Council defers changes to ordinance allowing sponsorship of parks, city facilities

A City Council committee deferred a bill Wednesday that would place tighter restrictions on private sponsorships of parks and other city facilities after the Outdoor Circle raised concerns that the measure does not go far enough to prevent sign clutter and preserve Oahu’s natural beauty.

Bill 49 was introduced by Council members Ikaika Anderson and Ann Kobayashi in response to concerns raised about a new ordinance that allows private sponsorships of city property in exchange for visual recognition. The Council approved the proposal last month on a 7-2 vote. Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed it earlier this month.

The ordinance allows the city to set up a five-year pilot program for organizations, businesses and individuals to sponsor city facilities, parks, programs, equipment and other tangible city property. Sponsorship recognition would be given in return, provided that all recognition “must blend in with the surrounding environment.”

But the Outdoor Circle has maintained the language is vague and could lead to billboards or gaudy advertising in violation of the state’s ban on billboards and other off-site outdoor advertising. The nonprofit had warned that it would consider legal action against the city if certain changes are not made to the ordinance.

Bill 49 would change the five-year pilot project to one year and would require that contributions exceeding $10,000 be approved by the Council, rather than the $50,000 amount now required. The bill would also add more requirements for sponsorship recognition, including that it must “preserve and protect the Hawaiian sense of place” and not obstruct view planes, and would be limited to a plaque attached to a pohaku, or stone, no larger than 7 feet by 4 feet if placed in a city park. The bill includes a provision that all sponsorship recognition must conform to all laws, including the state’s billboards law.

The bill passed first reading earlier this month.

At Wednesday’s Budget Committee meeting, Kathy Whitmire, the Outdoor Circle’s former president, suggested amendments that she said would make the new ordinance conform with the state’s advertising laws and prevent billboards and other large signs — such as limiting sponsorship recognition to city parks only and adding a definition for plaques. She said much of the rhetoric on the original bill focused on community groups helping to support the city’s languishing parks.

“I think the real danger here is the large number of other city facilities … all of those are wide open, not limited by the excellent provisions by Council members Anderson and Kobayashi that have been brought forward,” Whitmire said. “What really needs to happen is the sponsorship program itself … needs to be limited to parks, parks facilities and parks programs to accomplish the goal that we all have here of providing a financial support for improvement of the parks without allowing signs to spring up (on other city property).”

Anderson said he modeled the size of the pohaku listed in Bill 49 after one that was placed at Kaiona Beach Park in Waimanalo by local fishermen. He said he is open to most of the Outdoor Circle’s proposed changes, including limiting sponsorship recognition to city parks. He requested that the bill be deferred for one month to give the Council time to work on amendments with the city and the Outdoor Circle.

“Bill 49 ensures that there will be no sponsorship banners. Bill 49 will ensure that there are no large sponsorship signs,” Anderson said. “(But) it seems that most of these (Outdoor Circle’s suggestions) would be doable.”

But Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who had introduced the original bill, said after the meeting that she would like the measure to apply to all city facilities, adding it would lessen the burden on taxpayers to fund much-needed projects. She had maintained, along with other supporters, her bill would help to fix up the city’s languishing parks and facilities in exchange for modest displays of recognition.

“All of our city facilities need help. The taxpayer can only give so much,” Pine said. “(But) it’s up to the Council what they want to do.”

Guy Kaulukukui, city Enterprise Services director, whose department manages the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, the Waikiki Shell and the Honolulu Zoo, said the administration does not have a position yet and would like to work with the Council on the bill.