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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0557.004 2014-2016 COUNTY CLERK COUNTY OF HAWAI'I RECEIVED viat) Time/0.•504" By yc,'ry History: Date 9/N0/!b WNCC Sunset View Terrace Subdivision in Kona was a private water system when the subdivision was approved by the County sometime in the late 60s—early 70s. In early 1980s,the Sunset View Terrace Subdivision applied for an Improvement District("ID")for a County Water System that would service all of Sunset View Terrace Subdivision. Only after the process was completed, bids were obtained and construction contract was signed and construction started, did the property owners on Nalani Street(part of the Sunset View Terrace Subdivision)find out that Nalani Street was NOT Included in the Improvement District with the explanation that it would cost the property owners on Nalani Street approximately$ 9,500 each and they said it would be too expensive for the Nalani Street property owners to be included in the"ID",and we weretold that nothing can be done since the contract was signed and cannot be changed. The New Sunset View Terrace (excluding Nalani Street property owners) Water Line under the-above Improvement District was completed sometime in December 1983. At completion of the New Water Line,the Association that owned the Sunset View Terrace Subdivision private water system told the Nalani Street Property Owners that they needed to transfer the ownership of the original water"system" servicing Nalani Street property owners,which included the main DWS Water Meter on Nalani Street/Sunset Drive along with the water lines and the water meter servicing each of the existing Nalani Street Property owners. As a result, all of the existing Nalani Street property owners decided to form an association to 1 • accept ownership of the existing water system servicing only Nalani Street and for the purpose ofreceiving the water bills from Dept of Water Supply and for reading the individual meters, invoicing each property owner, paying the DWS water bill, and for being responsible for the maintenance of the water line. We are NOT sure why the County Council and the Department of Water Supply at that time, allowed such a tragedy to occur, as the cost at that time would have been negligible as compared to today's costs,and for your information,ALL of the Nalani Street property owners that were part of the Sunset View Terrace Subdivision private water line had Agreed To,Was WILLING To,AND Was Able To pay their fair share of the allocated costs - but we were not afforded the opportunity to address this tragedy and to correct it before it became final. REQUEST FOR SUPPORT: 1. A County Standard Water Line would bring much needed relief to the property owners of Nalani Street as it would provide up to 2 fire hydrants on Nalani Street with sufficient water pressure, which would limit the damage to surrounding residences' and the residence on fire, as well as transferring the maintenance and billing for water services to the Department of Water Supply. A. As an example of our concerns re Lack of Fire Hydrants: rz _1 (1) Many years ago,there was a vacant lots brush fire above Kuakini Highway between the Chrysler/Nissan dealership and the North side of Nalani Street properties,and a property owner told us that the Fire Department had to go up to Walua Road (next street above Z 2 Nalani Street in the Sunset View Terrace subdivision)to hookup the hoses to the fire ° hydrant there and the firemen on Nalani Street had to communicate with the firemen on E a Walua Road to aim the water to hit the brushes and buildings on Nalani Street. Luckily,the cr fire was contained without any residences being burned. The vacant properties between the Chrysler/Nissan dealership and the Nalani Street properties are still vacant and there are a lot of brush at all times so this can happen again. November 17, 2015 —In Support of Nalani Street Water Line Improvement District Page 1 (2) A house fire in May 2015 across the street in Kona Seaview Circle was extinguished rather quickly whereby the residence that was on fire was the only property totally demolished . It could have been worse for neighbors. (3) And the house fire in September 2015 on Hookele Street in North Kona was not extinguished totally until the next day because of the lack of fire hydrants as reported by West Hawaii Today. 2. It would also bring the quality of the water for those that are on the Nalani Street Water system up to County Water Quality Standards. 3. The current pipes are-bid (as old as the start of the Sunset View Terrace Subdivision) and have been subjected to numerous repairs for breakage in the past. 4. It would provide the Department of Water Supply to be in control of the Water Revenue Collections without having to worry about whether or not they are going to be able to collect in full and in a timely manner the large lumpsum payment usually due from a private water system,which has; happened in the not to recent past. 5. Also for those with Out-of-Bounds meters that have a "verbal easement"to traverse the neighbors property, it would be conceivable that your neighbor,after hearing that Nalani Street will be installing a county standard water line via the Improvement District, might just inform you.and/or DWS to remove your Out-of-Bounds Meter so you can hookup directly to the new Nalani Street water line. 6. A(few of the Nalani Street Property Owners that have voted in favor of the "ID" currently own a "legal"easement down to Kuakini Highway,did so because it was becoming a hassle to go down to the Kuakini Highway,turn off the meter there,walk through the properties to find any leakage or breakage, repair it,go back down to Kuakini Highway to turn it back on,then recheck the repair, and. finally, return to the residence to make sure the loss of pressure was taken care of. 7. Financing will most likely be from the US Department of Agriculture,which has a 30-year to 35-year financing period and currently a 3.75%fixed rate of interest. Once the boundary of Nalani Street Property Owners are identified,contracts procured and funding of the cost is approved,the County will allocate to each property owner their fair share and calculate the amount due from each property owner and will be the collecting agent, I believe. 8. What we would also like to prevent is the ability of some Nalani Street property owners who would wait until the water line is accepted by the DWS before requesting to hookup to the Nalani Street Water Line without compensating any of the initial property owners (which we were told what some . property owners did or was planning to do with the initial Sunset View Terrace Subdivision "ID" back in the 1980s). We ask for your support IN FAVOR of the Improvement District to construct, install a County/State Standard Water Line for Nalani Street. c. ;‘ ..�O / 7•- November 17, 2015—In Support of Nalani Street Water Line Improvement District Page 2