Pahoa District Park improvements?

[Rob Tucker]

Did anyone attend the meeting at the Pahoa Community Center on the 17th about money for park improvements? I missed it and would like to hear more about what went on.

For those that are not familiar I am referring to the 56 acres adjacent to the Pahoa Pool and baseball field which were acquired by Mainstreet Pahoa Assoc. several years ago and donated to the county for a District Park.

I've been told that the Kenoi Administration has a proposal for some expensive covered structures (tennis courts?) that have absolutely zero to do with all the community input that's been generated over the years.

Actually this does not surprise me but I would like to hear from anyone that attended... perhaps I was told incorrectly.

[Rene Siracusa]

I attended and spoke at the meeting. The covered playcourts are multiple use structures and, while the community wish list was not for anything covered except the amphitheater, this only kicked our desires up a notch. We had prioritized areas for children to play, and with all our rain, covered playcourts make good sense. Our wish list from previous town meetings had the top 3 items as perimeter trail, keiki activities and library/covered amphitheater. Sports areas were a little further down the list. This design will be recycled over and over again by P&R at other facilities, so they won't have to do (and pay for) separate plans. That makes good sense to me. These 3 playcourts can also be used for dances and events. Ginny Aste reminded them not to forget toilet facilities. I asked about placement of the various elements around the site, and was informed that that would be the subject of a future meeting. Works for me. As long as they listen and implement our needs. BTW, a good suggestion was that volunteers could do landscaping along the trail, and also build covered shelters so trail users could rest and/or take cover from the rain.