Building two construction is going well, some railings are done, all the floors will be done in a few weeks. Gutters eventually. 

Scaffolding will go up on Building Four by the middle of October, maybe sooner. They will work on the west side first (units 411, 421.)

Building four will take much longer because of rotten beams that need replacing and because the guys will take Thanksgiving off and some time off Christmas.

Building one will be after building four. Building eight and nine will be early next year. Each building takes about three months.

Most of our main sewer lines have been cleaned. We will restart cleaning individual unit lines this January. Please have your property managers put hair traps in your bathtub drains. We simply can’t afford any more floods. If your water heater is due to be replaced, please do it now. Tourism is way down again.

The Close Down of the island brought us multiple disastrous floods that cost us all a lot of money. Delays in entering the building were a big problem because there are so many inexpensive property managers nowadays (Air B&B, Craigslist, etc.) that have their own keys/entry codes and are often very slow in answering calls from our security team. Our security team has at least fifty keys on their key chain. All the locks will be changed soon to allow for easy access in emergencies.

We are not sure if there will be an in person October meeting yet. 

A whole new wave of Covid flu anxiety has gripped the island. The governor just clamped things down again. It is hard to keep up with all the rules. Check before you come. Plane fares are astoundingly cheap. There is a great deal of anti-tourist sentiment on the island right now and the angry buzz word on the island is “over-tourism.” 

Building three is rentable with new decks and railings. Building two is one-third done, the two middle units are being demoed now. In a couple months, work will start on building four. Building one after that.

REMINDER: When a building is being worked on, the whole building is uninhabitable for two to three months. 

Please have your property managers place screens on your bathtub drains.

Our Board budgeted $50,000 for possible floods last year. We spent $192,000 reimbursing homeowners for water damage in 2020 and 2021 from sewer backups. As a result, our insurance premium is going from about $37,000 a year to $68,000 next year! Obviously, what we are doing isn’t working. We are working on new protocols. 

Please don’t forget to check all your flood warning alarms. 

Gordon LaBedz 

808 634 8535

Be sure to visit our owner website KahalaOwners.org

(4-27-2021) Ceilings are going in as crews finish lanais. The images below in the gallery are of Kahala 623. The vent in the center allows the ceiling to remain dry.

(4-24-2021) Building 6 will be complete and all units rentable by end of May.  624 is completed with railing.  633 and 632 tile is complete, grouted and sealed.  622 and 623 have the first coat of the HydroBan membrane, tile starting next week after the new vent and ceiling prototype installed.  If viable, Sal will start reinstalling ceiling as he goes to avoid having to return to the units in the future.  Scaffold and tent erected on 621, demo to start next week.

We have updated the lanai schedule based on observations and discussing with Sal.  We agreed to revisit the schedule when he gets to building 4.
We simplified the graphic so it is clear that owners will not be able to rent while construction is taking place, and may not want to stay either.

 

(4-18-2021) The lanai replacement project continues to go well. As Sal and his crew work through each building, they are learning techniques to be more efficient. Look for an updated schedule soon but you can expect a twelve week period where you unit is not rentable. 

So far Buildings 5 and 7 are complete. Sal and the crew are working on Building 6.

I’ve attached images that show finished lanais and also what a shrouded unit looks like so you get the idea of why you can’t rent it out!

Also see new pictures of the mailboxes. You can pick up your keys from Marlene in the Poipu Kai office. Be sure to go down to the Koloa post office and fill out an activation form.

 

Exterior of Kahala unit

Lanais under construction

Tourism opened up again on April 5th. That means more visitors will be staying at Kahala. The parking freedom we’ve experienced is over – and we should go back to parking only in our marked spaces. The visitors slots are for the construction crews and housekeeping. If you need a reserved parking slot, call the Poipu Kai office.

Speaking of construction – this is a picture of a lanai on Building 6. The crew is hard at work replacing the leaking lanais, however the recent rains really set the project back. 

Earlier in the year we shared with you a proposed timeline for each building. We should now add three weeks to those estimates

Kahala exterior

building 6 shrouded in tarps

We know the look isn’t great (unless modern tarp is your thing!). 

The crews are finding more problems with rotting but are diligent in handling any new issues. When this is all over you will have a great new lanai that won’t leak!

Also remember our new email list. If you received an email from simplelists.com make sure to confirm your address so you can receive direct updates. 

We have had very heavy rain here in Po’ipu all week. 

