Aloha mai kakou,
After reading this article published today in the Garden Island Newspaper, my first thought was, "wow, this really f***ing sucks!" My second thought was, "I hate to say I told you so." After hearing what happened with contractors here on Kaua'i at the new Kekaha Hawaiian Homes Site, and hearing multiple horror stories from roofing, to drywall, to framing, to plumbing problems with the contractor's shoddy building materials and services there in Kekaha, I'm not fully surprised that's it's now happening elsewhere.
Could Hawaiian Homes really be cutting costs and hiring the lowest of the barrel bidding contractors to do these homes? Weren't they building cracker box houses on Hawaiian Homes since the 1970's?
I think a man named Kahale Smith set torch to himself in one of those same kind of houses here in Anahola when they refused to have it repaired and instead evicted him from his already falling apart house.
Now we are finding out about a dozen more homes of people who have invested a lot of time and money into, now laying in shambles because of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands mistakes in hiring unreliable contracting services for good Kanaka Maoli families in good "Hawaiian" Homes.
I would love other kanaka's mana'o on how they feel when we rely on a department run by a "state" that doesn't know how to hire contractors that we can feel fully reliable in completing the job, let alone doing the job right.
Maybe we just need to stop relying on fraudulent department's that were created by a "state" to kill more kanaka maoli waiting on a list than are actually being provided land and shelter. Wasting millions of dollars in taxpayer's and homeowner's money in the process of some easily correctable mistakes.
My mana'o is simple, it's our million's of dollars that's paying them to make mistakes like this, why should we let them continue in false "trust?"
Don't. It's not worth our time. I'm sure there's lots of kanaka who own hundreds of homes out there, they just don't realize it yet.
I know of some great Kanaka Maoli Hawai'i Properties on Kaua'i that may be up for sale soon now that they can potentially have Kanaka lean's and foreclosures upon them in the fraudulent "state." There's got to be more than a dozen homes, and most are beach front property.
Any inquirer's?
Makes ya think doesn't it? Just a lil' bit? *raises eyebrow*
That's my spiel for the day folks. A hui hou. Mahalo for listening.
Hale Mawae
Eo Lono!
Partially Finished Homes Are GoneDHHL demolished them after they were damaged by rain
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau
HILO, Hawai'i — The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has demolished a dozen partially built Hilo homes worth a total of more than $1 million in recent weeks because the buildings sat exposed in the rain after the developer went bankrupt, stopping all construction last year.
Lloyd Yonenaka, spokesman for the Department of Hawaiian Homes Lands, said the houses were contaminated with mold from sitting vacant and open for so long. The lessees were offered the choice of having the mold cleaned out or tearing the buildings down and starting over, and all chose to start over, he said.
Julia Ke, whose unfinished three-bedroom house was among those torn down, said she couldn't bear to watch the demolition crews work.
"I refused to go, I just didn't want to go and see it," she said. "It's just so sad."
Ke has been on the Hawaiian Homes list for more than 20 years, and was finally awarded a Kaumana lot where she was building the home with her longtime girlfriend, Laura Henderson.
"It was the happiest day of my life when we were selected, and to have this happen is just terrible," Ke said.
The couple had expected to move into the new home by late last year, but all work on the house stopped in November after builder Fredco Inc. and developer Menehune Development Co. ran into financial difficulties, and eventually went bankrupt.
Much of the structural work on Ke and Henderson's house was done, but the unfinished roof consisted of bare sheets of plywood and other lumber, and water poured in all winter. Water ponded on the floor and stayed there, the floor warped, and the unfinished roof began to sag.
Now, the lot in Kaumana has been cleared, and a new contractor is preparing to start over.
Fredco and Menehune are both owned by Big Island developer Fred Yamashiro, who has filed for personal bankruptcy. Yonenaka said he does not know how much the collapse of the two companies has cost Hawaiian Homes, but acknowledged the dozen Kaumana homes alone were worth more than $1 million in materials and labor.
Hawaiian Homes is suing O'ahu construction bonding company Hardware Hawaii, alleging the company was responsible for completing 79 homes for Native Hawaiians on three islands in the event Fredco and Menehune failed. Hardware Hawaii notified Hawaiian Homes on Feb. 22 it did not have the money to complete the homes, according to the lawsuit.
