WAILUKU >> Castle & Cooke Resorts LLC on Lanai has filed a lawsuit charging that a civil engineering firm and others involved in landscaping used "inadequate drainage criteria" in developing the Manele and Koele golf courses and resort homes. Castle & Cooke files suit over
Lanai golf course landscapingThe lawsuit claims that "inadequate"
drainage caused January floodingBy Gary Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com
The company said on Jan. 29, 2002, water flooded areas of the resort, including the golf course and luxury homes at The Terraces at Manele Bay.
A two-bedroom, two-bath condominium unit at The Terraces, which is a smaller unit, has been sold at about $995,000, and the price of a two-bedroom with an office is close to $1.5 million, the company said.
Castle & Cooke said on Oct. 17, 2002, "substantial property damage" was sustained to the golf course, roads, hotel homes and other property in Manele and Koele.
The suit names as defendants Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd., Goodfellow Brothers Inc., Pacific Asian Design Group Inc., Walters Kimura Motoda Inc. and Puanani O Kula Inc.
Castle & Cooke said it entered into a contract with Belt Collins for civil engineering work in 1991 that included the golf course and residences at Manele. Company attorney Richard Mirikatani said the lawsuit was filed to preserve its rights, in the event it needed to take legal action to seek damages.
Mirikatani said the company is working with Belt Collins to make the changes necessary to ensure the flooding does not happen again. He said Castle & Cooke was focusing on fixing Manele, where the damage was more significant.
Other plaintiffs in the lawsuit, filed on Feb. 21, were the insurer Lexington Insurance Co. and Lanai Developers LLC.
Officials at Belt Collins, Pacific Asian Design, Walters Kimura Motoda and Goodfellow Bros. were unavailable for comment.
Kenneth Kato of Puanani O Kula declined to comment.