Question: Whatever happened to the City and County of Honolulu’s plans to reopen the archery range at Kapiolani Park?

Answer: The archery range at Kapiolani Park might not reopen if the city finds that there is little public sentiment in that regard.

The city Department of Parks and Recreation "has been working with the archery clubs to gauge how much public support there is to reopen an area for archery," Parks Director Toni Robinson said.

She added, "At the present time, there doesn’t appear to be much support or input from the public for an archery range at Kapiolani Park."

The range was closed on April 24, 2012, after an errant arrow was found on the nearby tennis court.

A tennis player said a novice archer using a powerful 75-pound draw weight hunting bow accidentally shot the arrow while drawing it skyward.

The arrow landed more than 500 feet from the range.

The city’s then-Parks Director Gary Cabato closed the range indefinitely. Three months after the incident occurred, public comments prompted Honolulu’s Parks Department to hold a public hearing about the range.

Months later, city spokesman Jim Fulton confirmed that the archery range would reopen but said the city would restrict the type of bows archers can use at the range and that firing lines and the targets would be relocated.

The city planned to put up signs around the range informing archers that equipment is limited to recurve, longbow and compound bows with a draw weight of up to 50 pounds. The range was to be shifted south, toward Diamond Head Lookout, nearly doubling the length of the buffer zone between the range and the tennis courts to 300 yards from 152 yards. Also, under the plan, targets were to be staggered and placed no more than 50 yards from the archers’ firing area.

However, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle’s administration did not set an opening date, Robinson said.

Likewise, Mayor Kirk Caldwell’s administration has no timetable in place.

The city said the archery ranges at the Koko Head Shooting Complex, Central Oahu Regional Park and Kapolei Regional Park are in operation.

———

This update was written by Gary T. Kubota. Suggest a topic for "Whatever Happened To…" by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.