Investigators from the state departments of Labor and Industrial Relations, Taxation, and Commerce and Consumer Affairs visited the Ewa wing construction site at Ala Moana Center on Monday for what they called an outreach and regulatory action.
No citations were issued, said William Kunstman, spokesman for DLIR.
“We don’t have any conclusions at this point, but it was complaint-driven,” he said of the site visit.
General Growth Properties Inc., owner of Ala Moana Center, said in a statement, “We were notified about the investigation and have been cooperating with all of the involved state departments and have been facilitating access to the site. At this point, this is an issue between the state investigators and some tenants. And we are closely monitoring the situation because GGP requires its tenants to fully comply with all applicable laws and regulations.”
General Growth said the Ewa wing expansion is still on schedule to open at 9 a.m. Nov. 12.
Should the DLIR find violations in which contractors do not have workers’ compensation insurance, prepaid health care or other coverage for workers, they are “subject to fines,” the state agency said.
According to a joint statement from the three state agencies, investigators with DCCA’s Regulated Industries Complaints Office were there to ensure that contractors and subcontractors working on projects are properly licensed and that projects are being appropriately supervised.
Tax Department personnel informed contractors of their responsibilities and offered assistance in answering questions about tax laws.
Violations of tax laws can result in interest-bearing penalties, and “depending on the amount, (the state) would vigorously pursue” any findings, Kunstman said.
It is unclear how many workers are employed on the Ewa wing project, given the number of subcontractors “that come and go,” Kunstman said. He did not identify any of the companies doing work on the project.
“It’s going to take us a couple weeks” to conduct an investigation and determine whether citations will be issued and fines levied, Kunstman said.
The inspection was limited to the retail construction site and did not involve the Park Lane condominium development along the Ala Moana Boulevard side of the property, Kunstman said.
