Monday, September 14, 2015

Hunt Corp Destroys Local Historic Landmark - Barbers Point 1943 MCAS Ewa Squadron Wall

Hunt Corp Destroys

Local Historic Landmark

Barbers Point 1943 MCAS Ewa Squadron Wall

Identified in official 2012 report, Navy says it was a "mistake"

by John Bond  Ewa Historian 

 

The MCAS Ewa Squadron Wall was identified in the 2011 Ewa Battlefield Report by Mason Architects. There was a color photo of the wall and it was listed as having been constructed in 1943.

Shortly before the first Ewa Battlefield Section 106 meeting began in Kalaeloa Hunt Corp ordered the local landmark knocked down overnight with all of the evidence of it being there removed.

There was no notice or discussion with the community at all. The Navy had promised that all historic structures were protected by State and Federal laws and the Section 106 process would allow the community the opportunity to be notified and consulted.

The local community would eventually learn that the Navy never had any intention of keeping their promises when it came to Hunt Corp, a private Texas family corporation that has major influence over Hawaii politicians, government offices and the employees of the Naval Facilities command based at Pearl Harbor.

Hunt Corp always received exclusive special exemption from federal preservation laws as Navy realtor's greased the way towards massive profits from federal public lands. 

It is believed that the squadron wall was built in 1943 primarily as a privacy wall for the nearby combat pilot officers quarters (foundations nearby.)

However squadrons began painting their insignia's on it (since they lived next to it) and the tradition continued during the Navy Cold War era. The Coast Guard was still using it and providing
periodic maintenance after the base closed in 1999.

The issue of knocking down the wall came up numerous times in the Navy-Hunt KREP PV farm Section 106 and the community was told it was just a "mistake" and Hunt shouldn't have done it. The Navy said they would probably rebuild it. But that never happened.

Later the community would learn that the Navy never intended to enforce any protections or covenants for identified cultural and historic sites in Kalaeloa, former Barbers Point.

Squadron Wall Photos: Military Historian John Bennett



















Sunday, September 13, 2015

HUNT Navy KREP: Agreement Broken Caused Karst Collapse And Subsurface Damage

HUNT Navy KREP: Agreement Broken Caused Karst Collapse And Subsurface Damage

Navy Reneged On Signed Programmatic Agreement - Many Times

 

 

by John Bond   Ewa Historian

 After attending an on site meeting at the Hunt Navy KREP PV site where the contracted Navy archaeologist stated that no vehicles or machinery over Gross Vehicle Weight of 9000 pounds, the Hunt site developer immediately brought in the largest heavy trucks, semi's and metal tracked equipment crushing through the fragile ancient coral karst surface.



Heavy tractor trailer and large metal tracked equipment were used to
clear the KREP PV site despite very clear and specific PA agreement not
to do so. The Navy archaeologist, if ever there at all, never bothered to
enforce the PA and neither did the Navy at Pearl Harbor which had signed the
KREP Programmatic Agreement.

The result was very extensive flooding of the site area, fracturing the
underground WW-II era MCAS Ewa water distribution system.

 During WW-II construction a large bulldozer fell into a huge underground karst cave

This actually happened again several more times in the area north and west of
the PV construction site, flooding area roads and wasting huge amounts of water
as Hunt Corp moved heavy machinery and very heavy large trucks back and forth.


July 30, 2012 Kalaeloa Renewable Energy Park Programmatic Agreement-
Broken Programmatic Agreement:

"Clearing shall be performed with manual labor and small-scale machinery and
light trucks (maximum GVW of 8,500 pounds, as defined by Corporate Average
Fuel Economy standards). Bulldozers and metal-tracked equipment shall not
be used for clearing activities."

Nearly all of the metal tracked machinery was repeatedly brought back and forth 
across the 1941 runway on a regular basis from
another base yard area near Coral Sea Road where Hunt Corp tenants are
American Machinery.

Way over agreed GVW trucks and machinery fracture subsurface karst caves

The result is fracturing the WW-II era sand filled karst sinkholes and caves


 The community warned about the porous karst noted in original MCAS Ewa documents

  
 During airfield construction in WW-II beach sand was poured into the many karst caves

 
These same heavy weight trucks pound and crack the local roadways


Airfield under early 1925 construction show hundreds of karst caves and sinkholes


 During WW-II construction a large bulldozer fell into a huge underground cave.
Beach sand was poured into the many sinkholes and caves. But eventually it
washes out from decades of rainfall.

http://ewafield.blogspot.com/

http://barbers-point.blogspot.com/

http://ewabattlefield.blogspot.com/

http://ewa-battlefield-nomination.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Save-Ewa-Field-270728152937385/