Traffic whizzes along the narrow two-lane Haihai Street as construction equipment stirs the dust Friday at the site of a $17.5 million upgrade to the island’s only county-owned golf course.
Golfers trundle their push carts or lug their bags through the upheaval, determined to get their 18 holes in while the weather holds.
But the project, one of two government projects where county-subsidized overtime is being spent to meet deadlines, has hit a setback. Literally.
Part of the facility — a maintenance building — was built 10 feet closer to the road than allowed by county zoning code. Now the county Department of Parks and Recreation is seeking an after-the-fact variance to allow for a 10-foot setback instead of the required 20 feet.
Farther up the road, an 8-foot-high concrete block wall extending more than 42 feet from the side of the golf cart storage building to shield a fuel tank, also encroaches closer than 20 feet to the Haihai Street right of way.
Letters went out late last month to dozens of neighboring property owners to inform them of the proposed variances. The public has until Nov. 14 to send comments to the Planning Department. Director Duane Kanuha is scheduled to make a decision about the variance by Nov. 21.
Variances don’t go to the Windward Planning Commission or the County Council, said County Planner Larry Nakayama.
“The variance is handled administratively,” Nakayama said.
The configuration isn’t an error, but part of the original plans, Parks and Recreation Deputy Director James Komata said Friday. He said the variances, if granted, won’t change the timeline or the cost of the project.
“The plans showed this when it went through the regulatory process,” Komata said.
He said the project’s proximity to the road shouldn’t affect future plans, if any, to widen Haihai Street. The project is one of two where the county agreed to pay workers’ overtime so contractors can expedite the timeline. The other was for the recently completed and long overdue Ka‘u gym and shelter. Komata said the county has executed a change order to allow overtime for the golf course project.
Komata is scheduled to appear before the County Council Finance Committee Wednesday to update council members.
At a committee meeting last month, Komata described loss of revenues for the county and the concessionaires, as well as dangerous conditions when golfers try to maneuver around heavy equipment.
“We feel it’s warranted to get this facility back on schedule,” Komata said.
He made the statement during a session of back-and-forth grilling by Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung, who struggled to get his questions answered.
“First of all, I don’t buy it. … I don’t see what the rush is,” Chung said. “From a fiscal standpoint, I don’t really like the idea of paying contractors overtime.”
It’s not yet known how much extra the county would be on the hook for on the golf course project, which is slated for completion in two phases in mid-November and December. Komata was unable to give an estimate.
