Park beachfront should stay open

The city is looking into the possibility of building an ocean safety substation next to the Waikiki Aquarium along Kapiolani Park’s beach, but the process may not be as easy as imagined. Nor should it be, given the precious nature of public waterfront sites.

The city seems to have control over the park, but several citizen groups deserve a say — and we agree with their position that the city should dismiss the idea of putting an administration building at such a sensitive shoreline area.

The city’s Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division uses the nearby Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium offices as a substation for Oahu’s southern shores but the new facilities would be needed in case the Natatorium becomes unsafe; the pool structure could fail, making it dangerous for use.

The 1,800-square-foot safety division substation and an adjacent parking and maintenance lot are being planned. The Mufi Hannemann city administration spent $91,191 to pay for planning and design of the substation, and the present administration has added $11,732 to pay for assessment of the cultural effect of the project, according to Louise Kim McCoy, Mayor Peter Carlisle’s spokeswoman.

The city has yet to budget the $500,000 needed for construction.

It should not proceed in spending any more money on this.

The Kapiolani Park Preservation Society is opposed to the project, which it estimates would take up about 13,000 square feet of park land between Kalakaua Avenue and the ocean.

"We can’t let oceanfront land be taken for an administration building," society president Alethea Rebman told the Star-Advertiser’s Allison Schaefers.

Lined up with the society is the Kapiolani Park Advisory Council, a park watchdog, which regards the project as "some sort of headquarters, and that is unacceptable." Others that Rebman says the city should have contacted are neighborhood boards, the State Historic Division and other interested groups.

We don’t doubt the logic of planning now for a lifeguard substation site post-Natatorium — but focus should be on a site back from the beach, possibly on land already with facilities that can be upgraded.

The 166-acre Kapiolani Regional Park, including the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Shell, has been operated by the city since 1913, and members of the City Council have served as court-appointed guardians of the trust since 1991. However, Councilman Stanley Chang, whose district includes the park, said the city has moved forward without the "full knowledge" of the Council members.

"Obviously, since becoming aware of it, we are concerned," Chang said. "Should there be trustee action needed, we will certainly move forward. I’d like to convene the trustees to discuss this issue" — the "trustees" being the Council members.

The 1896 Republic of Hawaii Legislature placed Kapiolani Park’s management with the city under certain terms. The state Supreme Court ruled in 1988 that those do not include allowing a Burger King next to the Honolulu Zoo, which the city tried to justify by calling a "concession" rather than a lease.

In its ruling, the court provided guidance with the help of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet": "What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

With little difficulty, that standard should be applied to the question of whether to build an administrative building on Kapiolani Park’s beachfront.

A building is a building is a building. And prime oceanfront, wide open for the public’s use, is immeasurably sweeter than that.