Owner of burned house fined for not cleaning up

Question: There’s a house on the makai, Diamond Head corner of Bates and Bachelot streets that burned over a year ago. The house is still there and is an attractive nuisance for the kids in the neighborhood. Aren’t owners of these damaged properties supposed to tear them down because they’re a threat to public health and safety? I hope that something can be done about taking it down.

Answer: The fire at 1937 Bachelot St. occurred in December 2011, killing 77-year-old Karen Chikamori.

Not only is the charred house still standing, but the property is also completely covered in overgrowth.

That situation has not escaped the attention of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, but efforts to have the structure razed and property cleaned have been stymied by the homeowner’s death.

The department issued its first Notice of Violation for the overgrowth of grass and weeds on the property in April 2013, according to records.

A Notice of Violation also was issued for a violation of Chapter 16, Section 115.1, of the Building Code, regarding the heavily damaged home, which is considered a safety hazard, said DPP Deputy Director Art Challacombe.

After Chikamori’s death, the property was placed under a trustee, who was told to obtain a building permit to repair the dwelling or demolish the structure. The trust was given 30 days to correct the overgrowth violation and 60 days to correct the unsafe dwelling violation, Challacombe said.

The trustee requested and was granted two extensions to correct the violations.

When the violations were not corrected, DPP issued Notices of Order (the step before fines are issued) for the overgrowth and damaged structure on Jan. 17, Challacombe said.

The trustee then was given until Feb. 17 to pay a $50 fine and correct the violations or daily fines of $50 would be assessed, he said.

As of last check on Aug. 18, fines for each of the violations were $9,050, for a total of $18,100.

However, Challacombe said that his department was not aware that on Jan. 14, a Circuit Court judge granted Chikamori’s daughter a request to remove the estate’s trustee and name her as head of the trust.

"Because of the change in trusteeship, and to be fair to the new trustee who lives on the mainland," Challacombe said, the department on Aug. 11 reissued the two Notices of Violations.

If the overgrowth violation isn’t corrected within 30 days of that notice, or by mid-September, a new Notice of Order will be issued.

Meanwhile, a new Notice of Order will be issued for the damaged structure if that violation isn’t corrected in 60 days, Challacombe said.

Once the violations are corrected, he said the department will address any fines that have accrued.

Mahalo

To a man and his son for helping me when my motorcycle broke down on the H-1 freeway back in June. I was stuck in the left lane between Punahou Street and the Lunalilo Street onramp. Imagine trying to push a bike twice your weight across four lanes of speeding freeway traffic! Not only did the man create a path with his truck by blocking oncoming traffic as I pushed my way to the shoulder, he also helped me push it off the freeway to a parking spot. I am glad to see the aloha spirit is alive and well. — Jane

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