FAQ

Checks can be sent to: JB Services, LLC, P.O. Box 4548, Hilo, HI 96720. No foreign non-US checks accepted.

Please visit our MRMA Payment Section of this website to make your payment online.

If you have received a Letter of Demand from either the association or a debt agent contracted by OLCA, you have two options to pay. The first is to Pay the Full Amount Online  or send the full amount owed with a copy of the Demand Letter to:

JB Services, LLC, P.O. Box 4548, Hilo, HI 96720. No foreign non-US checks accepted.
Attn: Overdue Account

Note: If you are in arrears for Association Dues for three years plus it is likely your property has been sent to our debt management service. Please see the next FAQ, “What if I have received a Lien Letter…”

This letter confirms that your property account has gone to collections as it is three years or more past due. The collections service are contracted to collect past due amounts – or – file a lien against the property with the Hawaii Land Court within 90 days of the date of the letter. You can stop this process by sending full payment to:

JB Services, LLC, P.O. Box 4548, Hilo, HI 96720. No foreign non-US checks accepted.
Attn: OLCA Overdue Account

**Note: JB Services will report payment once received and the lien process will be stopped IF payment has been received within 90 days.

The best option is to Contact the Association , or you may email us directly (orchidlandcommunityassociation@gmail.com). The Association does NOT have a dedicated phone or answering service. Your Board members are volunteers. Emails are overseen and routed to appropriate members in as timely a manner as possible.

This is becoming a serious issue in Orchidland and includes junk vehicle, large amounts of household rubbish, tires, and appliances. Hawaii County has strict guidelines. See HRS §342H-9.

If you are a witness to the act of illegal dumping in your community or wish to report an illegal dumpsite located on private property, please call the Police Department at (808) 935-3311 or call the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health at (808) 974-4000, ext. 64226 (toll free).

The Association members are all volunteers and by and large are working Monday through Friday. This website has a Contact Us Page that allows members to send an email. Please note in the subject line the issue you are contacting the board about. A volunteer will route that message.

**JB Services LLC or any other OLCA approved contractor are NOT authorized to manage communications or speak for the OLCA or its Directors.

The OLCA is responsible for maintaining the 40+ miles of roads inside Orchidland, but only to the extent that our budget allows, and that budget and the fee rate are established by the membership (property owners). The OLCA received a judgment in 1992 which grants it the authority to collect mandatory fees for road maintenance, nothing else. OLCA cannot use Mandatory Road Maintenance Assessments (MRMAs) for any other purpose. There are some administrative expenses as part of road maintenance, including a few paid employees (accountant, file keeper, road maint. workers, etc). The OLCA board is entirely made of nonpaid volunteers who own property here in Orchidland.

OLCA has also established a donation only fund to develop a 2 acre parcel at 36th & Orchidland Dr. into a community gathering place  with an activities building, restrooms, playing field and playground, etc. The lot was purchased with OLCA donations.

Among other things, OLCA is not responsible for garbage, dead animal & abandoned vehicle removal. We encourage our community to mow the area where their property meets the road.

The stated goals of the OLCA are to keep Orchidland zoned agricultural, maintain and improve the roads, and provide structure and administration to a community of over 2000 properties. The Association budget is almost exclusively spent in these areas.

Orchidland is about 12 miles south of Hilo on the east side of the Big Island of Hawaii. Take Highway 11 (called Kanoelehua Street in Hilo) south out of Hilo. Turn left onto Highway 130(Keaau – Pahoa Rd. at about mile marker 6). Orchidland Estates will be on your right from about mile marker 4 to mile marker 6. Orchidland Drive and Aulii are probably the easiest roads to use to take you into the subdivision. Google Map

Orchidland is a rural community. There are tall telephone pole like Ohia trees sticking up above dense, nearly impenetrable bush. Ohia lehua is typically a large, slow-growing, evergreen shrub or tree 30-80 ft high. Its forms are extremely variable, ranging from creeping or erect shrubs to spreading or tall trees. Ohia is one of the first plants to colonize new lava. Ohia lehua is the official flower of the island of Hawaii.

About a quarter of the lots have houses. The rest are empty and still jungle. The houses range from just shacks to near-mansions. There are several nurseries, small agricultural endeavors, retreats, vacation rentals and B&Bs. Many of the properties have Ohana dwellings, legal and otherwise.

Slowly but surely the quality of the roads is improving with better maintenance and some paving being done each year. Heavy rains (and we do get rain!) will damage the roads and it takes time for all 40 miles of roadway to be regraded.

