The major issue for community groups has been the construction of a flood control maintenance facility, which will be erected to protect existing and new equipment. Following the 1988 New Year's flood, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers erected a flood control levee to protect the Coconut Grove subdivision. The Land Department would like to add to that a flood control warning system that would have two gauges in the marsh and one on the Oneawa Canal bridge to indicate when there is potential for flooding from the mountain streams and marsh itself. The Kailua Neighborhood Board accepted the state plan two years ago, provided it didn't include the maintenance yard or fence in the entire marsh. Run-off from the asphalt and leakage from vehicles and machinery are the major concerns.
Aesthetics also play a role in the board's objections.
The board learned in March, however, that neither the facility nor the fence had been removed from the plan. The state maintains the fence is necessary to keep predators out of the bird habitat, and the maintenance facility is needed to protect the flood control equipment. Conry said the flood maintenance facility won't be in the same area as the wildlife sanctuary, and special precautions will be made to control runoff, perhaps by using absorbent materials or oil pans to collect any leakage. Both the state and community groups will have the opportunity to comment on the project on Jan. 22, at a public hearing for the issuance of a special management area use permit. The hearing had been scheduled for a previous date, but was postponed at the Kailua Neighborhood Board's request.