Column: Save viewing platform atop Koko Crater

For the second time in a year, the City and County of Honolulu is attempting to secretly launch a project to demolish the viewing platform from the summit of Koko Crater. The Kokonut Koalition condemns that attempt in the strongest possible terms. It will decimate the panoramic viewing experience that has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of local residents every year for decades.

This year, we have been working tirelessly and very successfully to rehabilitate the Koko Crater Stairs, after decades of neglect. In just two months, and with the support of hundreds of community volunteers, we have repaired over one-third of the 1000-steps that make up the Koko Crater Stairs.

In 2019, the city appropriated $1 million for the rehabilitation of the Koko Crater Tramway. The City Council instructed the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to immediately spend one hundred thousand of it on emergency stair repairs. While DPR did not fully fund it, supplies were purchased and Kokonut Koalition has been installing them, with an all-volunteer effort.

Unfortunately, the Honolulu Department of Design and Construction (DDC) took the rest of the million dollars to spend on projects with zero community input and focused on destroying these historic structures. For example, DDC has proposed removing every single railroad tie as a safety hazard, as well as the demolition of the bridge and summit platform. Our project clearly shows that we have a better approach to Koko Crater.

DDC already tried to remove the platform in June 2020 with zero community support, at a cost of almost $500,000. Then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell indefinitely postponed the project after significant pushback and allowed our repair project to take priority. The Kokonut Koalition and other stakeholders have learned recently however, that outgoing DDC Director Mark Yonamine and Caldwell greenlit the platform removal in late December.

This is a slap in the face to the hundreds of thousands of local residents that have climbed Koko Crater Stairs for decades to stand on the top and experience the breathtaking 360-degree views that are possible only from the platform. If the city moves forward to remove the platform, you and your kids and their kids would climb to the top of Koko Crater to stand among the trees and thick bushes and see — nothing.

The platform is in need of some repairs, but it has been standing there in the same condition for many years. Despite the claim 11 months ago by DDC that the platform posed an “immediate risk to public safety,” there have been no incidents and no significant deterioration since then. We are capable and willing to engage with engineering expertise to demonstrate that there are other solutions that preserve the platform and address safety concerns.

To that end, we ask Mayor Rick Blangiardi to part with the bad decisions of the past administration and do the following for all residents:

>> Postpone any proposal to remove the platform until such time where community input may be solicited and alternatives may be considered.

>> Work with the Kokonut Koalition, the City Council and other community stakeholders to ensure that any further funding for the trail is used to support repairs and not demolition work on the Koko Crater Tramway.

>> Continue to support the efforts of the Kokonut Koalition to serve as a model for how other city projects can move forward in a cost-effective, community-supported manner.

This misguided proposal by the city is inconsistent with the mission of Kokonut Koalition to preserve the Stairs for coming decades. We hope the city reverses course and protects this treasure for future residents.

Dave Nixon is president of the Kokonut Koalition, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to saving the Koko Crater Stairs (kokonutkoalition.org).