Land board approves
water park next to Hilton

Protesters say 'developers want
to privatize the whole ocean'

By Susan Kreifels
Star-Bulletin

The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has approved a 35-year lease with the Hilton Hawaiian Village Joint Venture for an aquatic park at Kahanamoku Lagoon next to the hotel.

Hilton Hawaiian and EnterOcean Group plan to build the project, estimated to cost between $20 million and $24 million, on the mauka third of the 170,000-square-foot lagoon.

Hilton Hawaiian managing director Peter Schall said he hopes construction will start next April and take 12-15 months to complete.

Schall guaranteed board members that parking would be free in the Hilton parking structure and that water quality of the lagoon would improve and remain high.

He also said the park would offer tours to disabled children and that the property would be returned to the state in its original condition should the project fold.

Robert Bruce Graham Jr., Hilton attorney, said the water quality in the lagoon is poor because of reliance on filter equipment dating to 1955. The project will install new water filters.

Four members of Save Our Surf stood for more than five hours with protest signs against the lease. The group is opposed to any further commercial development of the ocean and beaches.

Roy Nakamura said tourism development was attracting sharks along Waikiki and endangering swimmers, paddlers and surfers.

"Hawaiian culture comes first. Don't dirty it," Nakamura said. "Developers want to privatize the whole ocean. Where is the future for our grandchildren?"

Protester Greg Wongham said his group would gather a thousand people to protest the decision at the governor's office.

The land board also gave the go-ahead to the Kapapala Ranch to develop ecotourism on its state-leased land but asked for more-specific plans.

Because of the demand for commercial use of state land, the board moved cautiously on a request to use Kapapala Ranch land for ecotourism. Gordon Cran, whose family took over the 24,000-acre ranch on the Big Island in 1977, said lean economic times for cattle ranchers have forced him to diversify the ranch. He hopes to develop low-profile activities such as trail-riding.