HART Errors – Lack of Acknowledgement is Troublesome

by Natalie Iwasa, What Natalie Thinks, February 7, 2016

Last week I wrote about errors and inconsistencies I’ve found related to the Honolulu rail project. Councilmember Ozawa apparently followed up with HART regarding one of those errors – the West Oahu Farrington Highway summary change orders calculation. HART responded via a letter dated February 3, 2016.

I do not know specifically what Ozawa requested (his communication to HART is not posted on the council’s website).  I do know, however, that HART did not address the issue of the error.

We all make mistakes. Shouldn’t agencies like HART at least acknowledge that an error was made?  Wouldn’t it be a lot easier than clouding the issue with explanations that may be correct but don’t address the concerns?

I’ve taken the liberty of showing the change order calculation (suggested presentation) as it would be if HART had included the credit and the full administrative costs from its detailed spreadsheets. Using this presentation, we can see how much rounding is included in the approved change order.

How many other errors have been summarily dismissed by HART? How much are we losing out because of this? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I will continue to press for transparency and accountability.

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