Posted on: Friday, August 23, 2002

Park: We wish we had such problems

What a dilemma the Hunakai Park neighbors find themselves in: They own this 4.2-acre private park, but they're having a hard time keeping it green because it's not hooked up to the city water system.

The members of the Hunakai Park Association don't seem to mind irrigating the plants and trees themselves, but it's a hassle to stretch hoses from their own homes or carry water across the street.

That's the kind of quality problem we wish we had more of. Fortunately, the choices for the park association are clear and simple:

• They can deed the property to the city, which then would become responsible for the park's upkeep. The difficulty with that choice is that the neighbors would lose control of the park. The city might build restrooms or other facilities on it, and then who knows who might use it?

• They can keep the park, and either pay the city $40,000 to install a water meter, or continue to haul the water for the park's upkeep.

The association's suggestion that O'ahu taxpayers should make a gift to them of a $40,000 water meter makes no sense. The rest of the island's population has a lot more to worry about than how to take care of 4.2 acres that Bishop Estate gave this neighborhood for free.