Posted at 2:17 p.m., Friday, June 9, 2006
City makes park's nightly closure permanent
Advertiser Staff
The nightly closure of Ala Moana Regional Park will be made permanent, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said today.Officials began closing the park at night in late March, saying the closure was necessary to prepare for a major repair and maintenance project for the 119-acre facility. The closure displaced an estimated 200 homeless people who have been living in the park.
Yesterday, Hannemann said an outpouring of support convinced him to make the overnight closures permanent.
The park and park road will be off limits to the public from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily.
There will be one exception to the nightly closure of the park: July 3. That's when thousands of people traditionally stake out a space for the Fourth of July fireworks show. The park will not close on that night, said Lester Chang, director of Parks and Recreation.
