Posted on: Thursday, April 14, 2005

EDITORIAL
Art museum should be a good neighbor

The Contemporary Museum in Makiki Heights is indeed a beautiful asset for Hawai'i and should be valued. So, too, should the needs of the community living near the museum, as a major expansion proposal for the center moves forward.

Museum officials' expansion plans include larger exhibit space, a new research library, restaurant, an underground parking garage and staff offices.

Some of the changes listed in the draft environmental assessment merely formalize current practices — for example, the use of a sound system at the larger public events. But among the new additions of particular concern is additional night hours and moving the cafe to the adjacent property the museum recently acquired.

It's true, as neighbors note, that months of noisy construction and added traffic down those narrow streets are sure to be disruptions in the quiet neighborhood. There are safety issues, too, for the bike and automotive traffic that take the hairpin turns fronting the museum.

Community members have said they want to support the museum in its effort to become more self-sustaining and a prestigious draw for art donors. And museum officials knew when it opened in 1988 that they were adapting a museum operation to a residential area — that should, of course, include respecting neighbors' concerns. Now both sides must find some middle ground and determine if this can be a winning proposal for everyone.