Posted on: Tuesday, May 29, 2001

Lanikai Beach group given tax-exempt status

By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau

KAILUA — Lanikai resident Ned Dewey has watched with alarm as the diminishing sands from Lanikai shores seem to migrate to Kailua Beach, but now, he says, after decades of trying to stem beach erosion problems, the community has found a way to pay for a solution.

This month Dewey announced that the Internal Revenue Service has granted the Lanikai Beach Preservation Foundation Inc. tax-exempt status, paving the way to collect donations and acquire grants for a beach restoration project. This is the first Hawai'i nonprofit dedicated to restoration of a public beach, Dewey said.

For almost four decades, Lanikai residents have worried as the shifting sands on Lanikai Beach have left several homes dangerously close to surging waves. Walls, sandbags and sand replenishment have helped, but the sand keeps moving.

"To really deal with the situation we came to the conclusion that a tremendous amount of capital was required, so we needed to form an entity that could be the recipient of grants and funding from various sources both private and public," Dewey said. "By making it a charitable foundation, people who love Lanikai Beach can donate and have their donations be tax deductible."

But the group realized that its approach has to be scientific, said Tom Cestare, a director of the foundation. The plan is to assemble information and try to plot the fluctuation of the beach over time in order to create a historical record. Then the foundation would hire experts to help decide the best course of action.

"Everyone always has some quick fix, but we have to go beyond that," Cestare said. "We have to have a systematic approach."

The group will work with the city and the state, Cestare said.

Sam Lemmo, state coastal lands program manager, said the Department of Land and Natural Resources has been involved in small scale beach restoration and has asked the Army Corps of Engineers to delegate permitting authority on these types of projects to DLNR. The DLNR is also developing industry standards for shoreline development that can protect future owners from suffering as the people in Lanikai have.

The Lanikai group hasn't contacted Lemmo about its most recent endeavor, but Lemmo said he's sure he can help put the organization in touch with people who have technological know-how.

At a recent conference, Lemmo said he learned about a submersible pump that could pump sand from the ocean and put it on the shore.

"We could do a demonstration project that would have statewide application," Lemmo said.