Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and an Awesome New Year! Radosnych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia and Szczesliwego Nowego Roku! Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Happy Thanksgiving - Hau'oli La Ho'omakika'i !

Wishing you and your families a Happy and Joyous Thanksgiving - Hau'oli La Ho'omakika'i !

Who Is Going To Fix (And Pay For) Lanikea Elevators?

Lanikea at Waikiki is an upscale high rise residential building, which was completed in 2005. It has two elevators, which frequently break down and the residents experience the inconvenience of having only one elevator servicing the entire building. In at least one instance, both elevators were non-operational at the same time.

Due to the building design flaw, the elevators were exposed to the weather elements, including heavy rains, until the developer and its builder enclosed the area in the upper deck garage. Lanikea Association of Apartment Owners (AOAO) Directors and Owners did informal walk-through inspections in 2010 and 2011 and discovered that the elevator systems  showed signs of corrosion (see the enclosed picture).

Lanikea is a new building and the elevators should be fully operational and under builder's warranty. Yet Lanikea owners, through Lanikea AOAO, had already paid tens of thousands of dollars for repairing the elevators. As a result of these and other expensive repairs, Lanikea Homeowner Dues are almost $1,000 a month, which is outrageous. Replacing defective elevators in a high rise building is expensive. It can cost hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, millions of dollars. Who is going to fix and pay for Lanikea elevators?

Converting Lanikea Windows Into Common Elements

Recently, the Board of Directors of Association of Apartment Owners of Lanikea at Waikiki (AOAO) sent a letter to all Lanikea Owners to vote whether to convert apartment windows, which now are sole responsibility of the Owners, into Common Elements.  As Common Elements, the AOAO will be responsible for the windows.

The letter says that the proposed change would result in increase of the monthly association dues and the Board has no opinion as to whether the proposed amendment will be beneficial to the Association. What the letter does not state is that windows at Lanikea have been reported to have many problems and defects for which right now the unit Owners are responsible.

This Blog had mentioned some of the Lanikea window problems in the past e.g. when outside window parts of units 02 and 03 were falling down on the parking structure below. I have personally experienced many problems with our Lanikea windows (unit 04), including: air and water infiltration, noise, flooding, difficulty to clean the windows without removing them (very dangerous in a high rise environment), and have at least one window which appears to be installed inside out.

All Lanikea windows should be converted into Common Elements and then the AOAO should demand from Lanikea's developer to fix the windows at the developer's expense. Otherwise each apartment Owner will be responsible for repairing and/or replacing their own windows, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

I urge you to vote IN FAVOR of converting the Apartment Perimeter Windows Into Common Elements. Please inform other Lanikea Owners about this urgent issue.

Lanikea Has a New General Manager

Recently, Lanikea's Board of Directors had appointed Ms. Patricia A. Williams-Wakefield, as a new interim General Manager of Lanikea at Waikiki. Welcome Aboard!

Thoughts and Prayers...

All victims and their families of Boston Marathon explosions are in our thoughts and prayers.

Happy Easter! Hau oli Pakoa!

Happy Easter! Hau oli Pakoa!

Honolulu Festival 2013

Honolulu Festival is one of the most spectacular and successful annual events in Honolulu. This year's "Honolulu Daijayama" from the city of Omuta in Fukuoka, Japan was fantastic. They excited a crowd of mesmerised spectators. The fireworks from Niigata Prefecture in Japan were simply stunning.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A great human being, thinker, and a true servant leader... thank you Dr. King!

Artist Heather Brown at Wyland Gallery in Waikiki

Congrats Heather Brown on an awesome show tonight! Heather is shown signing one of her paintings at Wyland Gallery in Waikiki last night. Heather and her art are immensely popular not only in the U.S., but also internationally, especially in Japan. Check out her website: http://www.heatherbrownart.com/