Diamond Head fee collection sporadic

By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer

The state is still two months away from collecting an entry fee from every pedestrian and vehicle entering Diamond Head State Monument.

Fee collection was supposed to begin Sept. 1, but a collection booth must still be built and state officials have yet to select a company to operate it. Both should be in place by late October or early November, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which oversees the monument.

Once everything is ready, the state will charge $5 per car and $40 per 26-passenger bus that enters the crater, and $1 for any individual who walks in. Discounted passes are available for regular visitors to the monument.

"We've had a lot of questions," said Yara Lamadrid-Rose, the DLNR's park coordinator for Diamond Head Monument. "People want to know when we'll start charging the fees. In the future, anyone who comes into the crater will have to pay. Now people pay only if they want to enter the park area, which is any area past the information booth."

A 2000 legislative mandate required the DLNR to find alternative sources of revenue to pay for park maintenance.

The agency began collecting an entry fee two years ago, but only from individuals who wanted to enter the park area. Though collection has been spotty due to a lack of staff and proper collection facilities, the fee has generated more than $1 million since 2000.

A company to operate a collection booth is expected to be chosen next week.

The state ultimately plans to launch a master plan for Diamond Head that includes a $5 million interpretive center and a system of trails through the nearly 500 acres that make up the state monument. Diamond Head was named a monument in 1962 and a National Natural Landmark in 1968.

This spring the state repaved the parking lot and roadways in a multimillion-dollar overhaul.

Next, a collection booth will be built just past the tunnel into Diamond Head crater.

"Everything is working pretty well," Lamadrid-Rose said. "The improvements have really helped in terms of traffic flow and it's much safer for pedestrians."