Bureaucracy and boondoggles continue ripple of delays for 13 years. “I would hesitate to guess when it might be completed… Who could have predicted it would be so complex?”The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highways Administration began collaboration on the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge boardwalk 13 years ago.
The vision of a boardwalk through the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge between Kihei and Ma‘alaea was completed in 1995 with a conceptual drawing, according to Refuge Manager Glynnis Nakai. The well-intended idea was to provide a path for visitors to view wetland birds and other marine wildlife at one of Hawai‘i’s few natural wetlands without impacting the fragile coastal dunes habitat.
Thirteen years later, the 2,200-foot structure has been built and repaired but has never opened. A series of errors, boondoggles and bureaucratic red tape have meant that no visitor has ever set foot on the boardwalk—at least not legally. A date has not been set for resolution of this issue.
The Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge opened in 1992. The 691-acre wetland is home to the endangered Hawaiian stilt, or ae‘o, and the Hawaiian coot, or ‘alae ke‘oke‘o. The pond hosts a diverse population of migratory birds and other indigenous wildlife. The refuge is adjacent to Kealia Beach, a nesting ground for endangered hawksbill turtles.
The original plan to build the boardwalk was hatched by then-Refuge Manager Kathy Smith along with others from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and various partners. Because the project would be built along the busy highway corridor of Highway 311, the Federal Highways Administration, which has funded the majority of the project, was consulted and, as this was a federal program, the services of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were also retained.
A 4,400-foot boardwalk with kiosks, exhibits and a parking lot for 15 cars were planned at a cost of approximately $1 million. A revised plan shortened the boardwalk to 2,200 feet to lessen the impact on wildlife and limit the number of visitors to a manageable amount.
The first hint of trouble ahead came in 1998 when Maui County passed an ordinance prohibiting the grading of sand dunes. “The original lot was supposed to cut into the dunes,” said Nakai. A revised design and new location for a parking lot to accommodate 12 cars, two handicapped spaces and two bus spaces was developed, and nearly a decade after the original concept was developed, construction on the boardwalk finally began in August of 2004.
Another well-intended decision had been made to utilize recycled plastic for deck boards, cap rails and hand rails. Central Construction of Kahului was hired as the project’s contractor, which in turn retained Aloha Plastics to provide recycled materials made primarily from one-gallon plastic jugs.
Within months, there were problems. The decking and handrails splintered and wouldn’t hold nails. “Aloha Plastics had provided documents indicating the material met specifications,” said Nakai. “After the cracking appeared, the material was tested and did not pass all the specifications.”
In 2006, work to replace the materials began, but new problems were looming. Because portions of the newly designed parking lot were occasionally covered by water, a Water Quality Certificate was required by the state Department of Health. In addition, an evaluation and letter of approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are needed before construction on the new parking lot can begin. Once those issues are resolved, said Nakai, the project must be formally put out to bid, the bid must be approved and awarded, and construction can begin.
Since its conception 13 years ago, the budget has been revised from approximately $1 million to $2.6 million. While this has been a large undertaking, consider that the Golden Gate Bridge was built in just over four years in the 1930s.
About 2,700 people visit the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge annually. Although signs declare the boardwalk closed, it is not unusual to see visitors parking along the dunes and traversing the structure.
Despite the ongoing delays and unforeseen problems, Nakai remains optimistic. “I would hesitate to guess when it might be completed,” she said. “I appreciate that people are patient. As you might expect, I get questions about it everywhere I go. I am just as anxious as anyone to get this done.”
In addition to the problems with recycled materials and the parking lot, Nakai admits to bureaucratic issues and snafus. “There have been a number of entities involved in association with this project,” she said. “We just have to deal with them one at a time. Who could have predicted it would be so complex?”
Rules and laws are made to be followed, and there are a number of significant issues to resolve when building a boardwalk through an ecologically and environmentally sensitive area such as the Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge. Traffic, pedestrian safety, access, water quality, parking, impact on the dunes and the structural integrity of the materials utilized must all be carefully addressed to ensure the final product is of the highest quality.
But the final chapter in this saga has yet to be written. At this point, even the wetland birds must be pondering the outcome. But with cooperation among government entities, visitors and residents may soon be able to enjoy Maui’s unique and beautiful wetland wildlife at Kealia Pond.