OHA plan for Waimea Falls Park was not expected
By Yasmin Anwar
Advertiser Staff Writer
Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee John Waihe'e IV has ambitions to turn the North Shore's Waimea Falls Park into a truly authentic Hawaiian attraction.
But his budding plan for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to acquire the spectacular 1,800-acre conservation and recreation area has come as a major surprise to officials who thought the city was the only interested buyer.
The news has even surprised some trustees.
Word got out about Waihe'e's proposal earlier this week, after he scheduled a visit to Waimea Falls Park for his Policy and Planning Committee.
After that planned visit was publicized, OHA's youngest trustee said he received phone calls of support for his plan from city council members, and confused messages from others, including the city's managing director Ben Lee.
"I think (Lee) thought we came out of nowhere to steal their idea," Waihe'e said yesterday.
Lee did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Meanwhile, tomorrow's OHA committee meeting at Waimea Falls Park has been canceled because a quorum was not available. Still, Waihe'e plans to take the tour anyway, and so do 20 OHA staff members.
A North Shore group known as the Stewards of Waimea Valley want to show Waihe'e the park, and to point out the deterioration of its botanical, cultural and archeological sites.
Waihe'e also is hoping to meet with the park's New York-based owner, Christian Wolffer, who is in town this week.
Wolffer put the park up for sale last August for $25 million, four years after saving it from the auction block.
Last month, he placed it under bankruptcy protection.
City Councilwoman Rene Mansho (North Shore, Central O'ahu) initiated the city's plan to buy the property after hearing the concerns of her constituents, who worried what would happen to the park if it got into the wrong hands.
Mayor Jeremy Harris set aside $5.2 million for the purchase in the supplemental budget.
The City Council is set to vote May 30 on whether to condemn the property. Now that she's got wind of Waihe'e's plan, Mansho said she is excited about the prospect of OHA getting involved in the venture.
"OHA sounds like a good candidate because of its financial resources and mission to preserve Hawaiian culture," Mansho said.
The park employs about 150 North Shore residents, and Mansho says she'd hate to lose those jobs.
Waihe'e said he got interested in the project a couple of weeks ago after hearing concerns from the Stewards of Waimea Valley.
Before he went to the OHA board, he said he needed to do some research. Waihe'e approached Clayton Hee after learning that Hee's pet issue is revenue-generating land deals.
"I was just trying to gather information before presenting my idea to the board," said Waihe'e, who took a tour of the park last week with Hee, OHA administrator Randall Ogata and a Realtor.
Waihe'e says he took Hee because he was the only one experienced at driving an all-terrain vehicle.
As for his still-sketchy plans for Waimea Falls Park, Waihe'e says he would not expect OHA to pay much more for the property than the city is willing to pay.
OHA could contract out for services to operate the park, Waihe'e said.
"It could make money without being a theme park, and it's an investment. It could work on so many levels," he said.
Other trustees are not so optimistic.
"I don't think OHA should get involved," said Donald Cataluna, chairman of OHA's Land Committee, which would ordinarily be the first panel to review such a deal.
Cataluna said he fears the venture and potential burden of liability would be too costly and said OHA does not have the administrative resources to operate the park.
