Pahoa Park

[alala]

Full disclosure: I am not a disinterested party in the Pahoa Park, but I credit myself to be open-minded enough to understand different perspectives on almost any issue. I’m interested in what other people think about this one.

The Pahoa Regional Park seems to be slowly and quietly moving forward. This is the 56 acre park proposed for the land behind the community center and pool. Back in September 2012, they released an O’ahu-based landscape architect designed plan of the park and gathered public input. You can see the plan here:
http://bigislandnow.com/wp-content/uploa...iagram.jpg
There are several accounts of the meeting online.

I attended that meeting. Some residents were concerned that the park leaned too much toward sports facilities and did not include other community needs, like a library, a children’s museum, walking/biking trails, native plant garden or other features people might think of when they hear the word “park.” There was also concern about bull-dozing and flattening that whole area, when there are features like trees, hills, and lava tubes that could be interesting park features.
Here’s a letter to the editor from 2013:
http://www.bigislandchronicle.com/2013/0...park-plan/

It seems that nothing in the plan changed due to community comments - the current plan looks the same as the initial plan.

A second meeting was announced for April 10, 2013, but I can’t find any public accounts of it. I would very much like to hear from anyone who attended about what happened at that meeting.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/sections...-plan.html

The environmental assessment was completed December 2013 and can be found here (large PDF file): http://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/Shared%20Docu...r-Plan.pdf

As far as I know, there was no meeting or period for public input regarding the environmental assessment, even though that is, as I understand it, a required step.

Yesterday the county gathered bids on the $20 million project of phase 1, which includes most of the sports fields and the sports complex.
http://www.hawaiibids.net/bid-opportunit...ase-1.html
I guess the $5 million already funded was used for the planning, the surveying, and the environmental assessment. That is $25 million in bond funds, which we who pay taxes are responsible for. The total project is estimated around $56 million. This does not include yearly ongoing upkeep costs (mowing, field night lighting, bathroom cleaning) – I haven’t seen any estimate for that.

In case anyone wants a cliff notes version, here’s a general article about the park project from January 2014:
http://bigislandnow.com/2014/01/15/appro...d-funding/

Since there hasn’t been much public community discussion about this project recently, I’m curious. What does everyone think about the park? Are you or your kids looking forward to more sports fields? Is this the sort of development that will benefit Pahoa and Puna? Does it sound like a good use of resources? Has there has been enough communication with and consideration of the community?

[kalakoa]

A public park is a great "community resource" ... but some emergency evacuation routes might be a better near-term investment of scarce public funds, especially when those funds are being raised by burdening the budget with several $million/year in long-term debt service.

[pahoated]

This park went through during the time there was rampant hysteria about how the 55,000 lots in Puna would lead to massive development of multiple resorts and industrial complexes. Somehow, this park with 4 baseball fields, tennis courts, soccer field, and more, was passed through multiple council and community reviews. The bond is for the whole county, $23 million the first phase and $23 million the second.

http://bigislandnow.com/wp-content/uploa...iagram.jpg

The park might be occupied 20% during big special events. The rest of the year, it will be mostly vacant, like many of the other parks. Is that worth going into debt for $56 million? Wait a second, OK, the acid kicked in and it definitely is a groovy, far out idea.



"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"

[Rob Tucker]

That's not quite the tale of how that 56 acres came to be designated for a park.

[kalakoa]

Traffic study?

Approved wastewater disposal?

Zoning?

I wish it were funded with an LID, because County sure isn't building anything "up here"...

[ericlp]

I'm all for parks. As long as the money is spend "FOR THE PARK". I think I would use the park if it got built. So, I hope it happens and I hope it benefits not just the people of Pahoa, but people of all over puna. I consider Liliuokalani Gardens, one of the best parks we have on the island. Would be nice to have a park of that quality in Pahoa.

I see a lot of people using the pool and the skateboard park, so 20% and vacant is just not true. Build and they will come. Weather it raises the price of land or promotes other business is anyone's guess.

I haven't attended any of the meetings. Tho, I would think, 4 baseball fields is a bit much, and two soccer fields. Hmmm, I would think that more basketball would be played then baseball. Seems to me, more kids are playing basketball and the only time the baseball field gets used is on the weekends for the beaches park. Tho, everyday and night people use the single basketball court.

I also think that it's not just the "KIDS" but for us older people ... a REALLY nice long walking path would have been better.

[Tink]

I would prefer a top notch trauma center or expanded Fire/Emergency services myself, but if they build the park, I would like to see more of a unified bicycle/exercise path system for easy "police/emergency" use as needed, and with a "Keiki pool" with water features such as rain showered, deck fountains to occupy them,as no beach is available to them, leaving the original pool for adults and swim meets. Expand basketball as EricLP stated, only need 2 baseball fields, unless Little League is going to dominate, or neighborhood teams, so they dream. Soccer fields are OK, as to me they have multi-use to them. Huge neighborhood flea markets, heritage gatherings, etc. Could rent "tent space" for special occasions when not used for soccer, football and other field sports. Just another thought here.

Are you a human being, or a human doing?

[kalakoa]

Either off-topic or directly related: Honolulu wasted $76M by awarding rail contracts before receiving all their required Federal approvals.

That money would have paid for a park and a trauma center.
http://hawaiitribune-herald.com/news/sta...s-cost-76m