Waimanalo sees open market as economic key
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward O'ahu Writer
WAIMANALO — The financial crisis brought on by the closure of Kalaniana'ole Highway has turned into opportunity for a community that has pulled together to help one another.
• The rockslide project above Makapu'u Beach will be suspended after Friday with the work incomplete, according to the state Department of Transportation. • Subcontractor Prometheus Construction had advised the state that it had a prior obligation, and workers will return in late January or early February to hang the fence on the lower part of the mountain. • This week, workers are hanging a fence on the upper portions of the cliff to prevent debris from falling onto Kalaniana'ole Highway. • One lane of the highway is closed from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Business and civic leaders believe the spirit of cooperation that resulted in three weekends of festivities intended to help ailing merchants can be sustained and the momentum harnessed to revitalize and develop the local economy.
Kalaniana'ole work update
A permanent market featuring arts, crafts and produce would be the anchor for the effort.
"We were talking about using the (open market) as the economic engine, a tool to help revitalize the vendors," said Andrew Jamila Jr., president of the Waimanalo Construction Coalition, which is advocating the plan along with EnviroWatch Inc. and the Waimanalo Chamber of Commerce.
Manuel Menendez III, executive director of the city Office of Economic Development, said Waimanalo has all it needs to create the market. The community already has cohesion and momentum after the effort to plan the three weekend events, and it also has startup businesses looking for an affordable storefront, he said.
The city could help with the location, strategic planning and marketing, said Menendez, who worked with the community to plan the weekend events.
Starting Nov. 6, a project to reduce the rockslide danger at Makapu'u Beach closed one of two entrances to the community during the heart of the day for three weeks, leaving many businesses in a slump that they say was worse than the one suffered after 9/11.
To help merchants recover, the city, businesses and community joined forces to plan events that featured an open market and concluded Saturday with a ho'olaule'a that coincided with the area's annual Christmas parade.
The effort resulted in a new level of cooperation, camaraderie and understanding, organizers said.
Although organizers couldn't say how much money was made on the three weekends of events, Patrick Ching, owner of Naturally Hawaiian Gallery & Gifts, said the biggest benefit to the community was the publicity and exposure Waimanalo received in the media. The community will continue to benefit financially from that exposure, Ching said.
"But the best thing that came out of this is we got to know each other better," Ching said. "(The crisis) made the community tighter."
Joe Ryan, vice president of EnviroWatch Inc., agreed, adding that a free raffle that required people to pick up tickets at local businesses and drop them off at the events was successful in getting people into the shops. Of 4,000 handed out about 2,000 were returned.
Ryan said he has drafted a letter seeking contributions to set up a nonprofit group to run the open market. About $600 is needed for the initial fees.
The market could be across the street from the polo field along the beach park fence, Jamila said.
It's an area that is underused and very visible to people touring the island, he said.
Visibility is important, Jamila said, adding that a similar market in the 1970s died once it moved off the highway. The market sprang up outside the polo field along Kalaniana'ole Highway but the state moved the vendors onto the polo field, fearing that a serious accident could occur.
"It slowly died off," Jamila said. "People couldn't see (the vendors)."
The community only needs a location and will do whatever is necessary to make the idea work, including picking up a shovel and moving dirt around, said Kevin Andrews, president of the Waimanalo Chamber of Commerce.
A permanent market is one of several ideas the chamber is discussing, Andrews said. People are beginning to realize that commercial enterprise is not a bad thing as long as the residents benefit, he said.
For instance, Andrews said there's potential benefit for young entrepreneurs in the tour business. A young guide could conduct private snorkeling, hiking or surfing tours.
"A few tourists will pay $100 for a four-hour personal tour to Rabbit Island to go fishing or pig hunting in the Ko'olau," he said.
Any economic development will have hurdles, but Andrews said he is hopeful.
"If more people see this as a good thing and become involved, it will happen," he said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
