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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Paki Hale will reopen in 'a couple months'
Question: Paki Hale in Kapiolani Park was constantly in high demand for community meetings, but has been closed to the public for repairs for nearly four years. The Parks Department will offer a litany of excuses and reasons for the delay in reopening. Whether the closure was the result of the deficiencies of a $1.5 million renovation two administrations ago, and whether the work to rectify these deficiencies was begun during the last city administration, it falls on the present city administration to expeditiously make this needed facility once again available to the public. What is the status of this public facility?
Answer: We note you sent a letter to the editor (Star-Bulletin Letters to the Editor, Jan. 29), as well as to us, and we have an answer, albeit not a firm date of reopening.
Paki Hale, at 3840 Paki Ave., will be reopening "within the next couple of months," said Dana Takahara-Dias, deputy director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
The major holdup is completing work on the building's second-floor flooring, she said. The work involves replacing the old carpeting with commercial-grade tile.
In the meantime, Kapiolani Regional Park staff has been busy re-establishing the management office in Paki Hale's basement, which involves installing cable and phone lines, repairing plumbing in the kitchen and bathrooms, making minor electrical repairs and "completing a myriad of other small projects to assure the facility is ready for optimal use," Takahara-Dias said.
When it finally does happen, the reopening will come "after three years of hurdling many delays during the contracted renovations" to remedy Paki Hale's "water intrusion" problems, she said.
What happened was that after the project design for the building's renovation was completed in November 2003, but before the construction contract was awarded in February 2004, "several major water leaks occurred in the basement of the building," said Eugene Lee, director of the city Department of Design and Construction.
Those leaks resulted in mold growth in the ceiling space, which was not uncovered until construction began in June 2004, he said. That necessitated a change order "to mitigate the mold situation."
After the water/mold problem was dealt with, workers went on to repairs and renovations that were not part of the "water intrusion" contract.
The original contract for renovations was for $244,809; the revised contract came to $361,807, reflecting three change orders. Lee said the other two change orders were for replacement of termite-damaged doors and revision to some concrete work.
But the primary problem was the unanticipated water leaks and resulting mold growth, and not any deficiencies in previous renovations, he said.
Community groups interested in using the facility should call 971-2525 for more information.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers