Kakaako parks to reopen 3 weeks after homeless sweep
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
About 180 people were living in homeless encampments in several Kakaako parks before an Oct. 9 sweep. Here, a 1-year-old Jayce sits outside a relative’s tent set up along the parking lot at Kakaako Waterfront Park on Oct 4.
The state plans to reopen Kewalo Basin Park, the two Gateway Parks and the Point Panic area of Kakaako Waterfront Park on Monday, three weeks after clearing the parks of large homeless encampments.
The rest of Waterfront Park will remain closed to address health and safety issues, said Garett Kamemoto, a spokesman for Hawaii Community Development Authority, which manages the parks.
The parks were closed on Oct. 9 because of safety concerns and to repair vandalized plumbing and electrical poles and damaged grass.
State sheriff’s deputies cleared out an estimated 180 homeless people living illegally in Kakaako Waterfront Park and others in the area on Oct. 8, while teams of social service workers offered services including shelter beds.
Homeless people who fill the parks have been blamed for a series of dog attacks, fires and vandalism that has been estimated to cost $500,000 to repair.
