Posted on: Friday, July 26, 2002

State parks need $84M in repairs, officials say

By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer

The head administrator of Hawai'i's state parks said that a decade of budget cuts and increased vandalism of its aging facilities requires at least $84 million to bring them up to par, and another top state official warned Gov. Ben Cayetano that "permanent closure of park areas may be needed" if there are any more reductions.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources' parks budget has dropped an estimated 25 percent since 1995 — from $9.5 million to $7 million — leaving about $750,000 for repairs and maintenance at 70 different properties. The number of park workers has also been cut from more than 160 to 124.

Of the total for park maintenance, about $200,000 is spent to repair vandalism damage, $200,000 is used to keep water lines functioning and only $350,000 is left for basic maintenance needs, such as restrooms, fencing, roads and gardening.

According to the National Association of State Park Directors 2002 annual report, Hawai'i ranks 10th in the nation in the number of users of state parks — 18.6 million. But it ranks 43rd for spending on parks and last in the number of employees to run the facilities.

In a Feb. 22 letter to Cayetano, DLNR director Gilbert Coloma-Agaran said further cuts to the budget may result in closing some parks permanently.

State parks administrator Dan Quinn said he's concerned about the potential impact on the state's economy. He said Hawai'i's natural beauty is the primary attraction for tourists and he's worried about what shoddy parks communicates to them.

"We'd like tourists to walk away with the memory of the view that sticks most in their heads rather than the dilapidated condition of the restroom," said Quinn.

"Most of the facilities were built decades ago, so there is a gradual decline in the conditions," he said. "The heavy user load and the fact that personnel and funding have been restricted over the years has contributed. It hasn't been an overnight kind of change into less-than-wonderful conditions."

The department has more than a dozen files filled with complaints about conditions in Hawai'i's parks. Quinn said he would likely have even more complaints, but he doesn't have enough workers in place at parks to take them.

"We are getting a fair number of complaints from Diamond Head because we have staff there all the time," Quinn said. "If we could provide staff at every park we would have a lot more."

In April, Hawai'i resident Henry Tamura wrote the department saying the grass at Sand Island had grown so tall and dry from lack of water and mowing that it is a fire hazard. Douglas Smith from Massachusetts sent a letter in May asking that deteriorated picnic tables be replaced in Diamond Head Crater, and stacks of letters complain about the lack of maintenance in restrooms.

As facilities at parks age, upkeep becomes more critical, Quinn said.

"A lot of that would be reconstruction of roadways, bathrooms and sewage systems," he said. "Some of the things that may not be too glamourous, but they are absolutely essential."

To help pay for state parks, the Legislature this year earmarked $1 million from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority budget for upkeep. Quinn said the money would help with maintenance, but the amount is in danger of being cut as the tourism group struggles with its own financial shortfall.

The tourism authority met Wednesday and went into executive session to discuss its budget, but the group did not make any final decisions. Members plan to meet again next week to discuss the issue.

Quinn said he is working on a repair and maintenance master plan for state parks requested by the Legislature. He sees the lawmakers' connecting the parks system with tourism as a positive step for the future.

"We look at this as a real good indication that the Legislature has recognized the nexus between the visitor industry and the state parks system," he said.

Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, D-15th (Kalihi Valley, 'Aiea), chairwoman of the Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, said part of the state's overall tourism plan must include natural resources.

"Once you get too far behind (on maintenance), it is almost impossible to do anything," Kim said. "We spend so much already on marketing, almost $61 million, and we have not allocated money to improving our resources and renewing the experience for visitors. What are we marketing? An old, dying destination?"

Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2431.