The vibrations from the Waimanalo construction site were so bad last year that neighbors found small cracks appearing in their outdoor retaining walls, interior surfaces, concrete pads and a few windows.
One homeowner had to replace his 2-month-old water heater, which cracked and began leaking.
As work crews used an excavator to pound and break up boulders and a vibrating drum to compress fill material, in some cases less than 30 feet from homes, pictures fell off walls, items toppled from shelves and the houses themselves shook, according to residents on Poalima and Mekia streets, which run along one boundary of the 7-acre job site.
The construction at the planned Department of Hawaiian Home Lands housing project, Kakaina, also contributed to flooding after heavy rain. With grading at the site altered and the property stripped of vegetation, one October downpour overwhelmed temporary flood-control measures, sending a mix of water, crushed coral and silt into the neighborhood.
After a November storm the area flooded again.
Residents in the densely packed community adjacent to the construction site say they have suffered for months from excessive noise, dust, vibrations and, during heavy rain, storm runoff. They blame the contractor, Paradigm Construction, and DHHL.
"It’s been unbearable," said Gideon Kaonohi Jr., 69, a retired construction worker whose Poalima Street home at some spots is less than 20 feet from where the rock pounding and ground compacting were done as recently as December.
As he described the vibrations that shook his home, Kaonohi walked around his property last week, showing where hairline cracks appeared along his retaining wall and in a concrete pad near the back of his home. He also pointed to the new water heater he bought to replace his cracked one.
Kaonohi’s frustration took a new turn during the recent Presidents Day weekend.
A portion of the large dust screen, including heavy wooden beams, that surrounds the construction site collapsed and fell onto Kaonohi’s retaining wall and the edge of his roof. That was the second time since construction began in 2012 that part of the dust screen collapsed onto neighboring properties along Poalima Street.
Several residents told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser they don’t object to DHHL’s effort to develop more homestead lots for its Native Hawaiian beneficiaries, some of whom have waited decades for leases.
The Waimanalo development eventually will have 45 residential lots.
"We’re not against the project," said Andrew Jamila Jr., 57, who is part-Hawaiian, "but they have to respect the homes already here." Bedroom closet doors in Jamila’s Poalima Street residence no longer close because of what he suspects has been foundation settling from the recent flooding.
In written responses to Star-Advertiser questions, DHHL spokesman Puni Chee said the agency and its contractors have kept the community informed throughout the planning and construction process, including discussing the project at multiple neighborhood board meetings, holding monthly meetings at the job site and mailing six newsletters since November.
DHHL and the contractors have attempted as much as possible to anticipate and mitigate potential problems, according to Chee.
"Some complaints, such as noise and dust, are to be expected with any construction project," he wrote. "The contractor has taken steps to minimize the effects but cannot eliminate them entirely."
Based on residents’ concerns about potential traffic problems, DHHL changed the completed design for the subdivision to remove a planned entry on Poalima Street. Residents were told the new design would eliminate planned off-site drainage improvements that would have helped address pre-existing flooding conditions, according to Chee.
The change, which involved submitting new plans to the city, also created "an unanticipated delay in the resumption of construction during which high winds and torrential rains buffeted the partially completed construction site," he wrote.
Major work on the project, expected to be completed in November, is on hold while the agency awaits final approval from the city on the new design.
"Had the department not agreed to be a good neighbor and redesign the project, the project would most likely be completed by now," Chee said. "However, in deference to our neighboring residents, DHHL’s attempt to accommodate their wishes ultimately created other unforseen impacts."
After the first flood was reported in October, the contractor reinforced an earthen berm, added a second one, installed two silt fences and cleaned adjacent lots, he wrote. A concrete drainage ditch along the boundary at Poalima has since been completed and should keep runoff from future storms from flowing into the intersection of Poalima and Mekia, Chee added.
The names of residents with project-related claims have been provided to the contractor’s insurance company, he wrote.
Chee said Paradigm Construction has inspected the dust barrier, which was never expected to remain up this long, and removed posts or screens that appeared to be potential problems.
"The department believes that it has done its due diligence and continues to try to be a good neighbor and complete the project as expeditiously as possible pending the final approvals from the city," Chee said.
Kaonohi, the retired construction worker, and Jamila, also in construction, said they know how ongoing projects can affect surrounding communities.
But workers at the Kakaina project have needlessly created excessive noise, dust and other adverse effects by speeding on the site, slamming tailgates on dump trucks and performing other acts that normally wouldn’t be tolerated, they said.
They cited one example in which boulders were pounded on the site closest to the Poalima Street homes, rather than in the middle of the property or on the opposite side where no homes are nearby.
Kaonohi said he believes the workers are angry because the homeowners successfully stopped an initial plan that would have allowed work to be done Monday through Saturday, enabling the workers to earn plenty of overtime. After residents complained, DHHL cut back the daily work hours and eliminated Saturdays from the schedule.
A Paradigm official said the company’s contract requires it to refer any media inquiries to DHHL.
Said Chee, "DHHL takes claims like these very seriously and, if substantiated, will take corrective action."
The homeowners have hired a lawyer but have not filed a lawsuit.
As word of the residents’ plight spread, Kaonohi said, they received unsolicited checks totaling more than $40,000 from about 30 people outside the neighborhood. All were upset with DHHL, he added.
Kaonohi said he wrote thank-you letters to each donor but returned the checks, cut in thirds. The homeowners didn’t want the money to create potential conflicts of interest, he said.
State Sen. Laura Thielen, whose district includes Waimanalo, said she was distressed by how DHHL officials have overseen the project. "They are not managing their contractor well," she said.
Leilani Huybrechts, 49, who has lived on Poalima Street for three years, said her yard has flooded three times since the Kakaina construction began. The first time, she said, was a mess, with crushed coral and mud flowing onto her property, all but killing her newly landscaped lawn. She still has a mold problem underneath her home.
But while Huybrechts agreed that DHHL and the contractor have not adequately addressed many of the residents’ concerns, she expects her situation to be satisfactorily resolved, based on what the contractor has told her.
"In my case, I’m a squeaky wheel," she said.
