"The purpose of this meeting is to seek public input from our advisory group and the general public regarding two final parking plans for the Ala Wai small boat harbor," said Peter Young, DLNR chairperson. "Many ideas were put forth at the January Ala Wai parking meeting. The best and most workable ones were blended into the two plans being discussed at this meeting."

At the meeting, DOBOR will present two possible solutions that resulted from the first meeting where 12 options were put forth for public review and comment. DOBOR will also consider and encourage any and all additional management concepts introduced by the public to resolve parking issues at Ala Wai small boat harbor.

Remaining parking schemes to be considered:

PLAN 1: Issue a revocable permit to a vehicle parking company to manage all vehicles parking at the Ala Wai small boat harbor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. PLAN 1 places a parking lot entry/exit gate and toll booth at the harbor entrance near the intersection of Dewey Lane and the harbor entrance road. Fencing would be erected to separate the heliport parking lot from the marina parking lots. The public would have to pull a tab and pay a fee to park at the harbor. Ocean recreation users would get 3-hours of free parking at the heliport. Additional time would be charged at the established rate. Harbor tenants and monthly fee payers would be issued pass cards and stickers for their cars. The heliport would be closed to vehicle parking and chained between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. All vehicles left in the heliport after 10 p.m. would be towed.

PLAN 2: Issue a revocable permit to a vehicle parking company to manage all vehicles parking at the Ala Wai small boat harbor 24 hours a day, seven days a week. PLAN 2 places a parking lot entry/exit gate and toll booths at the intersection of Mole A road and the harbor access road, and a toll gate at the entrance of the triangle parking lot. A security fence would separate the marina area from the heliport area. Parking at the heliport would be posted "For Recreational Users Only." The heliport would be chained after 10 p.m. and reopened at 5 a.m. the following morning. No fees would be collected for heliport parking. Non-ocean recreational users would be subject to towing.

"Our goal is to come to a consensus on a parking plan for Ala Wai small boat harbor as soon as possible," said Young.

"We fully expect the final plan to be a blending of everybody's input. It should be practical and address all of our needs and issues."

Participant parking for the March 28 meeting is available at the Ala Wai small boat harbor or any of the hotels in the area. The Ilikai Hotel has been very generous in providing the meeting place at no cost.

In recent months, DOBOR has invited the public to join advisory groups to provide input on managing ocean recreation management areas (ORMAs) and state small boat harbors across the state. The public may sign up to volunteer at: http://www.hawaii.gov/dlnr/index-orma.html

DOBOR operates and manages 21 harbors, 50 ramps, 2,122 moorings and berths and 19 piers across the state. The division works in close partnership with DLNR's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and the U.S. Coast Guard to make Hawai'i's near shore waters safe.