Graffiti marring coast of east O'ahu
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
The white painted graffiti that appeared recently on the steep face of Koko Crater will be removed, Mayor Jeremy Harris vowed yesterday.
The job would be too risky for city crews because of the steepness of the terrain, so a contractor will be hired to remove the 6-foot-tall letters that spell "love," Harris said.
"It's too dangerous to send our city employees up there," he said. "The city's policy is to clean up graffiti as fast as it sees it. We'll have to do something about it."
The message painted near the top of Koko Crater is among several instances of graffiti that have appeared along the coastline between Hanauma Bay and Makapu'u Point in recent weeks, marring one of O'ahu's most scenic areas and one that the city and state have paid millions of dollars to preserve in its natural state.
Along the mauka side of Kalaniana'ole Highway, just past Hawai'i Kai Golf Course, faint white scribbles appear on some boulders. And adding to the blight, residents have spotted trash piled by the side of Kalaniana'ole Highway between Sandy Beach and Makapu'u lookout.
But it was the graffiti on Koko Crater that caught Dan McCabe's eye.
"To me, everyone who sees it will think of it as a billboard," said McCabe, a Queen's Gate resident. "If you have a message to get out, do it on a T-shirt or on your own house. I'm not a nature nut, but it decreases the natural beauty of the area."
For decades this area, the only accessible undeveloped coastline on O'ahu, was a battleground between residents who worked to preserve it in its current state and developers who had visions of homes and hotels.
In 2001 the state paid landowner Kamehameha Schools $12.8 million for Queen's Beach and adjoining land, the largest single piece of property needed to protect the integrity of the Ka Iwi coastline.
Last year the city spent $5.4 million of taxpayer money to purchase 32 acres across from Sandy Beach known as Golf Course 5 and 6, part of a settlement with Kamehameha Schools valued at $60 million to $70 million. The trust also was to receive proceeds from the sale of several parcels of city land in Pearl City, including one to retail giant Wal-Mart.
With that agreement, the city acquired the last piece of land needed to preserve the scenic shoreline from Hanauma Bay to Makapu'u, completing the community's fight to preserve the Ka Iwi shoreline begun in the 1980s.
The mountain became city property when Kamehameha Schools deeded an estimated 1,275 acres from Koko Head to Sandy Beach. The estate's only requirement was that the city use the land for parks.
McCabe spotted the graffiti on Koko Crater about two weeks ago and said he began calling the city and state trying to find out how to get it removed. The mayor and parks director said they were unaware of McCabe's efforts to notify government.
The city encourages the community to call police and report graffiti sightings, said Carol Costa, city spokeswoman. City grounds staff are always armed with paint and rollers so they can act immediately to remove graffiti, she said.
McCabe was concerned that once the graffiti appeared others would be challenged to add their own on the mountain rocks. He said he called the state, where he was told it was a city issue. He called the city and was told it was a matter for the police, he said. Either way, McCabe felt it was an issue that needed addressing.
"It's it's not addressed quickly, it could become a billboard," McCabe said. "Even though the sentiment isn't bad, it's still graffiti."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
