Army to replace royal palms
By Mike Leidemann
Advertiser Staff Writer
Four royal palm trees removed to make way for a military road widening project in Waimanalo will be replaced with extensive new landscaping, the Army National Guard said yesterday.
The palms, estimated to be 40 or 50 years old, were removed two weeks ago from an area near the center of town on Kalaniana'ole Highway as part of a $16 million project to develop a new training school for the Guard at Bellows Air Force Station.
The removal angered many in the community, said Waimanalo Neighborhood Board member Andrew Jamila Jr.
"They were landmarks," Jamila said. "Then, all of a sudden you come home one day and they are just there laying on the ground. Heads should roll."
The trees were removed to create a turning lane for an improved road leading into the training facility, said Army National Guard spokesman Maj. Chuck Anthony. Planners tried to relocate the trees, but finally decided they didn't fit in the same area. It is uncertain whether the new plantings will include any royal palms, he said.
Mary Steiner, president of The Outdoor Circle, said the group has received several calls about the lost trees, but there's little to be done.
"It's a military project on military land, so they are within their rights to do it," Steiner said. "They probably should have done a better job of letting the community know what was happening. Maybe the old ones could have been saved."
Royal palms are a stately, slow-growing type of palm tree. "You really don't see that many of them around anymore," Steiner said. "It's a shame to lose them."
The replacement trees will be planted at a new public entrance to Bellows, where the Guard is building the 298th Regiment Regional Training Institute.
The Waimanalo community first opposed the school, but eventually embraced it after working out an agreement with the Guard that will allow residents to share use of the area's recreational and educational facilities.
The project includes a 250-seat auditorium, a 250-seat dining room, classroom and administration buildings, housing for 246 people and baseball, tennis and other recreational facilities.
