COM 0669.002 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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final subdivision approval or any development. People familiar with the makai side of Kawailani Street have long suffered roadway flooding and detours in heavy rains. Only in the last ten years have we seen similar flooding and closure of Kahaopea Street. The developer's plot plan for the area does not show the topography of the parcel. Most of the makai side is a good 5 to ten feet lower than the highway and in a flood zone. When Margaret Hirose used the property for the Hirose Nursery, the back portion was used for trees, such as bananas, that would thrive in flood prone areas. On May 10, 2012, Councilman Dennis Onishi and Kelly Gomes of DPW visited the site and we (myself and Russell Doi, Margaret Hirose's grandson) walked thri the property, showing the elevation changes, the low spots, the flood areas and a large (approximate 5-foot or more diameter) culvert that empties water from under Kanoelehua Avenue onto the back of the Doi property. In heavy rains and runoff, this water connects and floods the lower areas up to five feet deep. In fact the Doi children used to take their father's rowboat onto the flooded property. The Doi homes sit about five to eight feet higher than this flood area. Mr. Gomes showed us the flood maps; however, they do not correctly reflect the actual flood areas that exist today. Mr. Gomes explained that there are the official maps they must go by, even though we showed him where the flooding areas now are. The flood maps do not even snow the large (5-foot+) culvert under the highway onto the back of the Doi property. A map showing its location is marked with a circle on the attached Salazar's Exhibit D. When Mr. Higashi grubbed the property in the early 2000's, his workers pushed the grubbed material into the drainage canal that borders the makai side of his property. I do not believe he had a grubbing permit. When the old hospital was demolished to make way for the Okutsu Veterans Home, in 2002 or 2003, Mr. Higashi had the old hospital rubble dumped onto his property; the material was mostly old concert with rebar sticking out. I understand the Department of Health told Mr. Higashi to remove the rebar. I recall a crusher was brought onto the site and was used in an apparent attempt to remove the rebar, but that equipment broke. The workers did not remove the rebar, but merely walked around the cut off exposed rebar with torches. As the land has settled, there is more rebar exposed. Some vegetation also hides the rebar, but it is there. The grubbing and dumping changed the elevation of the upper part of the Hirose property and created runoff onto the Doi Property. Rather than drain onto the back, the runoff would go down the driveway and easement onto the Doi Property. Mr. Higashi was made aware of this but made no changes. Russell had to move the piles of rubble so that the water no longer drained onto his parents' property. As I testified at the Planning Committee on May 1, 2012, I have lived next to the old Hirose Nursery for 25 years and have seen the back areas flood up to the back steps of the two homes there. This is not unusual. I once had to rescue a goat tied to the low spot and had to walk in water up to my neck on the old Hirose property to lead the animal out. 3