Koko Head park plan hearing set
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
HAWAI'I KAI — A master plan that envisions $13 million in improvements to Koko Head District Park and the nearby Koko Head Shooting Complex is entering the public hearing process that will enable the city to move forward with construction when money becomes available.
• What: The city will hold a public hearing on its plans for a Koko Head District Park master plan. • When: 10:30 a.m. Oct. 11 • Where: At the district park, 423 Kaumakani St. • For more information: Call Steve Tagawa at the city's Department of Planning and Permitting, 523-4817.
The city must hold a public hearing in the community before it can make a recommendation to the City Council whether to grant the Special Management Area Use Permit. The city also needs a state conditional use permit before any improvements to the 59-acre park can begin.
Public meeting
The plan prioritizes improvements ranging from a nine-hole disc golf course to a 50-meter swimming pool, expansion of Goeas Field and a super playground, all of which would be built during the next 20 years. The swimming pool alone will cost $5 million. The shooting range improvements, including an archery range, are estimated at $3 million.
"If they built everything the community has asked for, it would be a great park," said Kelly Washino, a Hawai'i Kai resident who worked on the drafting of the master plan. "The facility is so run down and it needs an upgrade."
About a year ago the community met with the city and its consultants to prioritize the projects. The pool and expansion of Goeas Field will be among the first improvements. More than $4 million has been set aside for the first phase of the project, including $420,000 for archery improvements. Getting the balance of the money to finance these first priorities will require City Council support, said Cynthia Bond, the city's vision team facilitator.
The improvements are all necessary, said Charlie Rodgers, Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board chairman.
The park was built in the mid-1970s, when Hawai'i Kai was young. Now, as the community is maturing, more fields and other uses are needed from the park.
"Clearly there are budget constraints," Rodgers said. But, "these are things that are absolutely needed for the community."
Presently the park includes a few multipurpose rooms, a gym, some basketball courts, an aging playground, tennis courts, a couple of baseball fields and temporary skateboard ramps.
Some areas are sorely in need of repair, rejuvenation and a good cleaning, residents say.
The development plan, which has been approved by the Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board, calls for nine-hole disc golf, pathways and jogging paths, a 50-meter swimming pool, a full-size baseball field, a super playground, a tot lot, a teen center, more tennis courts and picnic areas.
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
