The university has prioritized in its biennium budget a $3 million capital improvement request for repairs and improvements at Lyon Arboretum. We hope that the Legislature will support this request.

Our staff has made changes recommended by our Risk Management Group, including the closing of four of the structures because of safety concerns. These structures are very old, some built in the 1920s, and the maintenance needed in a tropical rain forest has not taken place on a regular basis for one reason or another for decades.

Lyon Arboretum has never been connected to the city sewer system and relies on septic tanks for its sewage disposal, which isn't optimal when more than 150 inches of rain falls annually and when thousands of keiki and adults walk through the grounds.

We are awaiting a structural engineer's report that will advise us of all the safety issues relating to the structures, at which point the university will announce a progressive plan of action so that Lyon Arboretum re-opens as soon as possible.

Initially this will be on a limited basis to allow the volunteers to return, and then to open to the public and school groups, so everyone can once again enjoy this very special place.

Until that time, we would like the community to know that no staff have been laid off because of the temporary closure and we do not foresee any layoffs.

The UH-Manoa chancellor's office reluctantly concluded that Lyon Arboretum had to be closed to the public and even to the dedicated volunteers after an in-depth review by the university's legal counsel confirmed serious exposure to liability.

Recently, the state auditor also expressed concern regarding "the potential for harm to the public and Arboretum employees (and the university's possible exposure to liability). ... " Counsel also determined that we did not have the option to allow volunteers to waive personal liability to enter the arboretum.

We had to temporarily close the arboretum to all except our dedicated staff who continue to maintain the important collections, the micropropagation laboratory and, to a limited extent, the grounds.

It is obvious to all involved that we need to evaluate how we all support Lyon Arboretum, and what missions the University of Hawai'i can continue to support. To do this, I will establish a task force to evaluate how we can maintain this marvelous and valuable asset in a responsible and sustainable manner.

Specifically I will charge the task force to:

1. Review and define the various missions of the arboretum so they are in concert with the core missions of the University of Hawai'i-Manoa (education and research).

2. Develop a long-term master plan and short-term business plan that support the various missions.

3. Consider the findings of the state auditor.

Dr. Andrew Rossiter, director of the Waikiki Aquarium, will chair the task force. He will be joined by members of the community, faculty members from UH-Manoa, and a senior member of the Lyon Arboretum staff. We will also review the research mission and potential at Lyon Arboretum. Increased research activities could bring in much needed money to pay for staff salaries and part of the operations budget.

Finally, I would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who spend thousands of hours each year working alongside our staff maintaining trails, tending to the gardens and helping in the gift shop and in the educational activities.

Lyon Arboretum would not operate without your dedication and passion. Lyon Arboretum would also not operate without the financial support of the many donors who have kindly given monies over the years.

We thank you, and request that you please keep supporting the Lyon Arboretum, which now, more than ever, needs your generosity and support. Donations can be made through the University of Hawai'i Foundation.