Leeward residents will soon see $1.35 million in improvements to the area's heavily used public parks, beginning with Wai'anae District Park and following with other beach parks, including Ma'ili, Nanakuli and Kea'au.

The "major facelift" announced yesterday by Mayor Mufi Hannemann is part of a benefits package he promised months ago to the area to offset having to house the island's only municipal landfill. Another $1 million will go to help nonprofit organizations finance programs and activities for Leeward residents.

But in an area with a significant homeless population on its beaches and in its parks and a strong belief that the area has often gotten the short end of the stick from the city and state, some residents said the money is not enough or suggested there are better ways to spend it.

"Start with the homeless," said Gabe Belen of Makaha, who was camping with his wife and three kids. He said he had a camping permit for Kea'au, but was staying at Ma'ili because Kea'au was "nothing but homeless."

Even those who are part of the mayor's effort acknowledged that the benefits package is not enough for a major impact.

Pearl Lewis of Nanakuli serves on one of two oversight committees that will help Hannemann decide how best to help the Leeward Coast.

"It's something to start with. There's a lot of needs out there," Lewis said.

STILL TIME TO TALK

Hannemann acknowledged the area's homelessness problem, but said the parks improvements are not targeted at the homeless.

An estimated 200 people were displaced from Ala Moana Beach Park in March when the city began closing the park overnight to prepare for extensive renovations.

That park has since been closed permanently at night.

"What we're talking about is cleaning up our parks," Hannemann said yesterday.

Except for Wai'anae District Park, the work won't begin until September, allowing for plenty of dialogue and discussion, he said.

"If we need more time to develop a more detailed plan, we can wait," he said.

However, Wai'anae District Park doesn't have the types of problems that some of the other beach parks have and work can begin sooner, he said.

"We have the money, the community wants us to fix that park and we want to do it as soon as we can," he said.

Some residents have asked why something can't be done about the homeless on the beaches and in the parks, and Gov. Linda Lingle has convened a homeless solutions meeting tonight in Wai'anae.

PARKS ARE RUN DOWN

In August, $350,000 will be spent to renovate Wai'anae District Park with much-needed in-house maintenance, painting and minor construction repairs to the gymnasium and outdoor courts.

Jackie Spencer, a supervisor with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, said starting at Wai'anae District Park was a good choice.

"On this coast, this is the only type of facility that's available for large meetings. There's five parks on this coast and this is the one with the heaviest usage, so this was the best place to start," Spencer said.

Treena Pieper, from Makakilo, said the needs at Wai'anae District Park are major.

She was picking up her son yesterday from the Summer Fun program at the park.

"It's really run-down. It has aged tremendously," Pieper said. "It's so unfortunate that just because these kids are from Wai'anae they have the (bad) end of the deal."

The remaining $1 million will be used to repair beach parks along the Leeward Coast, under the direction of a committee of community members.

Also as part of the mayor's benefits package, an additional $1 million will fund the Department of Community Services to help nonprofit organizations with programs and activities for Leeward residents.

WHAT ABOUT HOMELESS?

A Community Benefits Advisory Committee will oversee the spending of both $1 million packages, while an Oversight Advisory Committee will address complaints and concerns about the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.

Hannemann said it is important that the decisions on how to improve the Leeward side be community driven.

"We want to have 60-plus days to thoroughly figure it out and work with the community," he said. "In September, from Nanakuli to Makaha, these things are going to be done in segments. It's going to be based on what they say."

Work on the beach parks will include painting and repairing comfort stations, picnic tables and buildings, repairing and restriping parking lots, landscaping and repairing lifeguard towers and sprinklers.

City Councilman Nestor Garcia said community members on the committee should know how to handle the issue since many of the homeless are from those communities.

"You have to obviously answer that question: What are we going to do with the homeless?" Garcia said.

"We're going to have to decide together how we're going to handle those issues."

And they need to be dealt with, said Belen, the Makaha resident.

"You live down this side, you cannot tell your kids, 'No, you cannot go beach,' " he said. "The kids are going to come to the beach and that's where all the druggies stay. Almost every time it happens, every time we go to the beach, they have their dramas when they run out of their (drugs) for smoke, and my kids have to watch that."

Belen, 23, was skeptical about the mayor's package, saying the repairs to Wai'anae District Park are just for show.

"How long they never help us already," he said. "If it was Hawai'i Kai, you think the beaches would look like this?"

Hannemann said the city is doing its part to help address homelessness.

"Whether it's Wai'anae, whether it's Ala Moana, whether it's A'ala Park, it's a problem that's endemic throughout O'ahu, and statewide if you will. And the state's in the best position to lead in that regard," Hannemann said.

"We want to do our part. So we have ongoing efforts in which we are continuing to help with homeless problems."

Reach Robert Shikina at rshikina@honoluluadvertiser.com.