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Road closing hurts
businesses, workers
The flow of tourists has
shrunk since a rock hazard
split the North ShorePrincipals are proud of students
By Mary Adamski
Star-BulletinFewer tourists has led to layoffs and cutbacks for North Shore workers since the March 6 landslide at Waimea Bay that cut off the only road that connects Sunset Beach/Pupukea area to Haleiwa.
"If tourism isn't back soon to where it was, a lot of those jobs won't be there for people to go back to," said Howard Green, owner of the North Shore Marketplace in Haleiwa.
Green spoke last night at a public meeting in Haleiwa at which state officials briefed about 200 residents and businessmen about efforts to build a bypass road, whittle back the unstable cliff face and make emergency transportation arrangements for students and commuters.
It was a smaller crowd with less heated reaction than a Thursday gathering at Sunset Beach, probably because some Department of Transportation initiatives are underway. Kiewit Pacific workers began Sunday to lay a gridwork of honeycomb plastic for the roadbed expected to be finished by Friday.
Gov. Ben Cayetano's chief of staff, Sam Callejo, told the crowd that the contractor will start to set lines down the cliff tomorrow to prepare for workers to rappel down and scrutinize the unstable rock face. "By the first of next week, they will start removing rock," he said. City bus service and a free shuttle service will also be expanded, residents were told.
State Department of Transportation Director Kazu Hayashida and highways administrator Pericles Manthos brought along a battery of experts to answer questions, including Army, Army Corps of Engineers, state Department of Defense and State Civil Defense officials. Elected officials were there, including state Sen. Robert Bunda (D,Wahiawa, North Shore), state Rep. Alex Santiago (D,Waialua, Kahuku), Mayor Jeremy Harris and City Council member Rene Mansho. More than one speaker took the opportunity to give officialdom a scolding.
"It is incredible to me that it has taken this long," said Jimmy Cullen. "Back in the 1950s, I remember a landslide there. It was a no-brainer that something like this needed to be done all these years."Cullen said the emergency bypass road won't be sufficient if tour buses can't use it. "Businesses are losing a lot of business," he said, a theme that was often repeated.
"It's like the tap has been turned off," said Steve Paty, operator of a small business in Kahuku.
Tim Haverly of Haleiwa said "Haleiwa is still open. We need to get that word out. What we need is a Captain Haleiwa," he said, recalling a costumed roadside crusader against development of a fast-food business in Haleiwa.
Green, who is also the owner of Portofino Restaurant and North Shore Swimwear, said he has had to cut his employees' work hours by half. "Our revenues have dropped precipitously. We're going to do a lot of promotion to get business back."
He said that since the Waialua Sugar Co. closed, tourism is the major employer on the North Shore.
"This is a crushing blow to the small businesses who are just making it month to month."
Robert Fishman, executive of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, told the crowd that they should start planning an event for the road opening. "It is time to remind people to come up and celebrate the rebirth of this community. Let's make something happen here," said Fishman, promising the tourist bureau's help.
Several speakers were concerned that the removal of rock overhanging the road will threaten Hawaiian cultural sites such as the Puu O Mahuka Heiau and ancient burials.
"If they see anything that looks like Hawaiian artifacts, bones, ashes, anything, we told them to just stop," Callejo assured the crowd. He received a murmur of approval when he said a kahuna would be brought to bless the site before work begins.
Santiago told the crowd "We will get through this and we will be a stronger community. We will be proud of how we got through this together."
North Shore schools
By Crystal Kua
work together
Star-BulletinOne of the Kahuku High and Intermediate School students cut off from school because of last week's rockslide went up to Principal Lisa DeLong recently and explained why he's been making the inconvenient trek to campus each day.
"The boy told me, "I can't miss school. This is important. I wouldn't get the same level of education if I just picked up assignments,' " DeLong said. "There's just a commitment to be in school."
Waialua High and Intermediate Principal Aloha Coleman has heard the same sentiments from most of the 30 or so students affected by the closure of Kamehameha Highway.
In what could have been an optimal opportunity to skip school, students instead are trudging across sand, staying with relatives and friends and doing what they can to get to school.
"To me, that's healthy that they value their education. It's rewarding to see them putting out the effort," Coleman said.
DeLong said there are over 100 Kahuku High students affected by the road closure with about 85 making it to school and 55 going to Waialua High to pick up assignments.
Although some have been inconvenienced by the mishap, the school has continued to carry on, DeLong said. "Nothing ever really stopped. We are getting on with the business of teaching and learning. We didn't let that (rockslide) interfere with what we were doing."
She said the outpouring of support is characteristic of the community and its value on education. "It's the community that supports the students. It's almost like a family. You take care of the basic needs so that the student is prepared to learn."
Jim Frisbie, Sunset Beach Elementary counselor, said the majority of the 31 students who live on the other side of the road closure have been making into school but some special education programs may be affected.
"It's a brand new adventure. At this point, I see that although the community is upset, the community is really pulling together to try and deal with the inconveniences of the situation," Frisbie said.
There are teachers and staff at these schools also affected but other employees have been pitching in to be volunteer drivers and cooks for those whose commute is now two hours long.
"We know that we're going through a hard time but some have offered to cook dinner so that they don't have to drive two hours and then cook dinner," Coleman said.
Special bus schedules
Star-Bulletin staff
set up to help studentsA special school bus service will be available beginning tomorrow for public school students affected by the road closure.
For students heading to Sunset Beach Elementary, Kahuku Elementary and Kahuku High and Intermediate schools in the morning, buses will leave 6:15 a.m. from St. Michael's School in Waialua and Haleiwa Elementary and travel on Waialua Beach Road.
Once on Kamehameha Highway, the two buses will stop for other students at the Meadow Gold Dairy, across from Papailoa Road, across from Chun's Reef and at city bus stops along the route.
The buses will arrive at Waimea Bay Beach Park parking lot by 6:50 a.m. and students will cross the beach along the temporary walkway to a shuttle bus that will take them to either the Pupukea Foodland or Shark's Cove where regular school buses will take students to their respective schools.
The return trip will leave Kahuku High and Intermediate at 1:10 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2:25 p.m. on other school days. A second bus will leave Kahuku Elementary at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesdays and 2:10 p.m. on other days with additional pickups at Sunset Beach about 15 to 20 minutes later.
The second route will take students living in Pupukea to Haleiwa Elementary, Waialua Elementary School and Waialua High and Intermediate School. The school bus that normally serves Pupukea will begin its route earlier at 6 a.m. to a shuttle bus at the Pupukea Foodland which they will board at about 6:20 a.m. They will cross the beach at Waimea and board a waiting school bus at 6:50 a.m. to continue their trips to their respective schools.
The return bus will leave Waialua High and Intermediate at 1 p.m. Wednesdays and 2:10 p.m. on other school days. It will then pick up students at Waialua Elementary about 15 minutes later and then Haleiwa Elementary about five to 10 minutes after that.
The cost of the bus trip is 25 cents one way. Affected students who don't normally use the school bus service must show a regular school identification cards or apply for a special ID card at their school office. Identification will be required starting Monday.
Kahuku High and Intermediate Principal Lisa DeLong said once the bus service is in place, everything should begin to get back on track. "We're just asking them to hang tight," DeLong said.
