ISLAND VOICES
Give us back our swings

By Ann Medeiros

Ann Medeiros is a Kailua home mother.

For the past two years, my husband and I have frequented Pohakapu Park with our son. Last May, the Parks and Recreation Department removed three standard seat swings and one bucket seat swing from the park. The bucket swing was used by infants and toddlers who are not physically able or ready to ride the standard swings.

The parks superintendent for our district told me a complaint had been received by his department, and the department inspected. It was determined that the swings did not meet federal guidelines and were removed.

He also said the City Council had cut funding for the department, and there was no plan for replacement.

With that, I called Councilwoman Barbara Marshall's office, and was told that Parks & Recreation never made its intentions to remove the swings known and therefore no funds for replacements were allocated.

Marshall's office contacted Bill Balfour, director of Parks & Recreation, who said it was the city's position that the swings would not be replaced. Additionally, as future complaints came into his office regarding swings, the equipment would most likely be removed and also not replaced.

I was urged to petition between 100 and 150 Kailua residents to demonstrate to Councilwoman Marshall that there is sufficient community support for swing replacement. I have collected 330 signatures to date.

I also contacted Mayor Harris, who told me that this was a City Council-created problem. "There is nothing that you can do," he said.

There are nearly 15,000 children under the age of 9 residing within a five-mile radius of Pohakapu Park.

I have brought this matter up with the Kailua Neighborhood Board, the Pohakapu Community Association, state Reps. Pendleton, Thielen and Waters and state Sens. Hemmings and Hogue. These groups and individuals all support replacement of the swings and have requested financial appropriations for this project from Mrs. Marshall's office on behalf of the Kailua residents they represent.

Kailua is a beautiful neighborhood, and Pohakapu Park, I believe, is one of Kailua's greatest assets. I hope you can assist me in my effort to replace the swings the city has taken from the littlest ones of Kailua.