A few days ago, SMS Research, an independent consultant to the City and County of Honolulu, had issued a report stating that Ameron Quarry in Kailua was the best spot to install a new landfill. However, James Dannemiller, the president of SMS Research, just corrected his statement and noted that he had entered the data incorrectly and that the number one spot was actually located in Kahuku in the North Shore. Dannemiller stated, “Working with the committee, I made data entries in real time and while doing so, an inadvertent data error occurred. Per SMS policy, we verified the data integrity over the weekend. During this procedure I discovered the error and corrected it. The final ranking has been thoroughly verified.”
However, members of the Kahuku neighborhood question the sudden change in rankings and wonder if pressure from Kailua residents and politicians had anything to do with the reversal. Dannemiller insisted that the change in ranking had nothing to do with the politics of the situation.
Ernie Martin, the City Council Chariman who represents the Kahuku Area on the North Shore of Oahu, expressed his concern. He noted that SMS Research’s newly released corrected ranking has the top four landfill sites all located on the North Shore. Martin stated, “The top four (sites) are in my district. But I want to reassure my constituents that there still needs to be a significant study and review whether these sites are feasible. And as long as I serve on the Council, I’m going to ensure that a thorough analysis is done before we would even consider having posting a landfill in any community in my district and I’m sure any council member would say the same.”
Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle reminded the public that Oahu desperately needs to replace its current landfill location at Waimanalo Gulch, located in Leeward Oahu. Carlisle commented, “It’s obviously very important that this process be handled correctly, and be completely aboveboard. At least the error was discovered and corrected quickly, so that we can proceed with a more thorough site analysis before making a proposal to the City Council.”
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 4-26-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
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