A boat tour operator is being accused of unpermitted excavation at Punalu‘u that includes damage to the remnants of a historical pier.
Outrage spread quickly over social media after Ka‘u residents filmed a man operating an excavator apparently trying to clear pillars in the water late last week adjacent to Punalu‘u Beach Park.
Hawaii County Deputy Planning Director Daryn Arai said the pier was built in 1916 and its remnants are “historical in nature.” Damage also was done to a retaining wall, he said.
Arai said the county inspected the site Monday and it was too early to characterize the extent of the damage, which occurred without county authorization. State and federal officials also are investigating, according to a state Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman.
Ka‘u/Kona Councilwoman Maile David said Simon Velaj of Hang Loose Boat Tours said he was “trying to make it safe” to launch his boat at that location.
“He was successful of breaking down one of the pillars,” she said. “He moved some soil and dirt, and moved rocks.”
Velaj of Kailua-Kona, who didn’t respond to a phone call and email seeking comment by press time, had a license agreement with landowner SM Investment Partners, a sister company of Roberts Hawaii, to use the property. The landowner revoked that agreement Friday, according to a letter.
The company wrote he violated a section of the agreement requiring him to comply with all laws and obtain all necessary permits.
Roy Pfund, Roberts Hawaii vice president, said in a statement: “SM Investment Partners had previously licensed Mr. Velaj/Hang Loose Boat Tours to use the ramp at Punaluu for his boat tours; however, he was not authorized to do any work on the shoreline. We were surprised and upset to learn about his unpermitted actions at the wharf, and immediately cancelled our agreement with him.”
A company spokeswoman said an existing boat ramp at that location is used by local fishermen.
In a video posted on Facebook, Velaj tells upset residents who confronted him that his plan was to “take my boat out and have fun with it.” He said he wasn’t using the public boat ramp because it’s too shallow unless there’s high tide.
“If we all keep quiet nothing is going to happen,” he said in the video posted by Demetrius Oliveira.
Arai said the investigation, which could result in fines or other penalties, is ongoing.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
