Rodney Luke can see a bunch of accidents looming on a stretch of sidewalk on Mamaka Street alongside the Villages of Kapolei where he lives. 

The trees there need trimming and the roots have uplifted concrete slabs several inches above the curb on the ʻEwa side of Village 5, creating a hazard for pedestrians – especially for kūpuna who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids.

It could also create problems for the village association’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Luke said.

In most instances a sidewalk repair and tree trimming job like this would fall to Honolulu’s Department of Facility Maintenance, but the Villages of Kapolei is a Department of Hawaiian Home Lands project so the sidewalk — and the tree causing the damage — are maintained by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp.

However, what began as a seemingly straightforward inquiry from Luke to the HHFDC about when the work was likely to be done turned into a five-week back-and-forth and no firm schedule for repairs.

On April 28 Luke fired off the first of his emails.

“Could you please provide an estimated timeline for when the trees on Mamaka Street will be trimmed?” he wrote to the state Housing Finance and Development Corp. 

He attached his own photos of the uplifted sidewalk and asked when the hazards would be addressed. 

His first email to the department went unanswered until he wrote again May 1. This time, the HHFC’s acting development support unit manager Delmond Won responded the same day — with unwelcome news.

The contract with the previous maintenance crew for the villages had expired and “we are currently in the process of reviewing bids for a replacement contractor,” Won said, promising to keep Luke informed.

OK, but what was the anticipated timeline? Luke asked.

He had reason to ask.

A similar problem had occurred several years before when trees interfered with the installation of solar panels and roots had damaged an underground water main on private property. Delays in fixing those issues led to several claims for reimbursement costs being filed against the state. That took more than a year to resolve.

Won answered May 5 after another email nudge from Luke: “It will probably be two months before we have the executed contract in place.”

Luke wasn’t done yet. 

On May 26 he pressed Won for more details on the purpose and scope of the new contract being issued for the complex.

Luke also copied in Mary Tavares, the Design/Covenant Manager for the Villages of Kapolei Association asking for an update on the association’s efforts to secure the new maintenance contract and how it was communicating with residents about possible safety risks.

The next day, Won replied that the contract details for maintenance work were still being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office. But he offered some good news: The tree trimming contract was separate, and ongoing.

“Thanks for the update. When are the trees on Mamaka Street scheduled for trimming?” Luke asked again.  

On May 29 — a month and a day after Luke’s first email — Won told him the trees were scheduled for trimming in June. On June 3, Luke followed up, asking Won for an exact date, but Won said the contractor’s schedule doesn’t provide that level of detail.

Then on June 5, Luke prodded Tavares for the information he’d asked for on May 26, and reminded her that association fees had recently increased, in part to support the work the Hawaiʻi Housing and Finance Development Corp. — the HHFDC — was doing around the development. 

That same morning, Tavares replied telling Luke that the HHFDC provides updates on projects to the Villages of Kapolei board meetings, but her email also showed only one of those had been held since February.

“If you would like to have further clarification you will need to fill out a homeowner report and it will be forwarded on to the person who can best answer your question,” Tavares replied.  

Luke understands that things can move slowly. “I mean in Hawaiʻi, operations are always the hardest, but just be transparent and honest. The sidewalks are uplifting and it’s just unsafe,” he told Civil Beat on Monday.

“I kind of know the rhythm of the state,” Luke said. “When you start talking about putting out an RFP, going out to vendors and having them bid on a contract, that seems to be the theme of this office. The contracts expire, and there’s a gap. And within the gap the community is left hanging, and the work is not being done.”

As of Tuesday, the tree trimming had not commenced and the sidewalk remained buckled, with no signs of repair work.

Won didn’t respond to a request for comment, but HHFDC spokesman Gordon Pang told Civil Beat that a contractor has been selected and the contract document is undergoing final review. However, asked when work might begin, he responded: “Sorry, I don’t have a timeline for you.”

Who Is Responsible

Delmond Won, acting development support unit manager for the Housing Finance and Development Corporationʻs Development Branch. 808-587-0641 / delmond.j.won@hawaii.gov.

Got A tip For Fix It!?

Please tell us where the problem is, as specifically as possible. A cellphone photo would be helpful. Here are ways to get in touch:  

You can submit in minutes using this form. 

You can send us an email at news@civilbeat.org. Put “Fix It” in the subject line so it doesn’t get lost.

You can send a letter to the newsroom at P.O. Box 10857, Honolulu, HI 96816.

We won’t use your name without your permission but, if we pursue your fix, we will get back to you with what we find.