Odd venture contends with neighborhood board’s might

Thank goodness for neighborhood board meetings, those long, often boring, sometimes infuriating wrestling matches of cul de sac democracy where real people can wave their worries like flags, question government agencies and summon would-be commercial interests to appear before them and answer basic questions like, “Wait, whaaat???!!”

On Tuesday night, the principals of a fledgling operation called Hawaii Memorial Reefs were called to appear before the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board. Company President Richard Filanc had not responded to questions from my colleague Andrew Gomes or me, but there he was in person to explain his plan to sell burial plots in Maunalua Bay.

That’s not the way he would put it. Filanc would say that he’s working to build much-needed coral reefs with a plan that will finance the work without hitting up any government resources.

It’s an out-of-the-(pine)-box proposition, and one that has tiptoed through the opening steps of permit applications without much consultation with the Hawaii Kai community.

But then again, if your goal is to build a cemetery on the bottom of a beloved bay, letting the paddlers and old-time fishermen know about it is pretty tricky.

Hawaii Memorial Reefs wants to mix cremated remains with cement to form “reef balls” — 600- to 900-pound hollow structures with holes like a whiffle ball that will be sunk in about 40 to 60 feet of water.

The cloying euphemism used here is “loved one.”

So the family of the “loved one” will pay about $5,000 to put the ashes in a reef ball. When the ball is being cast, they can put their hand prints in the cement and add a bronze plaque.

Then, they hire a boat and go out on the bay for the “dedication ceremony,” where the reef ball is lowered into place, where it will possibly/probably attract algae and coral. The family gets the GPS coordinates of their loved one’s eternal resting place so they can visit it any time they want to.

The company’s website, hawaiimemorialreefs.com, had already been soliciting sales:

“We are currently accepting advance reservations for our projects on Oahu for 2016. Accommodations can be arranged at a discounted rate for the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Marriott Resorts, or at one of the area’s nearby luxury vacation condominiums. Dinner cruises can also be arranged to commemorate the dedication,” it read.

Representatives from the company backed away from that, though, telling the community that the website was just a “shell page” and that they weren’t actually taking reservations. A few days after the neighborhood board meeting, that section of the website was gone, as were specific mentions of Maunalua Bay.

The website also now directs visitors to hawaiireefproject.com, which downplays the commercial burial aspect and emphasizes the ecological virtues of rebuilding Hawaii’s reefs.

There is much to be said about this odd business endeavor, and much was said at the Wednesday meeting, but of note was the community’s power to tell a developer, “Hey, slow your roll and answer our questions.”

The Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board asked Hawaii Memorial Reefs to come back to answer more questions next month.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.