ISLAND VOICES
Working together on needed projects
By Mike McFarlane
Mike McFarlane is the owner of Island Recreation.
If our current local and state construction budget health is any indication of things to come, we need to start thinking differently or face relative stagnation of any improvements to our outdoor recreation areas.
I offer the newly constructed skate park at Kahuku as a perfect example of how we can continue to improve our parks and recreation areas in tough economic times.
There is no dispute that these parks are needed not only to give the skaters a safe place to practice this growing and very dynamic sport, but also to provide a buffer for local businesses and residents.
In Kahuku, the community had a very common concern with a growing population of skaters, no money to build a park and nothing being planned by the city or the state. The choices were to think outside the box or accept that nothing will happen. The answer was a public/private partnership or a community-built skate park built for a fraction of the cost of some of the other parks.
A community-built project can be any needed improvement: a bus stop, a picnic area, painting over graffiti or a playground.
A low construction cost is not the only benefit to a project like this either. It brings the community together, and the end result is a feeling of real ownership; it becomes "ours" and "something we did" when it is completed.
All we need to do is to stop pointing our fingers at our governments and instead form partnerships with them. Is this possible? Just ask the more than 30 volunteers who showed up on the day of the building of the Kahuku project. They came from all walks of life, both public and private, and they made something happen.
Our greatest resource in Hawai'i doesn't reflect in the current dismal budget figures. It is our collective 'ohana, and we can continue to make things happen in tough times if we can join hands in public and private partnerships.
Let's not sit back and say, "We have no money." How about "How can we get this done if we all pull together"?
A heartfelt mahalo to all the people who rolled up their sleeves and have made the Kahuku project and other community-built projects a reality.
