Salt Lake park upgrades slated
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
After more then 20 years, the city has updated its master plan for Salt Lake District Park, proposing to make improvements to "deficiencies" in its facilities.
Salt Lake District Park was developed in 1980 as a multi-use, district-level recreation facility with playing fields, courts, a gymnasium and meeting rooms. Over the years some improvements have been made at the park, including the $4.8 million swimming pool that opened in October.
Now the city has filed a draft environmental assessment for the updated master plan with the state and wants to regrade and regrass the sports fields on the makai end of the park and build a new multipurpose building and drainage ditch in the mauka end, work that totals about $2.5 million.
Both projects went out to bid last month and are expected to begin in the spring, the Department of Design and Construction said. They are not affected by Mayor Jeremy Harris' $100 million cutback in the city construction budget, officials said.
Grant Tanimoto, chairman of the Aliamanu/Salt Lake/Foster Village Neighborhood Board, said the improvements are making a difference in the community.
"Through the years what has happened is as the community has grown, there have been requests to update the master plan but at the same time there have been other projects moving along, like the swimming pool," Tanimoto said. "We have a very densely populated community, and they need recreational opportunities."
To comment on the Salt Lake District Park Master Plan Update, write to the City Department of Design and Construction 650 S. King St., 11th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96813. Include copies for the consultant, R.M. Towill Corp., and the state Office of Environmental Quality Control. The deadline for public comment is Feb. 22.
The 148-acre park is divided into three sections with all amenities now in the mauka and makai sections, which are separated by Salt Lake and the Honolulu Country Club.
Public comment
A $400,000 project on the upper mauka ball field that is separate from the master plan update is about 75 percent complete, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said. A $141,000 makai parking lot expansion has already been awarded, she said, but permits have not been granted.
Deficiencies pointed out in the master plan include the lack of a community gathering place in the mauka area, inadequate drainage in both sections, a lack of access between the two areas and lack of lighting for night activities.
Lighting and a path to connect the areas were included in the original plan, but were never built and are not included in the upgrades. It is a two-mile drive to reach the entrance of one section of the park from the other, but building the path for $2 million is considered too expensive. Adding new lighting would affect other activities and requires further study, according to the master plan.
The mauka area is accessed at Ala Pu'umalu Street. It has three sets of ball fields. There are three outdoor basketball courts and one volleyball court, none of which is lit at night. There are tennis courts, a tot lot, two comfort stations and two parking lots.
The makai area is adjacent to Salt Lake Elementary School with its entry on Ala Lilikoi Place. It has playing fields used by the school in the daytime and sports teams after school. There is also a gymnasium, community center and pool complex, basketball and volleyball courts with night lighting, a comfort station, tot lot and parking lot.
An undeveloped area in the west end of the park along Likini Street is slated for future development.
