Editorial
State marina plans should avoid luxury

While it is clear that the state's small-boat harbor program has problems, the cure for those problems must not be found strictly in the pocketbooks of the sailors who use these facilities.

Among the solutions being discussed is finding a private operator for the popular Ala Wai marina in Waikiki as well as for the marina at Ke'ehi Lagoon near the airport.

Private operation by and of itself is hardly the cure for the problems facing our small- boat harbors.

If the new operator kept slip fees at today's relatively affordable rates, there would be only so much he could do to improve facilities.

And if the private firm tried to upgrade the Ala Wai to the standards of upscale private marinas here or on the Mainland, the slip fees would soar beyond the reach of many of today's boat owners.

Still, the market suggests that prices at Ala Wai could — and probably should — be raised. There is a constant waiting list for slips at Ala Wai.

Several principles must apply as the state moves ahead on this problem.

First, the Ala Wai must be maintained as an open amenity for all of Hawai'i's citizens. It must not be converted to a private marina that, truly, only the wealthy can enjoy.

Slip fees are in need of adjustment, but the extra income should go directly into basic safety and use improvements for those who pay the fees.

If a private management company is brought in, it should be in the interest of efficiency and creative management, not as the first step toward converting this important recreational amenity into a private yacht club.