Sewer, gas, electrical lines obstruct work on drainage

Question: Perfecto Engineering and Construction Services was contracted by the city to do construction on Lokahi Street, behind the Boys & Girls Club and Washington Middle School. The work starts, it dies, it starts, it dies. The project is idle again, but they’ve got all these pipes taking up a lot of space on the street where there is not a lot of parking. The last time they came was July. Since then, nothing. Can you let us know what’s going on?

Answer: It’s not known yet when work on Lokahi Street will resume.

Work to install 281 linear feet of drain line and drainage inlets was halted initially after “sewer lateral conflicts” were discovered during initial probing of the area, a city official said.

The “conflicts” refer to the discovery of unrecorded underground sewer pipes that now need to be relocated, said Collins Lam, director of the city Department of Design and Construction.

After resolving several of the problems, the contractor discovered additional gas and electrical conflicts during excavation, he said.

As a result, the following work needs to be done:

>> The existing sewer lateral pipes servicing the Boys & Girls Club will be relocated to avoid conflicts with the proposed drain line.

>> The proposed drain line will need to be moved three feet to avoid conflict with the existing gas line.

>> The existing electrical duct that was discovered will need to be lowered to allow clearance for the proposed drain line.

The city is awaiting a proposal from Hawaiian Electric Co. for the required electrical duct relocation.

“Once we receive the proposal, we will issue a change order for the contractor to address the changes,” Lam said.

There is no restart date yet, “but we will do what we can to expedite the work once we receive HECO’s proposal,” he said. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience that our project has caused to the area residents and traveling public and we will do everything possible to restart the project.”

The Lokahi Street work is part of a four-part, $390,769 drainage improvement project being done by Perfecto Engineering.

Lam said it’s not yet known how much the change orders will cost.

Question: I read your newspaper’s article on the University of Hawaii Board of Regents voting on tuition increases. How do I receive notices on the board’s agenda items and how can I submit testimony on future proposals?

Answer: Board of Regents meetings are posted online at www.hawaii.edu/offices/ bor/, as well as on the state’s calendar at https://calendar. ehawaii.gov.

Notices of meetings of all state boards and commissions, including the regents, must be posted at least six days in advance, said UH spokeswoman Lynne Waters. Complete agendas are also posted.

At every regular meeting, the board includes time for public testimony, Waters said. Those who testify are limited to a maximum of three minutes and testimony must be related to an item on the agenda for that meeting.

People can sign up in advance to testify by email (bor@hawaii.edu), phone (956-8213), fax (808-956-5156) or letter (Board of Regents, 2444 Dole St., Room 209, Honolulu, HI 96822), or sign up at the meeting.

People can also submit written testimony by email or fax.

MAHALO

To a couple who helped after I had a flat tire on the H-1 freeway, Koko Head-bound, just past the Palama Street overpass, the morning of Oct. 8. My jack couldn’t lift my pickup high enough to get the spare tire on. A passerby saw me and his wife directed him to get off the freeway and go around the block to return to help me. After some jury-rigging by him we were able to get the spare on. Due to my rush to get to my grandson’s football game, I forgot to get my rescuer’s name, but wanted to express my gratitude. —– Ernest Suemoto/Mililani

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