Support green space in Waikiki

The most welcome development on the horizon for the high-rise jungle of Waikiki may be the one that preserves a tiny spot where development is absent.

This is the Centennial Park at 2551 Aloha Drive. The space is envisioned as an asset to crowded Waikiki in an initiative fostered by the Rotary Club of Honolulu, the civic organization’s oldest chapter in Hawaii, chartered in 1915.

The group has launched a major fund-raising drive with a goal of $450,000, cash needed to convert a weedy empty lot, nearly 36,000 square feet of city-owned land, into an open-space oasis.

And beyond converting it, the club is adopting the park, overseeing its security so that it is accessible to public visitors, but import- antly, less vulnerable to homeless encampments or vandalism.

That kind of public-private partnership for parks should be encouraged, especially in parts of Oahu where city oversight presents particular challenges.

The story of this park began 20 years ago when community activist William Lee Sweatt lobbied against proposals for another tower or a parking lot at the site. He spearheaded a petition drive that garnered 700 signatures, and then persuaded the city to buy the site in 2003 for $2.57 million.

The plan was always to turn it into a park, but lack of city funds pushed the project to the back burner, where it languished for years. Abandoned for its intended purpose, it became a staging lot for construction projects.

Sweatt died in 2011, renewing community resolve to fulfill his dream, and residents began in earnest to press for the park. Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell agreed to the idea in 2013 but, again, the necessary funding was lacking.

Now Waikiki resident Dave Benson is heading the club’s effort to reinvigorate the project. The club has garnered $50,000 and would like to raise the balance by July 1.

It’s a promising prospect, one deserving of public support (see box).

The vision is to create a gated park with a walking path spotted with stools for visitors to rest; large stones will display etchings telling the history of Waikiki and chronicle Rotary’s presence in Hawaii. A fence, absence of benches and park closure hours are designed to discourage camping.

The first 100 donors who give $1,000 or more will be listed as park founders on one of the display rocks, Benson said.

In addition to landscaping featuring local plants and trees, a raised area is planned to be used for hula performances, tai chi and other community activities.

The construction work is projected to take about four months; it would be great to start that clock as soon as possible.

“We’re hoping people in Waikiki will give since it will be in their backyard,” Benson said. “We want people to feel that they have a little skin in the game.”

Where Waikiki is concerned, however, it’s essential that those living and working outside the district also recognize their own vested interest in beautifying Waikiki. Openings for improvements come along rarely in this place, which is foundational to the state’s economy.

The city supplied the all-important land acquisition for the park, but clearly needed this assist from the Rotary Club of Honolulu to get the ball rolling.

While the taxpayer already invested in purchasing this park land, the community should help see the project to completion. Benefactors with donations at every level should step up again, and realize this forward-thinking vision for a better Waikiki.