Budget cuts leave parks withering from neglect
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
Many of the benches at Sand Island State Park are falling apart, vandals have burned down shelters and nearly every rusting light fixture is broken.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The baseball fields are filled with weeds and have been left unattended for so long that a large, thorn-filled kiawe bush has taken root in what should be center field. Water lines are broken and charcoal pits overflow with ash.
Only nails remain on planks that once supported the floor of one of the towers at Sand Island State Park.
Sand Island State Park has been in bad shape for a long time, and the problems are only getting worse.
"The park is showing the effects of age and a budget that is not quite keeping up with what we need to do out there," state parks administrator Dan Quinn said.
With an $84 million backlog of repairs and maintenance, and equipment that is slowly falling apart, leaking water pipes and rutted roads are becoming typical in the 60 state parks.
"Lawmakers are aware," Quinn said, "but they are in the situation where other things are viewed as more critical — safety, education — those issues that we all know also need better funding. "
The state has budgeted $1.3 million in capital improvements this year for the state parks system, including: • A $516,000 project at Wailuku River State Park to improve the parking area and lookout at Rainbow Falls. Work will include building access for the disabled at parking stalls, the bus loading zone, the restroom and lookout. • $217,000 to install lights in the tunnel and stairs to the fire control station at Diamond Head State Monument. • An $88,454 project at Waimea Canyon State park to install electrical lines and pressurize the water system so toilets can be flushed. • $223,020 for handicapped parking stalls, bus loading zone and an access route to the restroom at 'Iao Valley State Park. • A $260,340 project at Nu'uanu Pali park for handicapped parking stalls, bus loading zone and route to the upper lookout.
The parks budget has proven to be an easy target for cuts. The Department of Land and Natural Resources' parks budget has dropped about 25 percent since 1995, from $9.5 million to $7 million. Parks staff also has been cut from more than 160 to 124.
Facilities get a financial boost
Of the $750,000 set aside for park repairs and maintenance, about $200,000 is spent on repairs from vandalism, and $200,000 is used to keep water lines functioning, leaving only $350,000 for upkeep of restrooms, fencing, roads and grounds.
To help pay for state park maintenance, the Legislature this year earmarked $1 million from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority budget, which is financed by the transient accommodation tax, or hotel room tax.
Gov. Ben Cayetano said last week that it might be time to start charging fees at state parks to make up some of the deficit.
In a February letter to Cayetano, DLNR director Gilbert Coloma-Agaran said further cuts to the budget might result in closing some parks permanently.
"At this point we are looking at everything, and of course we are going to try to avoid any closures," Coloma-Agaran said. "It defeats the whole purpose of having a park system."
Tapping the transient accommodation tax will help, Coloma-Agaran said. "We are just going to have to be very efficient and use what resources we have wisely."
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
The three-acre Nu'uanu Pali lookout is one of the state's most popular tourist attractions, drawing more than a million visitors a year. It also is a frequent target of thieves, and problems with graffiti forced the state to close the area at night. An emergency phone ripped from its post was deemed too expensive to replace.
Vandals ripped out the emergency phone at Nu'uanu Pali State Park, one of the state's most popular attractions. The park has no restrooms or staff, and problems with graffiti led to closing the area at night. More than a quarter of the state's $750,000 park maintenance budget goes toward repairing the effects of vandalism.
Known for panoramic views of Windward O'ahu from its 1,200-foot elevation, the park has no restrooms or permanent staff. A roving crew checks in periodically to empty trash cans or mow the lawn.
None of this bothered Los Angeles resident Jim Barber and his family, who stopped at the lookout last week. Without even looking up, they walked right past signs warning park users about thefts from cars.
"It's a nice park," Barber said. "The view is great."
Quinn said more than a dozen volunteer groups help with maintenance by "adopting" state parks.
For five years, members of the Inglesia Ni Christo Church have adopted Sand Island State Park. Every few months they send a crew of 150 to 200 people to do as much cleaning as they can in a day.
"It is 90 acres, and you can clean all day long and not get it all," said church cleanup coordinator Harry Ines. "It is a never-ending story."
Capital improvement money was used to replace the picnic tables last year, but no new spending is planned this year.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser
"If it had all been brand-new five or six years ago, when the funding was cut, it would be different," Quinn said. "But it was pretty old then, and that has created a situation there where some of the tables and benches are pretty shot."
A kiawe tree grows in center field in the baseball diamond at Sand Island State Park, which has been rundown for years.
Keaiwa Heiau State Recreation Area, at the top of 'Aiea Heights Drive, is in better shape. The 384-acre park includes the remains of heiau Ho'ola, where Hawaiian healers trained and treated illnesses. There are campgrounds and a 4.8-mile-loop hiking trail.
A new restroom was built recently and some of the campground tables were replaced, but other restrooms and picnic tables are in poor condition.
"I come here walking every day. The park and the bathrooms are very clean," said 'Aiea resident Daz Spencer. "Dwayne (Deocampo) is a very dedicated man and loves this park. He takes a personal interest in keeping the park nice."
The park caretaker, whose staff was cut from two to one, said he is always looking for ways to do more with less, and has been able to keep the park in good shape so far. Last year he brought in prisoners to clear out an area of hau trees.
"Some have come back since getting out of prison to see their work," Deocampo said. "I told them I'm not going to let it grow back. If I don't have the right equipment to do something, I find another way to get the job done. If a chainsaw breaks, I use a machete."
