A military policy change has some Waikiki residents up in arms because it deprives active-duty military and military retirees of future memberships in The Point, a fitness club at the Hale Koa Hotel.

The Hale Koa Hotel is an Armed Forces Recreation Center managed by the Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command. For decades the hotel has offered eligible members the opportunity to buy paid memberships to its fitness center, The Point, which includes a gym and access to the Maili Pool and Jacuzzi. Eligible members have included active duty and military retirees, Department of Defense workers and retirees and members of the Navy League and Army League.

In December members of The Point were notified that their memberships would end April 1 and that the facility would be restricted to hotel guests. Robert Dozier, chief of public communication at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, said the decision reflects the Army’s mandate to reduce manpower and funding.

Even so, a community outcry ensued because many of the members are seniors; some are World War II veterans. On Feb. 9, the night the issue was slated to go before the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, the new policy was amended to allow current year-round active-duty military members and retirees who maintain their memberships to keep them. Monthly costs range from $40 to $55 per person.

“The Army is discontinuing the program, but out of the goodness of their heart and understanding of the past history of some of these members, they will try to maintain eligibility for certain fitness club members,” Dozier said, adding that the Army has grandfathered 66 eligible members into the program.

While members of The Point are grateful for the hotel’s latest exemption, critics say it needlessly excludes other longtime members and doesn’t allow new military members to take advantage of an opportunity that should be their right.

“The purpose of the hotel is stated on its plaque in the lobby. It is to provide recreational facilities to those who have served in the military and who have contributed to the funds sustaining the hotel,” said Roberta Cramp, a retired Defense Department worker whose membership in The Point has been terminated.

Cramp, who has been a Defense Department member of The Point since 1995, said the Hale Koa’s primary mission should be as a refuge for the military, not as a hotel. She’s contacted U.S. Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard to advocate on behalf of The Point users.

“They served their time, they deserve to use the facilities,” Cramp said.

Charles Sodersten, a 90-year-old World War II veteran, is among those who have been notified that he may keep his membership. However, like Cramp, he’s still pushing for a complete policy reversal.

“I’m grateful that they agreed to let me keep coming. But we were taught not to leave anyone behind. All active-duty veterans and retirees should have a right to use The Point whether they are hotel guests or not,” said Sodersten, who walks to The Point from his condominium in the nearby Wailana almost daily. “My wife says I’d be dead if I wasn’t coming here. It’s something that I look forward to, and it’s a right that I’ve earned. Military can use their ID cards to get into all of the other venues here. They should be able to use the gym.”

Hale Koa General Manager Richard LeBrun did not respond to a call from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. However, LeBrun outlined the justification for the policy change in an earlier email to members of The Point.

“As an Armed Forces Recreation Center, the Hale Koa Hotel fitness center’s mission and purpose is to serve as a fitness-oriented guest amenity configured and operated for, and funded by, authorized registered guests of the hotel,” LeBrun said in the email. “This decision was not rendered lightly, nor was it made locally.”

But many members of The Point say LeBrun’s explanation falls short given the impact that this decision will have on elderly military retirees, especially those who live near the Hale Koa.

Linda Jellen and her husband have nearly 50 years of Army service between them. She estimates that the couple have about $48,000 invested in their membership to The Point, which began when they retired to Hawaii and picked their condo in part because it was walking distance to the Hale Koa.

“Those of us with annual Point Plus memberships provide funds for the Hale Koa in the offseason and frequently recommend people to stay there, adding additional funds. We believe this change is a big mistake for all active duty and retires who are losing this benefit. The hotel should continue to provide much-need recreation for those who have sacrificed the most,” Jellen said in an emailed statement.

Waikiki Neighborhood Board Vice Chairman Louis Erteschik, who is a member of The Point through his Navy League membership, addressed the issue during the board’s February meeting. His concerns were shared by many members of The Point who will be affected by the coming change.

“I see this as a community issue — not just a dispute between a hotel and its customers. The Hale Koa was built as a military facility to serve those who served our country. They are now reneging on the promise they made to these guys who put themselves on the line for the country years ago,” Erteschik said. “This is really cruel and outrageous to do to these guys. There is no logical reason to do this. The gym is half empty most of the time, so capacity is not an issue.”

Retired Navy Capt. Jim Farquhar estimates that there are about 100 members of The Point. While there is a group of frequent users, many members don’t live on Oahu year-round and only come part of the year.

“It’s part of my lifestyle to stay in shape. I’m a frequent user and it’s never crowded,” said Farquhar, who was deployed to Vietnam twice on an aircraft carrier. “But I think any retired military personnel should have that privilege whether they use it or not. The fact is that the hotel came after Fort DeRussy was established as a beach recreational center.”

Selma Kull, 85, a widowed military dependent, said the policy change means that to retain gym privileges she’ll have to pay for a year-round membership even though she doesn’t live on Oahu full time.

“I enjoy coming so I decided to pay year-round, but it’s a hardship,” Kull said.

Erteschik commended the Hale Koa for going to bat for the current military members but said that he would like to make a plea that other members be allowed to continue. He said membership also is important to seniors who were members through their affiliations with the Department of Defense and the Navy League and Army League. They would not be allowed to retain membership under the Hale Koa’s latest proposal.

“I am 75 years old, live alone and look forward to my daily visit to the pool,” Inge Davis, a Navy League member of The Point for the past 22 years, said in an emailed statement. “For me it is not only for the exercise but mainly to see my many friends there. I have developed friendships over the years with hotel guest that return every year and with retired military members that live here. If this privilege would be denied to me, my life would change drastically.”

Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairman Bob Finley said he plans to introduce a resolution at the next board meeting asking the Army to reconsider.

“I carry a retired military ID card. It’s kind of silly to eliminate our military folks from using a fitness center built with government money,” Finley said. “It doesn’t make sense with the military emphasis on good health for active duty and retirees to save on health care costs. The military says people can go to the free gyms at Fort Shafter or Tripler, but many of The Point members are elderly and don’t drive.”