Excess trash means longer cleanup time at derelict lot

Encountering more trash and rubbish than expected, a private contractor will need more time to clear a dilapidated Kaimuki home abandoned by its owner and deemed unsanitary and a fire and health hazard by city officials.

Neighbors have complained for nearly two dec­ades about rats, cockroaches and smells of urine and feces on the 2nd Avenue property. Cleanup began Tuesday at the 2,400-square-foot lot situated about one block makai of Waialae Avenue. While officials initially expected the job to wrap up Friday, work is now slated to continue until Tuesday.

Curtis Lum, spokesman for the city Department of Planning and Permitting, said a seven-member crew from Pacific Junk Removal was unable to enter the interior of the house at 1115 2nd Ave. during the first few days of work and will need a few more days to complete its contract.

“We weren’t able to get into the house until Thursday, and when we did, there was more trash than what was anticipated,” Lum said.

The contractor reported finding piles of compacted trash, essentially filling the house and nearly reaching the ceiling.

City officials said that since the cleanup began there have been reports about homeless individuals camping out in the house overnight, and people have been spotted dumping trash on the property.

More police patrols have been requested for the work site.

Art Challacombe, DPP deputy director, said, “We’re disappointed that some people continue to use this property as a public dump site and place to camp out.”

He added, “In addition to the increased police patrols, we’re asking neighbors to watch out for illegal and suspicious activities at the home and to call 911.”

As of Thursday, Pacific Junk, working under a $9,492 DPP contract, had hauled away 10.67 tons of trash and rubbish, including metals and electronics. The company is averaging about three truckloads a day.

Under a Circuit Court warrant approved July 9, the city has until Aug. 6 to complete the cleanup.

On Thursday, workers made their way into the single-story wooden structure to clean hallways, windows and doors, clearing a path for people entering and exiting the house. When the interior’s clutter is removed and the rooms are cleaned, windows and doors will be boarded up and sealed.

The cleanup is being monitored by police and a building inspector.

On Tuesday, Challacombe said the operation was made possible, in part, by a law adopted by the City Council last year that gave officials the authority, under a court order, to hire a vendor and clean up properties considered to be a health and fire hazard and in violation of building codes.

On June 30 the city requested a preliminary injunction and a warrant to enter and clean the home and property owned by Laura Matsuzaki. She was served with the order by police before a July 6 court hearing but failed to attend.

The city’s complaint said Matsuzaki’s 2nd Avenue property is “a public nuisance” under the city’s building code and that “disorderly storage of combustible materials on the property” is a violation of Honolulu’s fire code.

The complaint said the Kaimuki property is littered with plastic containers, plastic bags, broken fans, car mats, broken and discarded furniture, scraps of cloth, cans, bottles, stuffed animals, broken electronic devices, magazines, newspapers, dead plants and trash.

Circuit Judge Jeannette Castagnetti granted the injunction and the warrant three days later.

In her five-page order, Castagnetti also said mold, the odor of urine and feces, and infestation of rats and cockroaches on the property also constitute a “public nuisance.”

Challacombe said Matsuzaki was issued her first building and fire code violation notice in 2008, and she has not responded to repeated attempts by city officials to contact her through relatives or service providers. Matsuzaki has accumulated fines that now amount to $198,000 and continue to grow.

City officials said the property taxes are current through last year, but there is no longer electrical or water service.