The present Orchidland Community Association Board of Directors is working hard to upgrade the appearance and tone of our community at the same time accommodating the wishes of the folks that have lived here for many years. A community spirit is beginning to show. We hope to have a meeting place on the commons property in the near future.

There are about 40 miles of roads in the community. The portions of Pohaku, Laniuma, Orchidlandand Aulii nearest the highway are paved. The side roads are generally gravel. A very few areas are simply dirt tracks. Keeping the roads in good condition is a challenge given the amount of rainfall and budget constraints. Please see our Roads Page on this site for more information.

You can build one home or almost anything having to do with agriculture. You cannot build a second dwelling or “Ohana” unless the lot has a special permit for it.

If you are considering any sort of commercial establishment, church, school, day care, etc. You should contact OLCA first to get a sense of how the association would feel about it. You will eventually need a Special Permit from the County, and OLCA may actively oppose the application if it is not consistent with community plans.

Please see our Roads Page on this site for more information.

There is an orchid with the Latin name of Arundinea graminifolia (commonly known as the bamboo orchid). Orchidland has meadows of them. In addition, there lots of Spathoglottis plicata, and a few Phaius tankerville (nun’s cap) deep in the bush. None are indigenous to Hawaii, but have escaped and gone wild.

There is an orchid with the Latin name of Arundinea graminifolia (commonly known as the bamboo orchid). Orchidland has meadows of them. In addition, there lots of Spathoglottis plicata, and a few Phaius tankerville (nun’s cap) deep in the bush. None are indigenous to Hawaii, but have escaped and gone wild.

It gets to be a treasure hunt if your lot isn’t near some landmark. There are ‘pinfinders’ listed in the Yellow Pages or the classified ads in the newspaper. Usually they can locate your property pins with the help of a metal detector. They are a lot cheaper than the alternative of a surveyor.

There is only electricity and telephone (with some DSL capability) and satellite TV. No city water, sewer, gas or cable is available.

Water is almost exclusively from roof rainwater catchment systems. A typical single family home will have a 5,000 to 10,000holding tank into which the roof drains. Water is usually is passed through a filter system before going into the household plumbing. Ultraviolet sterilization is also commonly used to be on the safe side. This may sound a bit dicey to the newcomer used to chlorinated city water, but really it is no big deal. All the bits and pieces and know-how are available locally.

Think twice about using a well for water supply. The ground is cracked lava with channels that can flow easily from your neighbor’s cesspool to your drinking well. Check with the CTAHR or the Health Department for some authoritative advice. If you do drill a well, have it checked for bacteria before drinking.

If you build, you need either a cesspool or a septic tank. As of 2005 cesspools are still allowed on 3 acre lots, but maybe not much longer. Cesspools are much cheaper to build.

With a good TV antenna you can get ABC, CBS, PBS, FOX and maybe NBC. For more selection satellite is the only option.

Electricity is expensive – about $.29/KWH with all the surcharges, etc. Think twice about air-conditioning. Just build a house with lots of windows and enjoy the trade wind breezes.

Gas is LPG from a tank on your property.

Well, it rains a lot – 165 inches in the average year. Actually, it is not as bad as you might think. In settled trade wind weather it tends to rain mainly at night, clearing by 9-10 in the morning. In unsettled weather it can rain at anytime. It can rain very hard too! Rates of 2-3 inches per hour are not unheard of over short periods of time. Believe it or not we had 39 inches of rain in a 36-hour period back in November of 2000. Now that’s rain!

The ground is rather porous and flooding is generally not a problem. A few areas in Orchidland that channel and are prone to flooding

Our temperature is somewhat cooler that Hilo because of the elevation. On a clear winter night the temperature will dip into the upper 50’s. On a hot summer day it will reach the mid 80’s. Usually it is quite comfortable. A wood stove is a welcome addition on a cold, soggy winter evening.

At the present time there is a small section of the subdivision that become dangerous and impassable during heavy rains. Two places in particular, one located at the intersection of Pohaku and 39th, and second about mid-way between Pohaku and Laniuma on 40th.

Before buying anywhere in this area, make sure you talk to some of the neighbors so that you clearly understand the situation.

Orchidland lies in Lava Hazard Zone #3. Much of Orchidland was last inundated with lava about 350 years ago. You pay your money and you take your chances. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory has up to date info on the volcanos. Mauna Loa erupts every 20 years on average.

