissette said, "because things can fall from the trees."
The state also is dealing with cleanup, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources, which manages state parks. She cited several problem areas that are still being cleared, including an old Norfolk pine that fell at Wahiawa State Recreation Area and branches scattered over the 'Aiea Loop Trail.
The tree was cut into pieces and offered to wood carvers; a prison work crew will clear the trail, which is still open, Ward said.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the city Department of Facility Maintenance would normally pick up the debris from roadways, but since the storms has had to focus on removing trees and debris from streams to prevent flooding.
That has forced parks crews to rid the roads of trees, branches and other debris, slowing their efforts to clear city parks.
A tight budget has slowed the cleanup because 29 percent of the department's jobs are vacant. "The (City) Council cut them $1 million last year and $1 million the year before, so we can't fill those positions," she said.
Parks along the Wai'anae Coast were spared much of the pile-up of storm debris affecting other parts of O'ahu.
Joe Thompson, a regular visitor to the park at Poka'i Bay, sat beneath a palm tree yesterday and stared at a 3-foot-high pile of branches at the edge of the parking lot.
"That pile has been there since the last time I was here about four days ago," he said.
Rick Polelia, who lives near the park, agreed.
"The city and county only picks up rubbish that's been bagged up," said Polelia, nodding toward 16 garbage bags of debris stacked around a nearby light post.
Staff writers James Gonser and Will Hoover contributed to this report. Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
