A short-term contract extension for management of parking at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor was awarded last week amid ongoing controversy over management of the popular state- controlled harbor and its coveted stalls.

Renewal of the parking concession contract comes amid backlash over a proposal by the state Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation to make changes at the harbor, including the option of doing away with free recreational parking.

Among other changes, DOBOR last month announced plans that include either converting all 900 of the harbor’s parking stalls to paid spaces, or eliminating permit parking and reducing 300 current free parking stalls to just over 100.

In the interim, on Thursday it recommended that the state Board of Land and Natural Resources approve renewal of the existing contract for vehicle parking concession and accompanying revocable monthly permit to Secure Parking Hawaii LLC.

In a split vote, the board approved the company’s existing permit for up to six months while the state Department of the Attorney General reviews and drafts a new Secure Parking concession contract.

Secure Parking was last awarded the contract for Ala Wai harbor in September 2021.

Prior to the vote, Kate Thompson of Save Surf Parking Coalition Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor requested a contested case hearing, objecting to continuing that parking concession.

As a basis for the contested hearing, similar to a court trial, Thompson told the board she wanted a “true investigation of what is going on” between Secure Parking — which monitors parking meters — and the harbor’s contracted tow company, Mr. Tow LLC, over allegations of “collusion” over towing practices at the harbor, as a means to boost business profits.

“The meter expires and the tows are immediate,” said Thompson, “and that is not consistent with anywhere else … where people are towed for a meter overstay … it’s a severe penalty to the public.”

She noted that unlike other city- and state- controlled parking lots on Oahu, expired meter violations at Ala Wai harbor cost up to $165, plus accompanying vehicle tow charges.

Margaret Hallahan, via virtual testimony from her home in San Francisco, also requested a contested case hearing.

A longtime user of Ala Wai harbor, Hallahan said the basis of her requested hearing was over Secure Parking’s not holding community outreach over its parking concession despite being required to do so.

Similarly, Hallahan wanted the state to finally disclose information she’d previously asked for related to state-owned parking meter software that’s supposed to track meter collections and revenues, in particular for Secure Parking.

“And we want to get a list of those totals and put them up against what (Secure Parking is) submitting that they’re collecting,” she added.

Both Thompson and Hallahan must file written petitions with the state to hold their contested hearings.

Meanwhile, the board’s vote followed the expiration of Secure Parking’s revocable permit, which occurred Nov. 10 — the day after a scheduled BLNR meeting was canceled.

According to the state’s Office of Information Practices, that deferred Nov. 9 meeting was due to a lack of proper notification of BLNR’s public meeting and potential legal conflicts with regard to the state’s Sunshine Law.

Prior to Thursday’s vote, board Chair Dawn Chang — noting, in part, the expired but still continuing Secure Parking contract — also asked DOBOR staff if there would now be changes to Ala Wai harbor’s parking plan.

“At this time nothing has changed,” DOBOR Administrator Ed Underwood replied.

Still, Chang said the board anticipated DOBOR to do more public outreach over long-standing community concerns. In particular, Chang noted towing as a persistent public complaint.

“And I’m hoping through this public outreach we’re going to come up with some recommendations to the board on how best to address that, because I hear what they’re saying,” she said. “I don’t know if there’s any truth to it, but what I’m hearing is somebody’s waiting, as soon as that parking meter expires, they’re coming in with the tow truck; I’m hoping that’s not happening.”

In November in a news release, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced plans for the Ala Wai harbor and its 900 parking stalls — which the agency says are split evenly between permitted, paid and free recreational parking stalls.

“The boating program is currently subsidizing free parking in the facility which is not fair to those who are paying the fees,” DOBOR’s Underwood said in a Nov. 8 statement. “Everyone using the facility should share in the costs of maintaining it.”

He added “the majority of permit-based parking spaces sit open many days, all day. Contractors and hotel workers often utilize the free recreational parking stalls and simply move their cars throughout the day to avoid getting a ticket.”

In response, DOBOR says it’s proposing two options:

>> Eliminate permit- based and free recreational parking stalls. All stalls would become paid stalls.

>> Eliminate permit parking stalls and restrict free recreational parking to the area fronting the Hilton Lagoon, resulting in approximately 125 free parking stalls.

According to Underwood, either alternative, if approved by BLNR, will address the issue of people using Ala Wai harbor for “non-harbor-related activities.”

“And should provide additional parking options,” he said. “People with valid parking permits will be allowed to park in any available stall unless the area has signs posted and is closed during specific time periods.”

Besides parking stalls, DOBOR says it’s also seeking to raise hourly parking rates from $1 to $2, which it says is consistent with public parking charges at many state-run facilities.

DOBOR staffers are recommending that parking times for free spots be reduced to three hours from six.

Moreover, DLNR noted that it’s the concessionaire’s responsibility to conduct community outreach over these parking changes.

“Recognizing the importance of community engagement, the current parking vendor, Secure Parking Hawaii LLC, is tasked with managing outreach with stakeholders and harbor users,” DLNR stated. “If DOBOR converts all permit- based stalls to paid parking, Secure Parking will also be responsible for creating specialized outreach to impacted stakeholders, such as harbor tenants.”