On the eve of the biggest milestone in the often-troubled history of Honolulu’s $9.8 billion rail project, the executive director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation received a performance evaluation that she described as an overall “C-minus.”

Eleven of the 12 members of the HART board of directors offered both praise and criticism of Lori Kahikina’s job performance last year in four categories: her interaction with the board, external relationships, internal relationships and general management.

The evaluation results surprised Kahikina.

“I thought I performed better than a C-minus, I did,” Kahikina told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Wednesday.

The evaluation means she will not receive a bonus of as much as $55,000 that she told the Star-­Advertiser she would have declined anyway.

In March 2022, Kahikina turned down a $25,000 bonus following a positive evaluation for her job performance in 2021.

“No. I would have declined it,” she said. “We don’t have the means right now. We’re trying to get from Kakaako to Ala Moana and beyond.”

Kahikina’s current contract is scheduled to expire at the end of the year but is automatically renewed for a third year “unless they vote me out,” she said.

“I think I’m safe for next year. I think I’m OK through next year.”

Kahikina said she is taking the board’s comments to heart and will work on improving her performance throughout the rest of the year.

“Hopefully their opinion of my performance will improve over the next six months,” she said.

The HART board members evaluated Kahikina on a scale of 1 to 5 in each category, with 5 being the highest rating.

In all four categories, the scores ranged from a low of 2 to a high of 5, but the evaluation does not identify which, or how many, board members selected each rating.

Without providing details, Kahikina’s evaluation was discussed in general terms at Friday’s HART board meeting. HART provided it to the Star-Advertiser in response to media requests.

Kahikina’s evaluation process has been underway for six months but was finally issued to her exactly a week before the public gets the first opportunity to ride and experience the rail system — now officially known as Skyline — for the first time Friday when the initial 11-mile, nine-station segment opens. The entire 19-mile line with 19 stations is projected to open by 2031.

The timing of the board’s critique of Kahikina, who has repeatedly been praised by Mayor Rick Blangiardi, threatens to dampen what otherwise has been planned as a day of celebration by Blangiardi and other dignitaries.

The mayor on Wednesday again praised the HART chief for turning around the rail project that faced a new round of delays and cost overruns when both Blangiardi and Kahikina assumed their posts in January 2021.

There were widespread concerns from Washington, D.C., to Honolulu at the time that rail would never become reality. The Federal Transit Administration had not provided any federal funding to the project since 2017.

“To me, as the senior executive on this project, she has been everything I could have asked for,” Blangiardi told the Star-Advertiser. “In my book, she exceeded expectations. … She helped come in and calm the waters. She has my deep respect and appreciation.

“I’m going to say it again: For me, as mayor and the challenges we faced with this project, she was exactly what we needed and I could not have asked more from her in the context of what we’ve got accomplished together in the last 2-1/2 years and what it means for the city and county to have this rail beginning on Friday.”

The evaluation offers wildly different comments from HART board members on Kahikina, especially regarding communications and HART staffing, and notably regarding her relationship with the board itself.

Specifically, at one point, the evaluation concludes that Kahikina “could show greater deference” to the HART board.

Colleen Hanabusa, HART board chairperson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kahikina’s evaluation Wednesday.

The evaluation said that board members in general were positive in their assessments and praised Kahikina for her “prompt and transparent communication of information” and her relations with the board, stakeholders and “most significantly” with the FTA.

Members commented that she “has done a stellar job of keeping external stakeholders updated” and shown “exceptional leadership skills and the overall capacity and comprehensive knowledge to manage” the complex project.

“However, Board members also noted areas needing improvement,” according to the evaluation, with some members saying “that greater deference could be paid to the Board of Directors in Ms. Kahikina’s communication and interactions with the Board.”