East Honolulu backs pool plan
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
HAWAI'I KAI — East Honolulu's swimming pool is still years from getting off the drafting table, but community leaders are fully behind it.
At a recent vision team meeting, a group of residents voted to spend the $1 million slated for the area's vision projects in this budget to help finance the pool.
With a total of $2 million set aside in vision money, the community is short roughly $3 million, said Cynthia Bond, vision team coordinator.
The community has no guarantees that the city or its councilman-elect, Charles Djou, will be able to come up with the rest of the money, but is willing to take the risk, said Lester Muraoka of the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board. If the vision money isn't spent by the end of the fiscal year, the money is lost. The community hopes to get support from Djou and Mayor Jeremy Harris.
The city faces a $160 million budget shortfall, which already has prompted the administration to cut the amount of money going to vision and neighborhood board projects.
"I think it's a good idea and it's long overdue," Djou said. "But realistically the city is facing a tremendous financial problem. I don't want to overpromise."
However, he said, "I have heard on the campaign trail that there's a great desire for a pool."
There also is competition for whatever money the city decides to devote to swimming pool construction. Several other communities are at the same stage of development and are vying for city and council support.
Wai'anae and 'Ewa Beach already have been targeted by the city parks department as key areas to build a community pool, said city spokeswoman Carol Costa. And in Kahuku, 'Aiea/Pearl City, Waialua and Manoa, community leaders are beginning talks about the need for a swimming pool, she said.
"It's just too early in the budget process yet to discuss the mayor's support of a swimming pool in East Honolulu," Costa said.
Harris has pledged his support to building pools so children islandwide can learn to swim. Since 1996, the city has opened two pools — Salt Lake and Makiki District Park —Êfor a total of 20 pools. A developer built a swimming pool in Waikele that was turned over to the city to run, Costa said.
Pools are being constructed at Mililani District Park and Lanakila, Costa said. The Lanakila pool is expected to cost $7 million in construction and $360,000 for design, she said. The Mililani pool is estimated to cost $6 million.
Since pools are expensive, one resident suggested the Hawai'i Kai community form a friends group to adopt the pool, raise money and help maintain it.
The concept is a good one, said resident Murray Luther, but residents need to jump on the bandwagon and consult with similar friends groups.
"If we can get the community behind this, it would show the city how serious we are," Luther said. "We have put ourselves in a position of asking the city for everything without putting in any effort."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
