Posted on: Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Congress may triple size of Big Island park
By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park on the Big Island would triple in size if Congress passes a bill that would expand the boundaries to include part of a historically significant village and burial caves.
The measure, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, and in the House by Democratic Hawai'i Reps. Patsy Mink and Neil Abercrombie, would expand the 180-acre park along the coast south and eastward by another 397 acres.
Akaka's version passed the Senate unanimously in October. Mink's original bill would have added a total of 805 acres, increasing the park's reach to the south. She said the additional area would protect more scenic shoreline and more of the historic Ki'ilae village, as well as prevent development of the adjacent land. A developer already has submitted plans for the additional 408 acres.
But because the Senate already has passed Akaka's bill and the Bush administration supports his version, Mink agreed yesterday to amend her measure to reflect Akaka's more modest proposal in the interest of quickly sending a bill to the president.
"The local community strongly supports incorporation of the full 805 acres into the park," Mink told the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands. She submitted a copy of a resolution in support of the expansion by the Hawai'i County Council.
"But rather than hold up what we can agree on, I decided to move this part forward," Mink said. "The community knows we have to do this now. We'll save one part of the area and then work on the next part."
She requested that the amended bill call for an immediate study of whether to further expand the park to include the extra land and said she will continue to push for its inclusion in later legislation.
Part of the 397-acre parcel has been purchased by the Trust for Public Land, which is holding it in trust for the National Park Service.