Yonenaka said it was urgent that construction resume on the Kaumana homes after the bankruptcy so the units would not be further damaged by the weather, but said delays by Hardware Hawaii made that impossible. The state will try to recoup losses from the bonding company, he said.
"While there is money that is being expended, the final amount will depend obviously in great part on our litigation with Hardware Hawaii," he said.
Yonenaka said the department expects the demolition of the 12 unfinished homes will cost about $300,000. Six of the homes were more than half finished, and the other six were 15 to 20 percent finished, he said.
A PROMISE TO LESSEES
Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Micah Kane has said the agency has an obligation to the lessees because Hawaiian Homes required the lessees to use Fredco as their contractor in an effort to create economies of scale for the development of the homes on scattered lots on Kaua'i, Lana'i and the Big Island.
Yamashiro's companies were supposed to develop 133 houses, including 79 bonded by Hardware Hawaii.
Kane has pledged to make sure the bonded homes are properly completed for the original prices the lessees agreed to in their contracts with Fredco, which had base prices ranging from $160,000 to $260,000.
To make that happen, Hawaiian Homes has taken some extraordinary steps, including providing a total of about $100,000 in cash assistance to lessees on the three islands who encountered financing hardships because they were forced to pay extra costs when completion of their homes was delayed.
Later the department approached the lessees' banks and bought 43 construction loans on the bonded units for $4.38 million so the lessees would not have to make mortgage payments while they waited for their homes to be finished. The department plans to shift those loans back to private banks later.
Henderson said Hawaiian Homes also repaid Ke for the interest she paid on the construction loan on the unfinished Kaumana house that was torn down.
Now, the department has pledged to rebuild the demolished houses for the same prices the lessees originally agreed to pay, which for Ke and Henderson was about $170,000.
"I think they're doing everything possible to make it pono for everyone," Henderson said. "I think that's the right thing, because I don't think any of us can take much more."
Reach Kevin Dayton at kdayton@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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"No wonder our people are the highest ethnic group in the state that are homeless!"
I agree with what Leilani stated and the latest stats that include Hawaiians were in 2003 when the "Homeless Point-in-Time Count Report 2003" was prepared for the "State" of Hawaii. The largest group based on ethnicity (and nationality in the case of Hawaiians) was Hawaiians:
Hawaiian 38.7%
Caucasian 34%
Other 7.3%
Filipino 5.1%
Chinese 2%
Japanese 1.1%
And now this shoddy work? Why am I NOT surprised??? To be fair though I know that some people blame Governor Lingle who is a Republican but this crosses party lines. Lots of people screw over Hawaiians just to make a profit. It's not JUST Republicans who do this crap.
I can understand why they want Hawaiians to pay for shoddy work though because they already know that structures depreciate whereas land does not but to do this to HAWAIIANS? That is sick because they KNOW that involuntary liens can be placed on the property and thus the title if and when people default on their mortgage. Liens can be placed on the property and entitle the holder (lienor) to have the property sold so the property owner has no choice but to pay the lienor or have the property disposed of by the courts in order to satisfy the lien. That is the thing that sickens me is that they already KNOW all of this and they KNOW what they are doing (accepting bids for shoddy work so Hawaiians paying for the shoddy work pay for something that slowly deteriorates while having to pay their mortgage) and they do not care.
I also noticed that they allegedly pledged money to help those Hawaiians who faced financial hardship but perhaps their goal or one of their goals is to see what they can get away with.
Then again this only shows how they want to get rid of us. I think that we should never forget that....
I don't think that the DHHL nor OHA should be dissolved though because as much as they fail so many Hawaiians and are used as tools to hurt Hawaiians... it can also be used as a tool to help all Hawaiians... not just for the ":chosen" few....
I should add too that most of the homes on DHHL at least in Keaukaha have a wood frame when block or stucco are far better due to termites. Builders in Hawai'i know that termites are a problem so why build homes with wood frames which does not stand the test of time like how block or stucco homes do? It's because they know exactly what they are doing. We have Hawaiians paying for wood frame homes which deteriorate and in order to rebuild they most probably have to take out another mortgage to pay for another home to be built. If they default on their mortgage a lien (or liens) is placed on the property so many Hawaiians are at the mercy of the so-called "leadership" at DHHL. If this happened in the private sector people like Micah Kane would have already been fired.
