It's time I put my spin on what's going on here in Puuone, which means sand hill.
There is work being done for an affordable housing project (The Maui News, Oct. 13 and 16) across the street from my condo, which includes using a vibration hammer to install supports that will eventually be removed but will keep things stable while building because it's a sand hill - lithified sand specifically, deposited thousands of years ago; in other words, not lava rock.
I'm not opposed to building, or even the noise, which many think is a problem. Every day we feel the vibrations of the hammer throughout our building as well as others. These are old buildings and cracks in the concrete are apparent. After the 2006 earthquake, more cracks were seen
These vibrations are like mini-earthquakes for four to five hours every day. Sand underneath is definitely going to be affected as well as concrete. I've checked several websites that refer to affect of vibrations on surrounding buildings, and lithified sand is like concrete.
Many residents have been in contact with as many county and state authorities as possible, with such disingenuous responses as "if your building is damaged it's a civil matter." So I can sue if my apartment falls down?
I loved the comment from the official who said we're between a rock and a hard place. Not exactly - it's sand.
Susan R. Hopkins
Wailuku