 

I would suggest that you get your on-island representative to check your empty unit for leaks. Rain is blowing thru south facing louvred windows, uncaulked sliding glass doors and the balconies that are not done yet (special attention to corner units with two balconies.)

Gordon LaBedz 

Po’ipu is still pretty much a ghost town. Great for us who live here. A few restaurants are open part time. The big hotels are all closed.

 
Buildings 5, 7A and 7B are done! Rotten beams and posts replaced, new floors and waterproofing and new railings are in. Gutters are going up now. Building 6 floors are  being demolished now. Rains and winds have put us a bit behind, building three will be worked on in April.
 
Our forty year old gutters and irrigation system are being worked on and there are a few remodels being done, so workers are parking anywhere convenient. Mayor Derek is backing off on his clampdown rules April 5, but for now, parking is wherever you want. Reminder, that when visitors come back, parking will be in your one designated spot, more than one car will need a reserved spot.
Gordon

Aloha Kahala Owners!

The demolition and tile replacement are finishing up on Building Five. February will be building six. Remember, the workers will be accessing your unit. The tiles and equipment are simply too heavy to carry up over scaffolding which would add days of extra work and cost.

The railings and gutters are not up yet. I will let you know.

Kahala has had six floods this year. Two of them cost our association $72,000! That is your money that paid for it. Other Po’ipu Kai condos are also flooding all over the place. None of this would happen if the units were occupied. Please have your on-island representative check your water flow and drains regularly.

The resort is empty and everyone is parking wherever they want right now. No problem. However, when visitors return, we are going to crack down. One vehicle parking spot per unit (including two bedroom units.) If you haven’t paid for your reserved parking spot, we are going to tow you away, same for Kaua’i residents who store their extra vehicles in the Visitor spots. Our construction workers will need those spots. Right now, everything is cool. There are no visitors.

There are five units for sale which is quite unusual. Restaurants that were open are now closed. The “resort bubble” concept seems to be a flop. On the other hand, as an owner, if you can get here and stay, the island is nicer than it has been since the seventies.

Another clampdown with a ten day quarantine has closed the island to tourism again. There are a few snowbird owners here, but the place is pretty empty.

Construction is going strong, although some balconies need to be partially rebuilt. The new balcony gutters look good. The tile is sharp looking. The railings should arrive in January.  Work is starting on building five in a few days. Both buildings seven are done except railings and gutters.
 
I want to urge those of you with rental agencies to not rent your units to local people who need a quick place to stay. These renters and their drinking and partying have caused quite a bit of heartburn for our patrol services, pool users and the local police.
Gordon Lebedz

Below is the condominium unit order list as to what order construction will begin for lanai replacement. The order is listed in groups of two or three units (the bottom floor unit is listed, as it will be effected by noise and scaffolding, but no entry into the unit will be required). Units not listed are already completed or work is currently being done. Timing of this work will be
extremely fluid.

The order should remain firm and timing can be estimated as this project progresses. We will send emails to owners and rental agents as completion of units occurs with regular updates to all.

In January 2021, work should begin for the first units. Each part of the project includes the repair of two lanais (the side units have two lanais).

The ceiling of the lanais will remain off all of the units until all repair work is completed. Ceiling structures will be replaced by appointment sometime in 2022. Due to each lanai presenting unique repair issues and coordinating between the construction/tile, railing and gutter contractors and material supply, giving even a vague timeline for that part of the work is unfeasible.

Click on the link to download the pdf schedule.

Again, mahalo for your patience. We know this project impacts you at a time when we are already reeling from the effects of COVID-19. 

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The waterproofing and tile repairs on the two building sevens are done. Finishing building five will be next. THERE WILL BE NO RAILINGS FOR AT LEAST SIX WEEKS. If we do get visitors/renters on building sevens and five, please make them sign a waiver not to use your balconies without railings.

Remember, this is the rainy season and we have leaky roofs (balcony floors) that caused beams and posts to rot. His is an EMERGENCY. There are no exceptions or custom dispensations. We are going full speed ahead. After Building five, it will building six. The other units are OK to rent.

Reminders:

There is one parking spot per unit. Visitor spots are not for long term renters with two cars.

Those of you who use Air B&B, Craigslist, VBRO, etc. please understand that you get what you pay for. The Po’ipu Kai management is NOT your problem solver. Please don’t call them for a problem inside your unit unless it is a common area issue. Please make sure our management company has a key to your unit in case of flooding, etc.