Emergency roadwork Merchants at the Kailua Beach Center fear that scheduled sewer repairs on Kailua Road, the second such construction project in less than two years, will once again hurt businesses, this time during their busiest time of year.
worries merchants
Kailua businesses brace for another
round of possible customer detoursBy B.J. Reyes
breyes@starbulletin.com"When the whole thing turns into a construction site, people don't want to come here and shop," said Aidan Schmer, owner of Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks in the shopping center. "We're trying to protect our livelihood here."
Emergency repairs will begin soon on about 190 feet of 24-inch sewer line along Kailua Road from Aumoe Road to Kalaheo Avenue. Work is expected to wrap up by Aug. 13.
Beach center merchants say the roadwork, right in front of their shopping center, will drive customers away during peak business days.
"It's really going to affect the businesses if we close the road right now," said Molly Mosher-Cates, owner of Kaneohe Ranch Co.
Schmer added that July and August is when merchants prepare for the most business. Other businesses in the center include Lanikai Beachwear, Island Snow and Kailua Beach Restaurant."All these businesses depend on this period to carry them over for the rest of the year," he said. "This decision made between the city and the contractor is going to destroy that."
Merchants raised their concerns at a meeting yesterday with a city engineer and a representative of the contractor. They are seeking to have the repairs pushed back until at least Aug. 15.
Mike Diniega, an engineer with the city Department of Design and Construction, said the city is concerned that the road could collapse into a sinkhole. He told merchants that a camera placed in the sewer line to determine the extent of the damage showed that "the condition of the line is pretty bad."
Schmer suggested covering the affected area with steel plates until the busy period is over.
"We understand it has to be done," Schmer said. "All we're asking for is two weeks."
Rae Loui, director of the city Department of Design and Construction, said the merchants' concerns are being considered.
"We feel that it's an emergency. It could collapse at any time," she said. However, "we are looking at the additional cost to push (the repairs) back. Once I get that, we'll make a decision.
"We hear what they're saying, and we're doing our best."
Emergency sewer repairs began this week on a separate 175-foot, 36-inch sewer line along Kalaheo Avenue between Kaiholu Place and White Sands Place, city officials said in a news release.
Work is expected to last about two weeks.
Loui said the city determined the extent of the damage to the sewer lines in February, but the process of researching unobtrusive ways to fix the lines and putting the project up for bid pushed back the target repair dates until now.
Although the repairs do not require a trench to be opened, the project will result in lane closures with flagmen to direct traffic, the city said. Loui said contractors informed residents of the repair plans through posted signs and by going door to door.
But Schmer and other merchants said they received notice of the repairs just last week, two days before the project was to begin.
A similar sewer project that began in December 1999 also affected businesses last year.
Although that project lasted eight months and cost businesses thousands of dollars, it had the backing of merchants because they had been consulted and it was begun during a slower business period, Schmer said.