Oahu park contractor
under investigation

Prosecutors allege
the architect made an
illegal contribution

City prosecutors are investigating the city's handling of a $1.24 million design contract for a Central Oahu swimming complex as part of their long-running criminal probe into the awarding of nonbid city contracts to donors to Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign.

Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint on Nov. 9 in Honolulu District Court against the president of the design firm, Maurice Kondo of INK Architects Inc., alleging that Kondo made a political donation under a false name to Harris' political campaign.

The misdemeanor charge was issued the day before the Prosecutor's Office convened an investigative grand jury hearing.

Kondo declined comment on the criminal complaint, saying he had not yet been served. But he confirmed that prosecutors have questioned him about his firm's design contract for the $12.3 million Central Oahu Aquatics Center at the Central Oahu Regional Park.

Kondo, who said he was not subpoenaed to appear before the grand jury, said he recently met with a Honolulu police investigator to discuss the selection process for the contract.

Kondo said he didn't "know what happened behind closed doors," but he said all of his dealings with the city "was done by the book."

Prosecutors declined comment.

Bill McCorriston, Harris' attorney, denied any link between campaign contributions and city contracts, saying the mayor long ago initiated procedures in the city that eliminated political influence in the selection process.

McCorriston criticized prosecutors for spending "a substantial amount of resources" for an investigation that is "not bearing fruit because there is no wrongdoing to be uncovered."

The Central Oahu Aquatics Center is a swimming complex being built in the $45 million Central Oahu Regional Park. The Aquatics Center, which is next to the park's tennis complex, includes an Olympic-sized pool and state-of-the-art locker room facilities.

City records examined by the Star-Bulletin show that INK Architects was awarded a $750,000 design contract on Aug. 22, 2002. The contract was amended twice this year, increasing the value of the work to $1.24 million.

A Feb. 26, 2002, memo from former city Department of Design & Construction Director Rae Loui rated INK Architects as the top candidate for the job ahead of competitors Bill Chang Architect LLC and Group 70 International Inc.

The memo also was signed by Parks Director William Balfour, Loui's predecessor Randall Fujiki and former Budget Director Caroll Takahashi, who are members of a special city committee that rates the qualification of city contractors.

Balfour testified before the grand jury, while Takahashi was subpoenaed but was not called to testify.

Kondo, who said he was an acquaintance of city Managing Director Ben Lee, said a Honolulu Police Department investigator asked him whether he had the freedom to select his own subcontractors.

Kondo said his firm hired its own consultants for the job, including a local civil engineering firm, a local structural engineer and St. Louis, Mo.-based pool consultant Counsilman/Hunsaker & Associates.

Kondo added that his firm is not a major donor to the Harris campaign. Filings with the state Campaign Spending Commission show that relatives of company officers contributed $7,150 to the Harris campaign between 1999 and 2001.

"It had nothing to do with campaign contributions," Kondo said. "They're looking for something on our end, but there's nothing there."