Want park in Puna?

[Lin W]

This is a letter to the editor from yesterday's Hawaii Tribune-Herald:

This is an informational notice for all families, young and old alike, who live in Hawaiian Paradise Park and the greater Puna area. The proposal to build a public park in HPP on 20 acres of property, located off Makuu and 16th, with county-approved funds of $5.5 million, is still a possibility.

This park ... would include a covered multipurpose play court (basketball, volleyball and tennis), a grass multipurpose field, bathrooms, potable water, lighting, fence and [would be] maintained by the county, with supervised activities provided by county staff.

However, without HPPOA Board approval, this potential park would be built elsewhere, and the HPP community will be without this valuable infrastructure, while still paying for it in their tax dollars. It could also sour any future county involvement in any other projects directed towards development in our sorely under-served subdivision.

Nine HPPOA elected board members will decide the fate of this park for thousands of residential homeowners, many with growing families, children or grandchildren, who from a parental viewpoint could justly benefit from a developed park such as this.

Some board members have voiced strong support for the park, but a majority vote is needed. Among those opposed to a park are some who still need to be convinced of its
community value.

It will take members of HPP to remind them of their civic conscience.

Please attend this important board meeting on Wednesday, June 15, at 6 p.m., at the
activity center on Makuu in HPP, or email your support to: info@hppoa.com or call the
HPPOA office at 966-4500.

John Hanor
Chairman, HPP Park Development Committee

[Alaskana]

I don't understand this. It is a private subdivision, so why should county funds go to making essentially a private park?

Things like this is why the state and county is broke. If HPP wants it, they should raise the money for it themselves.

[Rob Tucker]

A couple points....

It would be a public park and all subdivisions on the island are private subdivisions.

[Royall]

This has been a topic here in the past. Personally I would rather not have a public park here. I wouldn't want to have that much more "non-resident" traffic in HPP. It is bad enough now with the morning commute using 28th as a "bypass" to beat the traffic problem on HW130. Why is it OK to consider putting a "pubic park" in a private subdivision when we can't have "public transportation (buss service)" in HPP because we are a private subdivision. The county already has a parcel for a park in HPP that they never improved upon, so why would things be different. Who would be patrolling a "new" park to watch for the inevitable problem of vandalism?

Personally I'd rather see a grass roots effort on part of the residents to come together and put their own park in. Those that can't help financially, could donate their labor. I would also recommend that it be close to park office so that there would it would be (hopefully) a better deterrence to the vandalism problem that plagues Hawai'i

Royall

Hale O Na Mea Pa`ani

[macuu222]

It may be the first step for Bus service. Once a "public park" is established in HPP (built and maintained with county money)...it's kind of hard to say no to a county bus stopping there! What's the alternative?...dropping the public off on highway 130 and letting them walk 17 blocks to the park?

[Seeb]

Given the county’s tract record giving them the land without conditions is flat out STUPID.
They could use it for a dump or prison or let it sit there for 40 years like the other land the county already has in HPP
This is also giving away a million dollars’ worth of the 8800’s assets without them having any say in it

[Seeb]

And I have little kids and want a park and have volunteered to help build one

[Kelena]

If parks only attracted moms and dads and little kids, as they did in days of yore, that would be great. My preliminary thought is that there are things that HPP needs more than a park. I would rather see a small commercial center.

[allensylves]

Putting in a park might motivate the owners to develop one of their pieces as a commercial center.

Allen
Baton Rouge, LA & HPP

[leilaniguy]

Out of curiosity, what land does the county already own in HPP and why is it not suitable for a park?