Kapiolani Park Preservation Society's letter to Mayor Harris regarding the proposed revisions to the 1983 Kapiolani Master Plan (excerpts)

19 June 2004

Dear Mayor Harris,

The Kapiolani Park Preservation Society met with Mike Miyabara on May 26th to go over the proposed revisions....We have some comments and suggestions for your consideration.

Before looking to the future, we wish to say that KPPS appreciates many of the improvements made to the Park during your administration.... William Balfour and Mike Smith have figured out how to keep the Park well-maintained and green year-round - for the first time in the Park's history. We are especially glad to see the replacement of aging trees by Stan Oka's excellent crew.

...

The KPPS board approved the following detailed recommendations for the Master Plan revision. We believe these recommendations are in the best interest of the Park's viability and preservation:

• Undergrounding of utilities - all utility lines within the Park and along the edge of the Park should be placed underground.
• Sidewalk improvements - improvements along the mauka side of Kalakaua are desirable. The walk's width should be increased to about six feet. The Society recommends asphalt instead of concrete to give the path a softer walking and running surface [and to] cause less root damage and long-term impact on the valuable and venerable trees in the Park.
• Landscaping - landscaping improvements and irrigation are greatly needed in coordinated landscape plans for the War Memorial Park and the Park side of Kapahulu Ave. The new Park beach walkway should be extended from the Aquarium, along the makai edge of the War Memorial Park, to Sans Souci Beach.
• Parking - as a general principle, Park Trust lands are to be preserved as recreational open space and not used for parking spaces for cars and other motor vehicles. Under court order by Judge Chun, no further parking may be added to Trust lands. Under no circumstances should additional parking be placed within the large central area of the Park.
  • We favor removal of the parking lot and buildings of the old golf driving range. As the courts determined that the golf concession was not an appropriate use of Trust lands, the parking lot and attendant buildings should have been removed along with the concession. The parking spaces lost to Park users could be replaced in the "lost lots" area of the Park, across Paki Avenue...to provide []additional parking area on City land rather than Trust land.
  • Parking along Paki Avenue at the hazardous curve in the road opposite the nursery and tennis center was removed about 15 years ago after a serious accident. The parking was removed from along the road and relocated in a new parking lot at the edge of the central portion of the Park. ...The parking ban in this area needs to be enforced. The new parking lot represents a credit for the spaces lost along Paki Avenue.
  • We favor the addition of curbs along Paki Ave. in certain areas, particularly to (1) help prevent parking along this dangerous road curve; (2) preserve the roots of major trees, and (3) provide for bus stops along Paki.
    • Where curbs are needed, we recommend that the curbs be built of pre-cast concrete pinned in place. We recommend that the present general character of the "post and chain" road edge be preserved, as it preserves a more informal character than if the entire road length were to be treated with curbs. We favor pre-cast concrete curbs set with steel pins because their construction would necessitate less excavation that would be injurious to the roots of the fine trees in the area.
  • The Society will call for a strict accounting of parking spaces and will not hesitate to bring court action against any further encroachment into Park Trust lands for vehicle parking.
• Tree replacement policy - a clear policy about replacement of trees lost due to old age or disease should be included in the Master Plan.
• Zoo parking - the Zoo's lot is currently being used for parking by neighboring hotel guests to the detriment of Zoo visitors. The lot should be for Zoo & Park users only.

We ask that you give these recommendations serious consideration in the planning stage so that we can support the Master Plan revision when it comes up for public hearings and formal adoption by the Park Trustees.

Sincerely,

Jack Gillmar

President