Fired try hired. How is it that the Govenor nominates instead of the people voting for someone they feel qualified to do the best job for our people?
Yes Keukaha was problemed with shoddy built homes and then burdened with a morgage..there was a time when outside financing was not an option.
Stop for a minute and ask yourself this; How much money has actually filtered through their hands to assist our people? Millions perhaps even billions? Why didnt DHHL become the morgage company offering lower rate morgages and other inniatives that would assist and better serve the beneficiaries? Because its all about the'kala'.
I agree with you, our people are being forced into foreclosures and other undesirable scenarios. I wonder what method of payment will be issued from the Contractors that defaulted? More monies that are designated to assist our people being flushed down the 'john'. Monies that could assist such as grants when families are having hard times. Mind you, not as a 'hand out' rather a hand up. And why shouldnt there be funds for that or anything else mind you. I wonder what DHHL's networth is. Do you know?
While we are on the topic, here is more food for thought. Real estate value has escalated to the point where many cannot afford to buy property. The only option of land acquistion for a few, is DHHL. So then ask yourself why is it that the land value attached to lease lands is lower then say property across the street that is held in fee simple? Because the system was designed to keep our people landless. Even if they have a DHHL lease they dont actually own the land for almost a hundred years.
Dont forget that land value equates to wealth. More importantly if all our issues were settled would we really need "so-called leaders" who end up being part of the system
that keeps their people impoverished?
I've seen a few homes in Waimea (Big Island) being built on Hawaiian homes land across from the only community ballpark in town. The homes look great and seem sturdy and tract housing type. Could Hawaiian Homes use the same contractors as they did in Waimea?
Leilani > HALE O KEAWE-A-HEULU aka: NAIHEJuly 14, 2008 at 12:56pm
Auwe,
Please dont suggest that one because that is my hometown. I could tell you things that would make your ears curl..Did you know for example the biggest corruption happened right there? Yes the original land designated for Hawaiian Homes was in fact the main town area! Illegal land swapping!
Also, many moons ago there was a Project called 2020 only a handfull of us Native Hawaiians attended this meeting it was all delegated in the usual flair of public meetings however, they had already decided that they were going to put a road right through our area...Did it happen? No because the people protested.
As far as those homes looking decent thats it! The thing is they would not be economically feasible to build. Do you know how much they cost?
Here is a thought..since the lands are for Hawaiians why not have Native Hawaiians build them? Here is another thing to ask are you familiar with something called the 'kanaka code?' Apparently was initiated in Maui where Native Hawaiians would build traditional hales...I was told that it could not get adequate permitts as it could be a fire hazard. The only structures was allowed would be in resort type areas with sprinkler systems...
So, how many of our people could actually afford one of those? Although we have a legal right to gather we dont have a right to build according to traditional practices!
No wonder our people are the highest ethnic group in the state that are homeless!
In reply to Eo Lono, your anger is justified because the pure fact is that DHHL is in violation of the Hawaiian Homestead Act. If someone could find a portion of that law which states that the people need to wait? Our people, families died on that ficticious waiting list....
Now even more disturbing is that when families finally build homes they are torn down because they are not constructed well....Auwe! Lets not forget he went bankrupt!
In response to Mr. Kevin Daytons comment about being 'pono'. What doees that word mean to you?
For me it means making wrongs, right. And so the 'pono' thing is to open up more lands for ALL our people....surely they have more land base then people waiting on those lists.
Replies
I agree with what Leilani stated and the latest stats that include Hawaiians were in 2003 when the "Homeless Point-in-Time Count Report 2003" was prepared for the "State" of Hawaii. The largest group based on ethnicity (and nationality in the case of Hawaiians) was Hawaiians:
Hawaiian 38.7%
Caucasian 34%
Other 7.3%
Filipino 5.1%
Chinese 2%
Japanese 1.1%
Page 24: http://www.hcdch.state.hi.us/documents/03homelessstudy.pdf
Let's see:
1. Some Hawaiians are excluded from DHHL while our kupuna never excluded us based on blood quantum.
2. Some Hawaiians wait on the waiting list... some of whom die while "waiting." Some have to fight for what is rightfully theirs
http://starbulletin.com/2006/07/01/news/story01.html
3. Some military personnel wait for less than a year for housing while Hawaiians sometimes wait for housing (as in the basics) for 30 years plus:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/May/17/ln/ln03a.html
And now this shoddy work? Why am I NOT surprised??? To be fair though I know that some people blame Governor Lingle who is a Republican but this crosses party lines. Lots of people screw over Hawaiians just to make a profit. It's not JUST Republicans who do this crap.
