KRCA Board of Directors
Homeowners Meeting
July 25, 2018
6:30 – 9:30 pm
Kilauea Neighborhood Center

KRCA has contracted with Hawaiiana Management Company who has a Kalihiwai Ridge website access code of:
hmcmgt.com/39484

Agendas and meeting minutes will be posted on this new site along with all our documents that can now be reviewed by the public.




My Impressions

It has been three months since the 1000 Year Storm of April 15, 2018 and we are just now beginning to see realistically how long things are going to take to get back to normal here on the North shore of Kauai.  We were more devastated than one would think and now we have to adjust and adapt to new ways of getting around the island and/or not being able to go places we have long loved.  Since the 1980s we have gone to the Rice House in Haena for our Anniversary in August, but not this year.  ROAD CLOSED.  Residents ONLY.  Hanalei has become the end of the road now and the congestion there is enough to keep you home.  NO PARKING!  The driftwood at Kalihiwai Bay has been a significant barrier to getting on the beach or in the water after more rains than usual this summer and Anini is also crowded as visitors can’t get to Ke`e State Park, Haena Beach Park or Tunnels for snorkeling and summer swimming when conditions are safer up here on the North shore.  

Our Kahiliholo Road closure is also proving more complicated than one might think.  Even though the State released $25M out of $31.2M in flood relief funds for infrastructure repair on Kauai there are 90 projects islandwide applying for those funds with applications required be made to FEMA for reimbursement, causing potential added delays.  Our $1.5M concrete box culvert is a case in point.  We have to go through the same process for all areas damaged on the island, i.e. bidding projects, awarding contracts, engineering the fix, building the concrete box culvert up to code in our case, curing the culvert for transport, installation, utility repair and re-installation, construction of the new road, inspections along the way, you get the picture.  It is going to take a lot more time than the August date given to us initially.  As Mayor Carvalho said on April 16, 2018 “We’ve got a long road ahead of us.” Meaning we are in a long term transition in order to get back to normal.

The bypass road through Wai Koa and Common Ground is being maintained by the County and our gravel road is growing courtesy and patience in us all these last three months as we take turns to pass each other on this one lane road.  We are assessing the traffic volume as the road degrades quickly when we have had rains so additional potholes form causing increase damage to cars and added concern for safety, both in getting in and out of Kalihiwai Ridge and for emergency response time for ambulance and fire if that were needed.  As long as it stays dry and the gravel gets replaced we are managing as best we can and thankful we have an alternate route during this emergency.

The Kalihiwai Reservoir Remediation Project (KRRP) is underway and we have signed a contract with Ka`iwa Construction to finish phase one and two of the project by early next year if all goes well weather wise and with the submission and approval of our County waiver to get started with phase one.  They have installed the construction grade road on the crest of the dam and will rebuild the embankments and install the rock toe drain.  Then in phase two the new spillway will be constructed.  Meanwhile the KR is being kept at 8’3” on recommendation by our engineer of record Paul Weber and DLNR.  We are meeting monthly with our water use easement holders and are grateful for their continued partnership and the agreement they have come to with the County to allow us to use their property for access to our homes in the months ahead as all this repair work continues into 2019.

Until we meet again.

Aloha,
Maggie Lea