The Highland Colts, one of Pearl City's two Pop Warner youth football organizations — the other is the Pearl City Chargers, who practice and play games at nearby Pacheco Park — uses the park on weekdays and plays home games there on some Saturdays in the fall. The parking shortage has led some users to park illegally, creating safety concerns and damage to the grass and sprinkler systems.

"It's super-bad," said Highland Colts president Cathy Young.

The Colts have three age-level teams of about 35 players each, plus about 50 cheerleaders. That's 155 children, not counting families and coaches on the Colts' side and visiting team guests for a home game.

The situation has put the Colts' park-use permit for next year in jeopardy.

Angel Navor, 4, of Mililani walks with dad Eugene Navor to their car at Manana Community Park, which has 65 stalls to accommodate 155 Pop Warner players, their families and friends, and other park users. Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser

"It's hard when people swear at you or say, 'You not the police,' but they don't understand we might end up without a place to play," Young said.

"(Illegal) parking and drinking have been ongoing problems.

We can't do nothing about the parking, but no one from our group was drinking the last time we played there. We're monitoring ourselves the best we can."

There's street parking in residential areas across Waimano Home Road, on the diamondhead side, but parents say crossing the busy roadway is dangerous, especially for children.

Young said parking problems are worse on weekdays from 6 to 6:15 p.m. than on game days, because youth, church, volleyball and basketball groups come in while the Pop Warner group is still there. "We all have permits, and there's inadequate parking," Young said.

The Colts have triple-header home games Oct. 23 and 30 and a Junior Midget-level triple-header involving five other teams on Nov. 6.

"We're working with the (Pop Warner) to resolve the issues," said Neil Yamashiro, the city's acting recreation supervisor for Leeward O'ahu.

At its August meeting, the Pearl City Neighborhood Board discussed the parking problem at Manana Community Park.

The board earlier had expressed concern that the park plan did not include enough parking, and that the lot should be extended on the Waimano Home Road side to connect with the planned 30-stall lot at the new skateboard park.

"We're trying to renew the effort to get additional parking around the perimeter," said Albert Fukushima, Pearl City Neighborhood Board chairman.

It was noted at the August meeting that the board had asked the Pearl City Vision Group to allocate capital improvement money to extend the lot. But the appropriation does not appear to be in the city budget, Fukushima said, and he has requested information on its status.

The projected November opening of the skateboard park is only going to add to parking problems at Manana, Fukushima said.

The nearby city bus facility once was considered an option for overflow parking, but abandoned because of security concerns after Sept. 11, 2001.

At the October meeting of the Pearl City Task Force, Councilman Gary Okino said it was unlikely the city would spend money to add parking at Manana, given other higher-priority needs such as repairing sewers and roads.