I can understand why they want Hawaiians to pay for shoddy work though because they already know that structures depreciate whereas land does not but to do this to HAWAIIANS? That is sick because they KNOW that involuntary liens can be placed on the property and thus the title if and when people default on their mortgage. Liens can be placed on the property and entitle the holder (lienor) to have the property sold so the property owner has no choice but to pay the lienor or have the property disposed of by the courts in order to satisfy the lien. That is the thing that sickens me is that they already KNOW all of this and they KNOW what they are doing (accepting bids for shoddy work so Hawaiians paying for the shoddy work pay for something that slowly deteriorates while having to pay their mortgage) and they do not care.
I also noticed that they allegedly pledged money to help those Hawaiians who faced financial hardship but perhaps their goal or one of their goals is to see what they can get away with.
Then again this only shows how they want to get rid of us. I think that we should never forget that....
I don't think that the DHHL nor OHA should be dissolved though because as much as they fail so many Hawaiians and are used as tools to hurt Hawaiians... it can also be used as a tool to help all Hawaiians... not just for the ":chosen" few....
Aloha, Lana
Fired try hired. How is it that the Govenor nominates instead of the people voting for someone they feel qualified to do the best job for our people?
Yes Keukaha was problemed with shoddy built homes and then burdened with a morgage..there was a time when outside financing was not an option.
Stop for a minute and ask yourself this; How much money has actually filtered through their hands to assist our people? Millions perhaps even billions? Why didnt DHHL become the morgage company offering lower rate morgages and other inniatives that would assist and better serve the beneficiaries? Because its all about the'kala'.
I agree with you, our people are being forced into foreclosures and other undesirable scenarios. I wonder what method of payment will be issued from the Contractors that defaulted? More monies that are designated to assist our people being flushed down the 'john'. Monies that could assist such as grants when families are having hard times. Mind you, not as a 'hand out' rather a hand up. And why shouldnt there be funds for that or anything else mind you. I wonder what DHHL's networth is. Do you know?
While we are on the topic, here is more food for thought. Real estate value has escalated to the point where many cannot afford to buy property. The only option of land acquistion for a few, is DHHL. So then ask yourself why is it that the land value attached to lease lands is lower then say property across the street that is held in fee simple? Because the system was designed to keep our people landless. Even if they have a DHHL lease they dont actually own the land for almost a hundred years.
Dont forget that land value equates to wealth. More importantly if all our issues were settled would we really need "so-called leaders" who end up being part of the system
that keeps their people impoverished?
Please dont suggest that one because that is my hometown. I could tell you things that would make your ears curl..Did you know for example the biggest corruption happened right there? Yes the original land designated for Hawaiian Homes was in fact the main town area! Illegal land swapping!
Also, many moons ago there was a Project called 2020 only a handfull of us Native Hawaiians attended this meeting it was all delegated in the usual flair of public meetings however, they had already decided that they were going to put a road right through our area...Did it happen? No because the people protested.
As far as those homes looking decent thats it! The thing is they would not be economically feasible to build. Do you know how much they cost?
Here is a thought..since the lands are for Hawaiians why not have Native Hawaiians build them? Here is another thing to ask are you familiar with something called the 'kanaka code?' Apparently was initiated in Maui where Native Hawaiians would build traditional hales...I was told that it could not get adequate permitts as it could be a fire hazard. The only structures was allowed would be in resort type areas with sprinkler systems...
So, how many of our people could actually afford one of those? Although we have a legal right to gather we dont have a right to build according to traditional practices!
No wonder our people are the highest ethnic group in the state that are homeless!
Now even more disturbing is that when families finally build homes they are torn down because they are not constructed well....Auwe! Lets not forget he went bankrupt!
In response to Mr. Kevin Daytons comment about being 'pono'. What doees that word mean to you?
For me it means making wrongs, right. And so the 'pono' thing is to open up more lands for ALL our people....surely they have more land base then people waiting on those lists.