Skateboarders await Sunset Beach facility
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser North Shore Bureau
Sunset Beach skateboarders will have an alternative to skating illegally in public places once the city builds a proposed skateboard facility at Banzai Rock Beach Support Park, but some people are skeptical about the government's resolve in finishing such projects.
The push for skateboard facilities islandwide has increased over the past five years. While the city has plans for 13 new skateboard parks, getting them built has been a slow process, said Chuck Matsui, president of the Association of Skateboarders in Hawai'i.
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To comment on the project, write to the city Department of Design and Construction, 650 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96814. For more information, contact Mike Sakamoto at 527-6323.
"I'm not sure what the deal is, but there's a definite need for (skateboard facilities)," Matsui said. "Kids are getting arrested on the street and not given an option of anywhere to go. It's definitely a problem."
The proposed $600,000 Banzai beach facility will be constructed on the upper half of the park on approximately 8,400 square feet. It will have a combination of concrete banks, curved walls, ledges and obstacles designed for skateboarding.
The course will vary approximately six to seven feet from the top to the lowest point. There are no plans to fence or light the facility.
The city has submitted a draft environmental assessment for the project and is accepting public comment. The project requires numerous permits and approvals before construction can begin.
Matsui said he's frustrated after spending five years planning a Keolu Hills Community Park skateboard facility that was to begin construction this month in Kailua. He fears that the project will lose its financing like it did several years ago and the community and city would have to go through the planning process again.
"I don't understand what's taken so long or why they haven't broken ground yet," he said. "If it's not done in six months, the money lapses."
But Carol Costa, city spokeswoman, said the financing would not lapse because the city has awarded the contract for the project. Costa said the project may have taken longer than anticipated because the scope of the work had increased and the skate park is part of a $2 million park upgrade that includes a volleyball court and a multipurpose field.
"Regretfully, that sometimes happens when you have a large project," Costa said.
O'ahu has city skateboard parks at 'Ewa Beach Community Park, Pilila'au Park in Wai'anae and in Makiki under the H-1 freeway. Skateboard parks are planned for A'ala Park, Kalihi Valley District Park, Kaomaiku Neighborhood Park, Kapolei Regional Park, Makiki District Park, Manana Community Park, Waipahu Skateboard Park, Kane'ohe District Park, Hale'iwa Regional Park, Mililani District Park, Hawai'i Kai (which has a temporary facility at Koko Head District Park), Keolu and Banzai.
The Sunset Beach community has lobbied for a skate park since 1984.
Cole Jensen, 20, said the long-awaited park would be a great addition to the community. Jensen lobbied for a park in 1998, asking for a site in Sunset Beach, but Ali'i Beach Park in Hale'iwa was given priority.
"It's been forever now," Jensen said. "I'm sure everybody will be happy about it. Everybody skateboards on this side of the island."
