Committee recommends $62,986.66 settlement after errant park sprinkler flooded a home

The Maui County Council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee on July 22, 2025 recommended adoption of Resolution 25-141 to settle a property-damage claim filed Nov. 13, 2023, for $62,986.66. The claim alleges a County of Maui Parks and Recreation Department sprinkler at the Central Maui Regional Sports Complex malfunctioned and sprayed water into a nearby home, causing interior damage.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Susan Leiter told the committee the claim was investigated, an expert was consulted and the claimant provided three repair estimates; she said the county was recommending settlement at the lowest estimate, $62,986.66. "We are asking to, requesting and recommending settlement at the lowest amount, which is 62,986 and 66¢," Leiter said during opening remarks.

Pat McCall, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, said the failure was mechanical: "the sprinkler head actually broke. It was the internal parts within the sprinkler head broke and it went from a 180 to a 3 60," he said, describing how the head began spraying in all directions until the irrigation line was shut off and the head was replaced.

Committee members pressed for detail about how a single sprinkler could cause roughly $63,000 in damage. A member said the claimant reported water entering through open windows and attic vents, and county staff said they had a still photograph showing water reaching the house. Committee members asked whether mold remediation was required and whether the claimant had submitted video evidence; staff said a security-camera video had been referenced in the claim but was not available to them at the time of the discussion and that the written estimates focused on water-damage repairs rather than explicit mold abatement.

Members also asked about steps to prevent recurrence. McCall said Parks’ irrigation section is replacing that brand of sprinkler heads across parks where the same internal-part failure has been identified. On warranty and recourse, staff said the park and its sprinklers are old and any manufacturer warranty likely had expired.

After roughly a 3-minute discussion period and no oral public testimony, Member Yukile Sugimura moved to recommend adoption of Resolution 25-141; Chair Alice Lee seconded. The committee recorded nine ayes, zero nos and the motion carried. The recommendation will be forwarded to full council for final action. Written testimony for the item will continue to be accepted as noted in the meeting materials.