Gov. Josh Green’s administration is asking lawmakers to put up millions of dollars in emergency funding to fix leaks, clean up mold and make other repairs to a $160 million building that opened at Hawaiʻi State Hospital just three years ago.
The request for funding includes $6.16 million for repairs to the structure known as the Hale Hoʻōla Building, and another $2 million to cover legal costs. Those legal expenses may include the cost of a lawsuit against contractor Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
Hensel Phelps developed the building under a design-build contract with the state, and the facility was unveiled by the state Department of Health in 2021. But a series of problems including design flaws and some construction defects kept the building closed until the following year…