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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, April 3, 2005

EDITORIAL
Private group running gardens makes sense

O'ahu's five city-run botanical parks are beautiful yet underused oases.

Probably few residents have visited all five, and it's likely many of us never have strolled through even one. The five gardens — Foster, Lili'uokalani, Koko Crater, Wahiawa and Ho'omaluhia — offer us a peek at four different ecological settings and include more than 238,000 trees, 164 of which have been designated exceptional, and many native plantings.

Foster Garden opened to the public in 1931 and includes an orchid garden, exceptional trees, a glen of prehistoric plants and a palm collection. Ho'omaluhia — its name means peaceful refuge — opened in 1982 and it features plantings from major tropical regions of the world, particularly plants native to Hawai'i. Koko Crater Botanical Garden has xeriscape plantings. Lili'uokalani Botanical Garden is devoted to Native Hawaiian plants, and parts of the garden once were the property and favorite picnic grounds of Queen Lili'uokalani, who bequeathed the land to the city for the public's enjoyment. Wahiawa Botanical Garden includes Hawaiian palms, tree ferns and native plants.

Your tax dollars help support these botanical parks, which are a worthy investment and a wonderful resource for current and future generations.

The city should be commended for its role as steward of these parks.

But needs and priorities shift, and City Councilman Charles Djou has proposed that management of the gardens be turned over to a private nonprofit group. The council's parks committee has passed a resolution asking the city administration to study a public/private partnership with the Friends of Honolulu Botanical Gardens.

Djou argues that the city is broke and needs to cut spending and that services at the gardens would improve under a public/private arrangement.

Indeed, other cities have found such partnerships successful, and Paul Weissich, president of Friends of Honolulu Botanical Gardens, notes such a setup often makes it easier for the gardens to attract grants and donations. And the parks department has indicated it is open to the idea.

All parties seem open to the idea, so it makes sense from a cost standpoint, and the public is expected to get improved services at the gardens. Let's do it!