State to regain the Natatorium from city control

The administration of Gov. Neil Abercrombie appears ready to regain control over the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium and then try to restore its crumbling facade and bleachers, reversing a direction taken by the city in recent years to clear the structure from the valuable piece of Waikiki Beach.

The embattled saltwater pool is owned by the state but controlled by the city under a governor’s executive order.

Abercrombie and Hono­lulu Mayor Peter Carlisle, after a meeting in May, have "come to an agreement" that would likely lead to the rescinding of an executive order that gave authority over the Natatorium to the city, city Design and Construction Director Lori Kahikina said Wednesday.

Kahikina said she wants to meet with state Department of Land and Natural Resources officials to determine the next step.

An executive order taking the Natatorium back from the city has not yet been issued by Abercrombie. But Donalyn Dela Cruz, the governor’s press secretary, said Wednesday that it’s no secret Abercrombie would like to make better use of the area, including restoring the existing memorial if it’s feasible.

"We’re in major evaluation mode," Dela Cruz said. "It all depends on what’s safe, what can be done, and what’s affordable."

Dela Cruz added: "The governor believes it’s time for it to be fixed, or have a purpose."

Abercrombie, in May, told Hawaii News Now that a beach volleyball stadium incorporating the existing swimming pool would be a good idea.

"I’m working on something right now," the governor said.

Jim Bickerton, attorney for the Kaimana Beach Coalition, said Abercrombie’s intentions fly in the face of a recommendation by a task force that voted in 2009 to demolish the Natatorium and construct a memorial beach.

"I think people’s voices are being ignored, and usually when that happens, there’s some monied interest in the picture that’s probably not ready to show their hand," he said.

The city’s own studies show it could cost up to $60 million to restore the Natatorium while it would cost about $1.5 million to create a new beach, he said.

Bickerton said that in2002, then-U.S. Rep. Abercrombie told members of the Kaimana Beach Coalition that they had convinced him that a public beach park was the best solution for the long-discussed stalemate.

Efforts to contact members of the Friends of the Natatorium, which promotes preservation of the memorial, were unsuccessful Wednesday night.

The Natatorium was constructed in 1927 as a tribute to those who fought and died in World War I. But by 1979, the pool had become so neglected that the Department of Health shut it down.

The battle over whether to restore it or tear it down in favor of a wider beach has raged ever since.

Then-Mayor Jeremy Harris supported full restoration and the City Council earmarked $11 million for that purpose in 1998. About $4 million was spent on restoration of the facade. But efforts to restore the pool were stymied by a lawsuit filed by the Kaimana Beach Coalition.

One of Mufi Hannemann’s first acts as mayor in January 2005 was to halt repairs on the Natatorium, an issue he campaigned on.

The task force created by Hannemann led to the recommendation to demolish the structure in favor of a new beach.

A private consultant was given a $1.3 million contract in 2007 to oversee the task force and carry out an environmental impact study to look at various alternatives based on the panel’s recommendations. Kahikina said the EIS was about to go to the public hearing stage and was scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.

The contract was recently suspended after the governor began indicating the state may seek to regain control of the Natatorium, Kahikina said. About $750,000 of the contract has been spent, she said.