Dilapidated city park facilities have long been a sore point for Oahu residents tired of encountering leaky roofs, inoperable toilets and broken playground equipment.
In his State of the City speech Tuesday, Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he wants to tackle that negative perception of the island’s parks by pumping $2 million for park refurbishments into the 2016 budget he will submit to the Honolulu City Council on Monday.
The second part of what Caldwell is dubbing the Paka Kakou initiative calls on communities to do their part by agreeing to "adopt" parks and help in whatever way they can — "because improvements will not last unless the community steps up and says, ‘That is our bathroom, this is our playground,’" Caldwell said in his address.
Asing Community Park in Ewa and Kawananakoa Playground in Nuuanu will be the first two parks to receive restroom improvements, while Kamilo Iki Community Park in Hawaii Kai will be the first to get a playground equipment overhaul.
The $2 million infusion is aimed at making improvements at restrooms in 24 parks and playgrounds in 16 parks, Caldwell said.
Beyond the initial three facilities Caldwell identified, no decisions have been made about other parks that will get upgrades, city parks Director Michelle Nekota said. But the focus will be on making improvements to the facilities where they can make the biggest impact, she said.
The refurbished restrooms will receive coats of MicroGuard, a sealant that makes restroom tiles easier to clean and protect against graffiti, Nekota said.
The playgrounds selected will see their play equipment replaced, she said. "Some have been burned down, some have been vandalized, and we replace those pieces of equipment and we do the resilient surface so that it looks brand new again," she said.
As for community participation, Caldwell said "we’re going to reach out to the folks in the community, whether it be the Hawaiian civic clubs, canoe clubs, neighborhood board, sports teams, say, ‘Please come and help.’"
There were 274 participating groups as of June, and 15 other groups have signed up since then, city officials said.
Nekota said the city will leave it up to the volunteer groups themselves to decide on their involvement, which can take a variety of forms from putting on new coats of paint to helping park employees clean to general maintenance and upkeep, even forming "neighborhood park watches" similar to neighborhood security watches.
Caldwell said that since North Shore community volunteers spruced up facilities at Haleiwa’s Alii Beach Park last year, parkgoers have taken up ownership and appear to be taking better care of it.
Waianae coast residents, meanwhile, last year got the community to invest not only sweat equity into improving Makaha Community Park, but donations of actual equipment and even volunteers to teach classes there.
Councilwoman Kymberly Pine introduced Bill 58 (2014), which would make it easier for groups to donate equipment and other capital improvements as was done in Makaha. Pine applauded Caldwell’s proposal. "The parks initiative would work hand in hand with the Adopt a Park bill," she said.
The bill is being heard in the Council Parks Committee on Tuesday.
Nekota said she embraces the idea of community groups donating capital improvements; she is working with Pine to get the bill passed.
