Question: Shame on the city for letting the Kilauea District Park fall into such disrepair. This decay didn’t happen overnight, but it’s getting worse and rather than fix it they put up “do not enter” signs and warn of falling debris. Auwe! Are city higher-ups aware of how bad it’s gotten? Are they ever going to fix it? When?
Answer: Kokua Line has received a growing number of complaints about deteriorating conditions at this public recreational complex at 4109 Kilauea Ave., near the corner of 22nd Avenue, adjacent to Kaimuki Middle School. Through the years, area residents, students from nearby schools, sports leagues and the general public all have used its gymnasium, ball fields, tennis courts, class/meeting rooms and playground.
Our visit Friday confirmed everything readers have complained about over the past few months, including sidewalks blocked and impassable due to the danger of falling debris; ceilings riddled with rusty cracks and holes; roped-off or inoperable gym bleachers; deep, wide cracks in tennis courts; an overgrown ball field; at least one classroom marked off-limits due to falling debris; and a chained gate, which absent overhead danger would provide another exit from the gym’s courtyard.
We shared readers’ concerns with Nate Serota, spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Parks and Recreation, who emailed the following response:
“Yes, we are aware of the maintenance issues at Kilauea District Park, and are pursuing several repair options to renovate the park’s courts, gymnasium and interior rooms.
“Our in-house Maintenance Support Service staff have conducted several repairs to the interior ceiling tiles to make these rooms safe for public use. This work was conducted in the large meeting room in May 2022, and in the smaller meeting room Tuesday.
“The parts to repair the bleachers are obsolete, and staff have limited the usage of the non-damaged sections because of this. We resurfaced the outdoor courts in June 2018, but more in-depth reconstruction may be needed to address the cracks long term.
“A larger Capital Improvement Project will be needed to address other issues, such as the gymnasium walkways, roofing, bleachers, and outdoor courts. Funds to reconstruct the gymnasium and outdoor courts at Kilauea are included in the latest Capital Improvement Budget (Bill 13, 2024) in our Renovate Recreation Facilities Program. DPR and the City Council budgeted $22 million for this fund, which includes other proposed CIP projects at additional city park locations. Because they still require design work, it is difficult to provide an exact estimate for these projects.
“We do very much want to make as many of our park facilities available for public use, regardless of their geographic location, but need to prioritize projects based on budget and staffing constraints. We appreciate the patience of the public while we work toward realizing these substantial renovations to the facilities at Kilauea District Park.”
The park’s gym was in use when we visited Friday and various activities, including for youths and senior citizens, continue to be scheduled in the complex, according to fliers posted on-site and the activity registration section of DPR’s website. Some readers we heard from were careful to say that they didn’t blame Kilauea’s day-to-day staff for the decay and they didn’t want the city to let the problems get so bad that any of the park had to close.
The proposed 2024-25 CIP budget that Serota mentioned is due for its third reading before the Honolulu City Council on Wednesday and, if it passes, will proceed to Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi for his consideration. The $22 million to renovate recreational facilities “was a combination of DPR’s request and the Council’s, and the mayor’s administration supports the renovation project,” Serota said in a follow-up email Friday.
If all $22 million is approved, only a portion would go to rebuild the gym roof and tennis courts at Kilauea District Park, because, as Serota indicated, the “Renovate Recreational Facilities” budget item also specifies improvements at Queen’s Beach Park, Palolo Valley District Park, Asing Community Park, Kapaolono Community Park, Mililani District Park, Wahiawa District Park, Black Rocks Beach Park, Kalaniana‘ole Beach Park and other unnamed parks.
Elsewhere in the total $1 billion CIP budget bill there are specific allocations for other parks, in different budget categories. Read the full bill at 808ne.ws/3V41gDY.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
