Park Improvements Island-Wide Partially Funded Through Community Development Block Grants In Honolulu

Press release from the City and County of Honolulu:

January 22, 2021

O‘AHU – Improvements to park accessibility, infrastructure, and certain amenities are beginning at several City park locations across O‘ahu with funding assistance from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).

“I am encouraged to see these improvement projects moving forward in communities around the island, and am also grateful for the federal support in these efforts,” said Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation Director-Designate Laura H. Thielen. “Our parks are the common areas that unite us and have the potential to bring out the best of our ‘ohana spirit. Having well-maintained and accessible parks is something we should all expect, and our motto of ‘Adding Quality to Life’ applies equitably to every community we serve. We appreciate the patience of park users as these facilities are temporarily unavailable while the improvements are being made.”

The five Capital Improvement Projects at Waialua District Park, Foster Botanical Garden, Mākaha, Kauluwela, and Kamehameha community parks have combined construction costs of nearly $8.46 million of which approximately 36.3 percent is funded by CDBG.

At Mākaha Community Park, the improvement project will provide upgrades mainly to the park’s comfort station, multi-purpose room, and the connecting utilities. That work includes: LED light upgrades for those buildings, replacing corroded metal roofing with more easily repaired asphalt shingles, sewer line replacements, improvements to ADA-accessibility (Americans with Disabilities Act) for the comfort station and pathways, interior & exterior repairs to the buildings such as new cabinetry, ceiling panels, concrete spalling repair, plumbing repairs / drainage cleaning, and painting. This project is scheduled to be finished this summer.

In Kalihi, Kauluwela and Kamehameha community parks are both receiving similar renovations, including: parking lot reconstruction, recreation building restoration, irrigation repairs, and improved ADA-accessibility. Both of these projects are expected to be completed this fall.

Both Waialua District Park and Foster Botanical Garden’s improvements largely focus on increased ADA-accessibility. In Waialua, the project will create a new ramp in the pool area and elevator in the gym. At Foster, improvements to sloped areas, walkways, ramps, and signage are planned, including upgraded parking, bench seating, and access to the community garden. These projects are also expected to be finished this fall.

For all of these projects the closure of the park facilities being improved is required during construction. Currently, most indoor park facilities are already closed due to pandemic restrictions.

For the duration of the construction project at Kamehameha Community Park, the People’s Open Market scheduled at this location on Saturdays will be relocating to the Kaumuali‘i Street location at 700 Kalihi Street. In effect, there will be two markets at Kaumuali‘i Street, with the vendors from the Kamehameha location from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., and the regular Kaumuali‘i vendors from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Additional CDBG projects are expected soon at Kalihi Valley and Pālolo Valley district parks.

The CDBG Program is a federally-funded initiative to provide annual grants principally for the improvement of communities in low to moderate income areas.

Other recent improvements to these parks include the resurfacing of four play courts at Mākaha Community Park completed just before the New Year. The nearly $65,000 project is part of the Kākou for Parks program which has resurfaced 441 play courts at 105 parks over the past five years. Those courts will remain available during the CDBG project.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please call DPR at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email.

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This press release was produced by the City and County of Honolulu. The views expressed are the author's own.