County Council approved an audit of Kaua‘i’s multi-use path last night, which will look into how the project has been carried out to date. As a result, the state auditor will examine expenditures, permitting and compliance with grant requirements among
County Council approved an audit of Kaua‘i’s multi-use path last night, which will look into how the project has been carried out to date.
As a result, the state auditor will examine expenditures, permitting and compliance with grant requirements among other aspects of the plan to build a route from Nawiliwili to Anahola for pedestrians and bicyclists. The path has long been under construction, though there remain uncompleted segments.
The council’s 4-3 vote followed lengthy and divisive discussion among members as to whether further delaying the project would prove beneficial.
“I hope this audit will expose the truth,” said Councilman Mel Rapozo, who chairs the Public Works Committee and has championed the audit.
Rapozo said State Auditor Marion Higa will be tasked with determining the scope of the audit, which is not strictly financial in nature.
While discussing the issue, Councilwoman Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho cited numerous questions about failures and inconsistencies in the path’s design and construction, including its impact on monk seal habitat, placement near eroding shoreline and obstruction of views.
“Hopefully we can find the most economical way to continue building the bike path” and ensure it is preserved well into the future, she said.
Council Chair Kaipo Asing also supported the audit, saying he has little doubt that it will help the process, not hurt it.
“I believe we can learn from the audit,” he said.
But Councilman Tim Bynum voiced strong concerns about the delays that have held up the project, saying an audit would only further emphasize the past at the expense of the bike path’s future.
“I cannot support an audit that I feel, at this point, is unnecessary,” Bynum said, noting that the state auditor will likely be fully occupied with Superferry-related reviews in the near future.
Councilman Jay Furfaro, who joined Bynum and Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura in opposing the measure, said he preferred to focus on an ongoing audit of a Kilauea gym project. Furfaro said he expects that review, begun last year, to produce similar findings that could be applied to the path project.
“I’m not sure the bike path is the biggest need (for an audit) at this point,” he said.
In the interest of full discolsure, Furfaro noted that his daughter served as the lead designer on the project and that the criticism from council has been difficult to hear, though not the reason behind his vote.
Community members also had mixed feelings. Critics, such as Kapa‘a resident Thomas Noyes, say an audit could derail the alternative transportation project with added costs and delays.
But supporters, including Glenn Mickens of Kapa‘a, argue the process would legitimize the project and assess the path’s worth to the community.
The second public information meeting on the preparation of an environmental assessment for the Nawiliwili-Civic Center-Ahukini phase will be from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday at the War Memorial Convention Hall.
The community will be invited to ask questions and make comments on alignment preferences during the meeting, according to a news release from Public Communication Project Consultant Roxanne MacDougall.
This phase is unique in that it will be more triangular than linear, the release says.
In addition to connecting Nawiliwili Park with Ahukini Landing, the path will provide alternative transportation to and from the heart of Lihu‘e by including the county Civic Center as a primary destination.
This approach will enhance non-motorized access to the governmental and business hub of Lihu‘e, as well as provide safe access to the path system for residents, the press release states.
The first public meeting, June 26, included a review of the scope of work, a visual tour of potential routes, a mapping exercise for participants and an opportunity to address questions and receive comments from community members.
Based on consultant research and public feedback, some potential path segments include Umi Street to Ahukini Road, the previously planned Ka’ana Street extension from the Kapule Highway to Hardy Street, and segments of Rice, Puaole, Malae and Hoolako streets.
Nawiliwili Gulch has been considered as an alternate route from the harbor area up to Lihu‘e, the release says, but logistical and financial challenges may prevent the inclusion of this segment in the current project.
RM Towill representatives are also working with the county to coordinate the bike path project work with the county’s Lihu’e Urban Design Guidelines project, now in process, and with the Lihu‘e Civic Center Master Plan, in its draft environmental assessment phase.
• Blake Jones, business writer/assistant editor, contributed to this report.
