The state wants nearly $40 million to address building defects at a new building at the Hawaiʻi State Hospital in Kāneʻohe.
In 2021, the state unveiled the $160 million, 144-bed psychiatric facility. But the state delayed its opening for a year in part to address issues with the shower floors, door handles and hinges — along with staffing difficulties.
The state is asking legislators for about $8 million to do immediate repairs and about $28 million primarily to fix the roof.
State officials from the state Department of Health and the Department of Accounting and General Services told lawmakers about recent drainage problems and leaks, heavily corroded air conditioning parts, and mold at the facility.
They said that contractor Hensel Phelps, which built the facility, is responsible for the defects.
One of the issues, according to Gordon Wood, administrator for public works at DAGS, is that the drainage pipes were clogged with grout. He didn’t name Hensel Phelps directly in the complaint, but noted some of the problematic work done during construction.
“Somehow a contractor thought it was reasonable to just pour grout into the drains, and they don’t work very well after that. But this is something that we couldn’t figure out until we started to dig into the building,” he told state lawmakers during an informational briefing this week.
The state is contemplating a lawsuit to ensure the company pays for the repairs.
The hospital is in the district represented by Rep. Scot Matayoshi, who said the state should have litigated the issue years ago.
“I am disappointed that through the years it's taken since we first detected a lot of these construction defects that litigation has either not started or that we hadn't gotten any kind of commitment from Hensel Phelps to pay back the money that we're now fronting,” Matayoshi said.
“Now, to come to the state for $40 million, that’s $40 million that really could be spent elsewhere in a time where our budget is already crunched, where we’re already looking at losing a bunch of federal funding in who knows where, depending on what the Trump administration does. It’s not coming at a great time.”
The hospital primarily houses patients with significant mental health issues who have been ordered there by the courts after committing crimes. Courts may also order people to stay there while they wait for evaluations on whether they are mentally fit to stand trial.
