STAR-BULLETIN /NOVEMBER 2002 On Hawaii Kai Drive, boulders fell and damaged two cars of Sione Galvez in November. Galvez stands in background with the rock still sitting atop one of his cars.

Hawaii Kai gets
plan for boulders

Geologists propose erecting
cable netting to secure the area

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By Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com

Geologists have proposed installing cable netting over large boulders in an area prone to rock slides above the Lalea townhouse subdivision in Hawaii Kai.

Earth Tech Inc. hired by landowner Kamehameha Schools, proposed the plan, which could cost $3 million.

Representatives of developer Castle & Cooke Hawaii and the attorney for the Association of Apartment Owners of Lalea at Hawaii Kai have hired experts to conduct their own assessments. A meeting is expected to discuss the information collected once the assessments have been made.

"We're open-minded about it," said Neil Hannahs, director of the land assets division for Kamehameha Schools. "If somebody can find a better option, we're all interested in that."

Work is expected to start in February if mesh is selected by all organizations, Kamehameha Schools spokesman Kekoa Paulson said. The installation of mesh is expected to take six to eight months to complete.

"The safety of people at Lalea is the highest priority," said Paulson.

Geologists reported a total of 17 boulders that pose "immediate potential risk."

Under the proposal, large boulders will be caged with heavy cable netting with 12-inch squares. The cable will then be covered with netting with four-inch squares. An additional cable netting with 12-inch squares will then be overlaid to reinforce the area.

Paulson said the proposal also calls for boulders to be pulverized to reduce the threat. Officials will decide whether to keep them in place or remove them in pieces, Paulson said.

Boulders damaged two cars at Lalea during a rainstorm on Thanksgiving night. On Dec. 6 residents of 26 units in buildings 7130 and 7168 were advised to immediately evacuate because of the possibility that massive boulders could smash into their homes.

"They're anxious and concerned," said attorney Philip Nerney, who represents the homeowners' association. "I think it's necessary that a tangible process be seen in the near term."

Paulson said, "I think coming to a solution as quickly as possible is in everyone's interest. But we want to make sure that the leaders of our representing organizations get the information they need to make the right decision."

Nerney requested geologist J. David Rogers assess the area and review Kamehameha Schools' proposal. Rogers is expected to arrive in Honolulu today and plans to meet with geologists from Earth Tech Inc. tomorrow. Castle & Cooke also hired an expert from Canada to do an assessment of the hillside, said spokesman Doug Carlson.

Currently, three families remain at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, nine families are staying with relatives and 14 families are residing at temporary housing.