Earthquakes occur rather frequently. Every month or so we get a 3+ on the Richter scale. That is enough to rattle the windows and doors. A couple of times a year a 4+ comes along and you have to go around and straighten the pictures. Once in awhile the 5+ comes along and that gets your attention. Every 5 years or so there is a 6+ quake that does some damage.

Hurricanes near the Hawaiian Islands are nowhere near as common as they are in the Atlantic. That said, they do come along every few years. There are rumors around that The Big Island never gets hit because Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa deflect them. That is likely in the category of urban legend or wishful thinking. Hurricane insurance is available, but expensive. If you are building new, include roof tiedowns connecting the roof beams to the sill plates with steel connectors. You will get a credit on your insurance.

Tsunami – forget it unless you are shopping in Hilo. Orchidland is too high to be affected by any tsunami of anything less that biblical proportions.

VOG stands for ‘volcanic smog’. It is an aerosol haze of sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, dust and other nasty things emitted by the volcano and which are catalyzed by the sunlight. We are pretty lucky here in Orchidland even though we are only 15 miles from the currently active Pu’u O’o crater. The usual trade winds blow the vog away from us, and the winter Kona winds the plume seem to miss us as well. Hilo town has much more vog than Orchidland. Rough guess is that there are about 5-10 days per year when the VOG is noticeable (to the point where it will somewhat irritate the throat and eyes of a healthy person).If you have asthma, emphysema or other respiratory problems it can be anything from a nuisance to something pretty serious.

Agricultural. If you buy or own property here in Orchidland, your neighbors are likely to have a farm, chickens, cows, very large green houses, tractors… Due to the agricultural zoning, you are limited to what you may build on the property. You should check with the county before buying to ensure you are able to build what you want.

Almost anything! Coffee, bananas, tropical fruits, palms, heliconia, and exotics. However, except for a few isolated “kipukas” (a hummock where the lava hasn’t flowed recently) there really isn’t much soil. Large planting areas are prepared by having the solid pahoehoe lava ripped with a large D9 bulldozer. The bulldozer then runs over the resulting large rocks crushing them and flattening out the terrain. Then, cinder and maybe a little soil is hauled in and spread. It is a bit costly, but the results can be spectacular. Smaller scale plantings can be done by hand clearing around the Ohia trees with selective removal of some trees. Raised beds also work well. Various types of shade houses are common.

No! Unless you have a reason, there is no need to kill all the vegetation on a lot. A much more economic and ecologically sound solution is to only rip the vegetation needed to clear space for your house, driveway and planting areas.

Lava tubes are essentially long caves that are formed as liquid lava runs out of its underground channel leaving behind an empty tube. There are a number of them running through Orchidland with many “pukas” or entrance holes throughout the subdivision. There is a ‘slight risk’ of a bulldozer falling through when ripping a property, and there may be a personal liability issue of someone falling into a puka on your property.

Coqui frogs are an accidentally introduced species and are a thorough-going pain in the you know what. Left uncontrolled the noise level around the house can get to the point where conversation is difficult and you have to turn up the volume on the TV. Unfortunately, these tiny, loud pests have moved into areas of Orchidland.

At the present time there is no known method for complete eradication. In a few years they will be everywhere! However, they can be controlled locally to the point that your property is livable. A periodic area spray of citric acid or hydrated lime coupled with the clearing of brush seem to be fairly effective.

There are brand new elementary and high schools in Keaau. Really first-rate facilities with lighted athletic fields, bleachers and the whole nine yards.

Academically, let the facts speak for themselves. Within the nation Hawaii ranks near the bottom in both reading and math on nationally administered standardized tests, and our local schools (Keaau and Pahoa) rank near the bottom within the state. Pahoa High and Intermediate, Keaau Middle have failed to meet the student achievement standards of the No Child Left Behind Act, and are now subject to “restructuring” by the State of Hawaii. Keaau Elementary and High have not not met the standards for this last year. Click here for more information. There are several public charter schools in the area and excellent teachers everywhere.

Nothing can be placed outside of property boundaries onto OLCA Right Of Way’s. This includes, Buildings, Carports, Driveways, Fences, Plantings, Rocks, Cars, or Rubbish. Please refer to ROW Violations.

It is about 6 miles into Keaau or the Pahoa where you will find medium-size grocery stores, hardware, pharmacy, restaurants, etc. It is about 12 miles into the shopping mall area of Hilo where there are stores like Sears, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Safeway, etc. Downtown Hilo is a couple of miles further.