LIHU‘E — The answers for what caused construction work delays — and potential costs to the county — on the portion of the multi-use path on Papaloa Road, Wailua, will have to wait until next year, as the Kaua‘i County
LIHU‘E — The answers for what caused construction work delays — and potential costs to the county — on the portion of the multi-use path on Papaloa Road, Wailua, will have to wait until next year, as the Kaua‘i County Council rescheduled a briefing from the administration and set up a closed-door meeting with the county attorney on the issue.
On Wednesday, Council Chair Jay Furfaro, attending a request from Councilman Mel Rapozo, had set up agenda time to hear from the administration an explanation on construction errors that allegedly caused the portion of the Ke Ala Hele Makalae — the path that goes along the coast — on Papaloa Road to be delayed for months.
“I applaud Councilman Rapozo for continually monitoring the construction of this multi-use path,” Kapa‘a resident and self-described nitpicker Glenn Mickens said. “Neither he nor I are opposed to multi-user paths, but we are questioning the methodology by which this path has been pushed from the beginning.”
Once the item had been posted on the agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, a red flag came up from the County Attorney’s Office, according to Furfaro. He said he wanted to give County Attorney Al Castillo a moment to express his concerns with the matter, as there is an indication that it’s in litigation.
Castillo said that when looked at the agenda and read the item, his understanding was that the issues were contractual in nature.
“It’s ongoing, it’s occurring right now, and this is a contractual dispute,” he said. “It shouldn’t be discussed in open, this matter should be discussed in executive session.”
Castillo requested to the council to take the issue into executive session at a later date, when it could be posted appropriately.
Additionally, Castillo said County Engineer Larry Dill was out of the country, and it was uncertain if he would return by Jan. 4, the date suggested by Council Chair Jay Furfaro to re-post the item and schedule an executive session.
Furfaro said his plan was to take the issue on Jan. 4, regardless of Dill’s availability.
“Whatever has been raised … it got legal counsel’s attention to it,” Furfaro said. “Somebody must be well aware of; and exercising caution, we’ll go to (executive session) the fourth of January in the afternoon.”
Earlier this month, some business owners at Kinipopo Shopping Village, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was a construction mistake during the summer. They said construction was halted for at least six weeks, and when it resumed, they saw construction workers pouring cement over the already-built path.
About two weeks ago, when asked for more details on the issue, the majority of council members said they were unaware of a construction mistake in the area.
Councilman Tim Bynum was the only one who said he was aware of a construction error that had been already corrected. But he also said he was unsure of who was responsible for it.
Earlier this month, county officials declined comment on the issue, citing potential contract disputes, but confirmed the work, originally scheduled to be completed by Oct. 15, was postponed until January.
Despite declining comment, when asked how much the mistake would cost to the administration, county spokeswoman Mary Daubert said there would be “no cost to the county.”
Almost the entire portion of the path at Papaloa Road is completed, and is already being used by visitors and residents.
The area that still needs major construction is at the road’s south end, near the connection with the path’s next phase, which is currently planned to go alongside Wailua Beach and scheduled to begin in January.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@thegardenisland.com.
