Kaiser ends open-use policy on tennis courts
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
HAWAI'I KAI — Tennis players who favored using the Kaiser High School courts are finding themselves locked out of the school's facilities unless they fill out an application and pay a fee.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
Since the beginning of the year, Kaiser High School has joined other schools in requiring tennis players to submit written applications to use the courts at a designated time. If approved, players will pay an undetermined fee to the school to compensate a staffer to unlock and lock the courts.
Kaiser High has limited access to its tennis courts because of vandalism on the part of "a small number of people," the school's principal said.
The decision to close the courts did not come easily to the East Honolulu high school, but became necessary after school officials found tennis court nets burned, the court surface charred, and broken glass, trash and graffiti on the courts. Now the courts, unless there's a written request, are solely for the students, said Rick Shimokawa, Kaiser High School athletic director.
It's an issue that schools around the island are tackling: how to juggle the community's needs for physical fitness on tracks and courts with the school's need to preserve the facilities for student use.
"The fee is a buy-in," Shimokawa said. "It makes people accountable."
For years David Koch played tennis at Kaiser at 6:30 a.m. on Sundays. He and his partner worked around the Kaiser tennis coach's schedule, he said, and never left trash or broken glass. Until he gets an application and is accepted by the school he is unable to play tennis at a time that's convenient for him.
To obtain an application go in person to the school and ask for a Use of Facilities form. The school will not fax, e-mail or mail the forms, and forms are not available on the Web.
"It's difficult to find a court," Koch said. "I've waited my turn on the few public courts there are, but they're generally taken up by league players who seem to have the community courts locked up."
How to apply
The school courts were a great alternative to paying for a membership to a private club, he said.
Only one application has been submitted to Kaiser High School since school officials began locking the tennis-court gate. That application was denied because the time didn't work with the school's practice schedule, Shimokawa said.
There is also concern about the issue of liability should anyone injure himself on school grounds during off hours, said Larry Kaliloa, Kaiser High School principal.
"We hate to close things down," Kaliloa said. "It's a small number of people that are causing the problem. We wish we could keep these facilities open, but the question is how do you police them?"
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
