The Waikiki Neighborhood Board passed a resolution Tuesday night requesting that Hale Koa Hotel continue to allow all active-duty and retired military personnel, as well as members of affiliated organizations such as the Department of Defense, Navy League and Army League, to utilize its fitness center, The Point.

The Hale Koa has announced that come April 1 only registered hotel guests and “grandfathered” current military members of the fitness center will be allowed to use the facility. Community members affected by the change sought the assistance of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board during its February meeting. The members pay monthly fees ranging from $40 to $55 to access the hotel’s fitness center.

Prepared by Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairman Bob Finley, who is a retired Air Force veteran, the resolution requests that the Hale Koa Hotel and all Army management agencies involved in the decision revoke the new policy and allow current military users and affiliated members to be grandfathered. The resolution also requests that the hotel and all Army management agencies allow all active-duty and retired military personnel to utilize the fitness center, either on a membership basis or on a day-by-day basis.

“We are attempting to tell them to revoke the new policy and let it be the way it was,” Finley said. “To me this is a terrible policy. We will forward this to the appropriate agencies and hope that they come to their senses.”

Robert Dozier, chief of public communication at the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, said the policy change reflects an overall tightening of manpower and funding. However, the command did grandfather in about 66 eligible members, Dozier said.

Finley said the Hale Koa is heavily subsidized by Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation funds collected as part of each dollar spent at military exchanges and other MWR facilities. He added that fitness centers and gyms are regulated by Army Regulation 215-1 and the hotel is managed by the U.S. Army Installation Command.

Hale Koa general manager Richard LeBrun declined to attend the meeting, Finley said. LeBrun did not return a call from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

The resolution will be distributed to the Hale Koa , commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, U.S. Reps. Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard, the VFW Hawaii and American Legion Department of Hawaii.

Louis Erteschik, vice chairman of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, also sent a letter to LeBrun as well as the Waikiki Improvement Association

“I don’t know if this will work or not, but all we can do is try,” Erteschik said.