HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0164.016 1998-2000
Rem. Peter T. Young ro.- Waney Plalcchlo 0:.[e: 3/3/39 Ylme 9:5020 p Page ~ y
WAIMEA COMI'~~~ s~~~'Y' A~~S~oC{ATIO,N
°~ter 1~ ; ~ur!c~, Pteslden[
Post Office Boa e~G - I<amuela, Hawaii 967A3-
(608) 685-4200; FAX- (80E~ 3o5-~e6J, E-fNaiC ~.young(3~interpac-net
March 5, 1999
tv1embers of the Hawaii County Council i ;~~_rce Committee:
I am Peter Young; I am the President of iwcirnea Community Association. I also serve as
Chair of an ad hoc committee of the _ ,ri~munity Association that meets weekly in a
cooperative effort to mitigate impact ~~f ~,nstruc,ion on our community and to discuss
scheduling and other issues surrounding ii ,°.iamalahoc Highway improvement project nosy
underway in Waimea.
Ti,ough situated in the commercial corn r,~ ; /ain~~ea, this Is nor just a Waimea project. until a
bypass is constructed around Waimea, r.-;r_.n ic;lahoa Niahway remains the major route from
East to West Hawaii. It serves and ben_tia v~luclly everfone on the Big Island, whether they
are residents of Waimea, police, fire ar~d ~.a?ue ~~ehicles servicing the region, resorf workers
traveling from the Hamakua coast to So,.r; ~ r-~~~rala, residents and visitors going from one side
of the island to the other, truckers carryinr;~ ~_:.~uds io markets on the other side, school buses,
the Hele On Bus or even Council memL%~I 'r 7 ding to a meeting.
we strongly support and urge your c:;_;~~,o.al or the Increased appropriation for the
h4amalahoa project evidenced in Bills 'S :..-Id -10. V>/e urderstond this increase relates to
change order requests due to unforesae n roads-gay conditiors and existing obstruction of
underground utilities.
Our ad hoc committee meets weekly witl~r i _ .-cntractor, County Public Works personnel and
other Interested community members i . r: ras of the meetings are distributed to several
hundred people -copies are sent to earl, c= uu W e have been aware of the change order
requests and support them.
The project started as a simple road resort ~an~-; project chat would have been funded using
only County funds; community member e.nccuraged an expanded road improvement
project and after numerous public meetln_ ~ witl-~ erten5ve public review and inputthe present
project commenced in May 1998. PJo lonc;cr ~.rst repaving job, we now have a substantially
improved road bed with 2-feet of base n~~ _,~ria and extra paving, an improved drainage
system, curbs, gutters and sidewalks, lan,_i:..._.:-.rng ~~and 3 traffic signals -Federal funds cover
approximate'y 80°6 of the project cost r;r~_' i-ie County'; share is equivalent to the original,
simple resurfacing total.
Change orders and subsequent incre s i,~ project cost address unforeseen and
unanticipated conditions relating to the i; c~- ?houan unfortunate, they address items rat
covered or not known in the initial bid s;--~ _ ir~c _•,°inr~s and subsequent construction contract
Like any other public construction project, Cd<ldinq contractors estimate their costs bored on
what is known about the projecT_ If tl-~~>y are expected to cover all 'unknowns' and
subsequent changes, then construction bi,-s -Icr overal costs would be astronomi~~j~~al~~l~~ higher.
Comm. No.!~~/~t~,,.,.,
Fila Nu._ ~taD/~~~P
Presented ~G
Ref. To:
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From Peter? vou',y Yo: fJaney Plilcchlo ?~tc' ?f3f9B i
ime: 4'S~ 2D p
Page 3
Page 2 March 3, 1999
Over the course of the past few months r:- ~ ontractor has kept us informed of various project
changes. we believe they are reasona~,l-- and Yne County is responsible for its share of the
costs.
The contractor came upon 3 old ur~de:ryround fua'storage tanks nearihe Lindsey
Road intersection -there is no re-or~~l of these Tanks on any plans and they had
to be removed following stncf Foci=lc~ FPA regulations.
Anew storm drain line running o~ er ;tc,te land by the nevv soccer field had to be
redesigned and portions reconsiru_~n_d.
Some recall the hour-long warts ~,,e, ~~_s~•d to ha~,fe Fo get through town. Traffic
backed up to Hale Kea on the l~c:=.,:._;;~,iae Rood side and to Kuhio Hale #oward
Honokaa -literally 2 miles of traffic sl -;r,~~-still on either side of town throughout the
day- To alleviate this, and at our > : =cine request, three lanes of traffic and
designated turning lanes and signt~ls are novv in continuous operation at the
Lindsey Road intersection. Traffic nsns iE:R7tis-ely smoothly now.
The latest change order relates torP~~ I=>eation of the town's high-pressure water
main- Construction bid plans shor..,c the water line at about 4 to 5 feet under
ground. Unfortunately, for about -'CV-G.et of road fronting iYlcDonald's and Keck
the water main is only 2 to 3 feel ~>>~.~i~r ~round_ The project specs require the
contractor to replace 2-feet of aro: n:: with revs base material to strengthen the
road. If uncovered, the high preyu n- :vaier main could buckle, only adding to
the mess in the area. Prior changes ~,ruiers covered relocating water service
laterals, this change order covers ..,a :acidliional cost to lower the water main.
It is reasonable to conclude that if this c~,,:racior or any other contractor bidding on this
project knew of these conditions tVie~r ~,riginal construction bids would have been
proportionately higher. To defer or den; 'his request defies logic- These are justifiable
expenses to cover the unforeseen or unan~;~ipaicd conditions faced by The contractor that
are over and above the original bid specn~ :otions. li is important To note that the Federal
Highway Administration has approved c:u:horized their 80% share of these costs.
This project cannot be delayed. Many ~f _~In,aa businesses are struggling To survive -largely
due to the island and state's overall econor n~, -but our road work adds to the woes. Many of
us regret the closure of Sure Save and h a r.u~la Hat Company; we know of others that are
near the brink, their survival depends ors c: turn to normalcy in Waimea.
Cross island commuters, emergency ve'r~ic!,_s, rJ~live^~ trucks, residents and visitors have so far
been patient, cooperative and accomrncc:~.;ling ~;,~ith the road construction. The construction
affects us all, vvhsther with live In Waime-<7 ai,o, F ono or other parts of the island.
Tnis r_ontractor, this project, our commun~ly ~ :n a our island residents should not be held hostage
to delays that not approving or deferring tf,is request will ultimately create. We have an
anticipated project completion date of ~-,gust 1999_ We must keep with that schedule and
we urge you to approve these erpenses e~, soon as possible.
sun ~ 18f1S9ZC808 SF'3 9Z [80 IHT. Rft: Fn: cn
=roan Petu T. Young Ta: Nancy PI31CUlo Cave 3,3199 Yrne 4:5020 p pBQe t ,
FACSIMILE COVER PAGE
To : Nancy Pisiechlo Y Fran : Peter T. Young
Sent : 313199 at 4:12:58 p Pages : 3 (including Cover)
Subject
Dear Council Member
Attached is the testimony I intend to give at the C~u :_:Ir~ I=finance Committee this Friday.
The people of the Big Island need you support and , nrourayz your approval.
n
Thank you, c°
f~eter T. Young -
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