The city has closed the Police Department's Chinatown substation to allow construction crews to clean out lead-based paint residue in the basement and waterproof the walls to prevent molding.

City spokesman Bill Brennan said the weeklong $28,000 project also will include removal of arsenic. Brennan said a survey of the building found an old pest-control substance called Paris Green, which contained arsenic, had been used in the basement. The waterproofing will be applied next week after the station reopens, he said.

Police spokeswoman Michelle Yu said the building has been closed because the air conditioning had to be shut off during the work so the lead particles are not spread.

"The building is not being shut down as a (safety) precaution, but they are doing it because it would be miserable to work there without air conditioning," Yu said.

In March, the State of Hawai'i Organization of Police Officers asked the department to transfer all officers out of the Chinatown substation because of concerns about the possible presence of lead, asbestos and mold.

The state Department of Health inspected the building and found water leaks in a conference room and peeling paint, which could be lead based, in the basement but no asbestos, according to Health Department supervisor Jeff Eckerd.

Based on the age of the building and the materials used, the DOH recommended that the city repair the water leaks and remove the lead paint.

"When lead paint is left undisturbed, it's not as much of a problem," Eckerd said. "But because they are going to be doing some sort of removal, they will be disturbing it."

The Chinatown substation, at the corner of Maunakea and North Hotel streets, opened in May 2000. It has workspace for District 1 patrol officers, detectives and foot patrol officers. It also has an area for civilian volunteers to monitor security cameras that were installed in Chinatown in the summer of 1998.

Lt. Alex Garcia, chairman of SHOPO's O'ahu chapter, said he is surprised by the closing of the substation because the union was told there was no lead in the building.

"We are concerned about the lead," Garcia said. "We thought there was asbestos, but we were told that stuff was tested and they came back with no negative results."

District 1 acting Capt. Owen Harada said the work is being done is the basement where officers don't work anyway. Harada said the substation is expected to reopen Monday or Tuesday.

All the computers and security cameras also have been turned off, he said.

When it opened, the $3.5 million Chinatown substation was touted by police as a way to provide better access to the community, faster response time and serve as a home base for dozens of officers. The two-level station occupies two renovated buildings, one of which had been seized by the federal government in a gambling investigation.

Harada said the closure will not affect police coverage in the area and patrols will continue as normal.

In the meantime, he said people that need to conduct business with police should go to the main police station at 801 S. Beretania St. For an emergency, residents should call 911.

Lynne Matusow, chairwoman of the Downtown Neighborhood Board, said the police presence in Chinatown has been a benefit for the community, but this type of work should have been done before the building opened.

"I think it is unfortunate, but it is necessary for the safety of the people who work there," Matusow said.