Posted on: Saturday, March 31, 2001

Future of Kaka'ako requires bold dreams

In a commentary on these pages Thursday, local music enthusiast George Cassarno outlined the latest thinking of a group called Friends for a Kaka'ako Landmark.

This is a group that is pushing hard for a world-class performing arts center at the water's edge in Kaka'ako. This is the same prime piece of oceanfront land also targeted by Gov. Ben Cayetano for an aquarium and for a children's museum (already in place) as well as a science and technology center.

While it is far from settled that a performing arts center is the ideal tenant for this prize piece of public property in Honolulu, the Friends for a Kaka'ako Landmark have one distinct advantage: They are thinking big.

Their plan recognizes the Kaka'ako site as the crown jewel it is. This is no place for piecemeal planning or ad hoc development. Honolulu has an opportunity to do something grand here, something that will make the world sit up and take notice.

It will take out-of-the-box thinking like that coming from Cassarno and friends to make that grand dream a reality.