Fix It! Streetlight Keeps Losing A Fight Against An Unruly Tree
Residents of the Hawaiian homestead in Kapolei worry the overgrown foliage could be a bigger hazard soon.
Aileen Camello typically fills up two green-waste bins a week after raking her backyard clear of leaves that fall from a nearby shower tree.
The tree, which Camello remembers as just a shrub when she moved to the Maluʻōhai homestead in Kapolei in 2001, has grown to tower over her two-story home from where it sits on Kaiau Avenue.
The tree is trimmed about once a year, but its branches and leaves block out a nearby streetlight, leaving the sidewalk dark at night. In fact on Friday, the lamp cover was dangling between branches, leaving the lightbulb exposed. It’s not the first time that’s happened. Camello said branches previously damaged the light and required repairs.
Now, Camello is worried that a strong storm could blow the tree into her house.
“What if we have a hurricane?” Camello said. “My house would be demolished.”
The tree trunk is as wide as the grass strip on the sidewalk where it was planted. The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, which owns the street and sidewalk, fixed cracks in the walkway along Kaiau Avenue as part of a $1 million repair project three years ago for homestead neighborhoods in Kapolei.
But recently, Camello noticed cracks in concrete sections of her backyard near the shower tree. She doesn’t know for sure, but she’s worried that the tree roots are getting close to her home’s foundation.
Camello and homestead leader Homelani Schaedel brought their concerns to the Hawaiian Homes Commission on Aug. 19. Schaedel said she’s been trying to get the commission’s attention on this issue for years, and was surprised to get a prompt response from department chair Kali Watson. Watson floated the possibility of removing the trees and said the department would look into the issue.
In response to Civil Beat questions about that plan, department spokesperson Diamond Badajos told Civil Beat in an email that the trees along Kaiau Avenue will stay in place for now because DHHL eventually wants to transfer ownership of the roads and sidewalks to the City and County of Honolulu.
The streets need to be transferred in the same condition they were built, Badajos said, so if the trees are removed, the department would need to replant them before the city accepts the roads.
But, Badajos said, the department will now trim trees twice a year. Tree trimming started in the Maluʻōhai homestead on Friday. The department also has identified other trees that need to be trimmed in Nānākuli and Waimānalo.
As for the recently damaged streetlight on Kaiau Avenue, Badajos said a vendor will start repairs on Wednesday and will inspect all the lights on the street.
Who Is Responsible
DHHL’s Land Development Division at 808-730-0310. You can also contact the community relations office at 808-730-0300.
Update: Sidewalk Repairs Planned
A Fix It! published on June 11 looked into a buckled sidewalk and overgrown trees on Mamaka Street. It’s farther up Kaiau Avenue in a portion of the Villages of Kapolei owned by the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corp.
A lapsed contract appeared to be the source of delays to repairs.
HHFDC, the state agency in charge of those streets, said it has been trimming the trees in the area and a contract to fix the buckled sidewalks is set to start on Sept. 22.
