Civic Center Parking Job Still In Talks
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Del.icio.usLand has been leveled for Kaneohe Civic Center’s new parking lot, but it remains unfinished as library staff and patrons anticipate yet another fall soccer season with no relief for their undersized lot.
The latest delay apparently stems from Oahu’s age-old city/state hangup.
“I’ve been told it’s somewhere between the state Attorney General’s office and the city Corporation Counsel,” said library manager Tom Churma, noting that both city and state property is involved, and they have to agree on liability and maintenance. The expansion is many years overdue, he added.
Located below the present lot and bordering Kaneohe Stream, the project calls for 21 stalls (nearly doubling the present lot), an accessible path to the soccer field and restroom, and a driveway linking the two.
Planner Terry Hildebrand acknowledged last month that the city Department of Design and Construction was “still waiting to resolve minor legal technicalities” on a revision to the city/state memorandum. Issues include the right of entry, shared space for park and library users, and an easement from the state.
The heavily used Kaneohe Civic Center Neighborhood Park was put in decades ago, but without dedicated parking. Soccer teams practicing there are asked not to use the existing library lot next to the field. Uphill from the park and library are other civic facilities with few public stalls to offer: the police station and state extension offices fronting Waikalua Road.
The challenging design/build job is contracted to James C. Glover Construction Inc., which was supposed to break ground in October of 2001. Prior to design changes and slow-moving memos, it was expected to take six months to complete and cost the city $350,000. According to DDC director Clifford Lau, it now will cost $997,000.
“It’s been a long process and a difficult site to develop on a limited budget,” Lau admitted. “But once the memo is signed, the contractor can start immediately.”
“We are still hammering out the memorandum, but we’re pretty close to agreement,” added Keith Fujio, public library administrative services director, noting that the library will lose four original stalls to make way for the driveway to the new lot.
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