Mirikitani, Felix City Council members Andy Mirikitani and John Henry Felix are proposing a land trade between the city and state to expand the new Pawaa Park and add a community center.
propose land switch
The plan to expand Pawaa
Park meets with some skepticismBy Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comMirikitani called the proposal for his district "a key once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a central park for Honolulu and a major gateway to the community in the busiest and most crowded part of the city."
The idea is that the state Department of Agriculture could move out of its historic building at 1428 S. King St. and into space provided by the city, either downtown or at Kapolei, Felix and Mirikitani said.
"It makes sense," Felix said. "I discussed this with the mayor that we definitely need a community center in that area. The building is obsolete as far as the department is concerned."
Asked whether state officials are interested in the swap, Felix said, "We'll soon find out."
Agriculture Chairman James J. Nakatani said yesterday: "I haven't been aware that anything has been proposed. I haven't seen anything in writing, and they haven't made any kind of communications to us."
For the department to even consider the proposal, "I think it needs to be functional," Nakatani said. "At this point I guess we need to just look at it and consider it."A city spokeswoman said the earliest the proposal could be considered by a City Council committee or the Council would be in September. If the Council backs the plan, it could authorize city administration to negotiate with the state, she said.
Gov. Ben Cayetano is vacationing on the mainland and could not be reached for comment.
Pawaa Park was created just this year, at the site of the former Pawaa main police station. It is bordered by King Street, Kaheka Lane, Young Street and the Agriculture Department property. The proposed expansion would extend the park to Keeaumoku Street.
"This initiative is the first time that the city would be offering to convert the state-owned building into a community center and relocate the state office to one of the many vacant city-owned buildings downtown or in Kapolei rent-free," said Mirikitani, who has long supported the idea of a "superpark" in the area.
Mirikitani said he is optimistic the governor will support the plan, though he has not discussed it with him yet, since "we know he supports creating new park space in urban Honolulu. This park would be more centrally located, in the heart of Honolulu's main retail shopping district. It's necessary to revitalize the center of the city for both businesses and residents."
Alice Bender, who lives across the street at the One Kalakaua building, called the proposal a "long shot."
"They (the Agriculture Department) haven't given any indication they're going to move out, so that's kind of pie in the sky, I think."
Karen Moscatello, administrator of One Kalakaua, said she thinks many building residents would welcome a nearby community center. Residents take walks and do tai chi in the park now, she said.
Jerry Pinell, Agriculture Department personnel officer, said that in addition to its office building, the department has two buildings for testing and rearing insects and a very specialized plant pathology lab, plus a motor pool area. These would have to be rebuilt at a new location, he said.
The original Territorial Department of Agriculture building was designed by architect Louis Davis and is on the National Register of Historic Places, Pinell said.
It is built of locally quarried sandstone in Mediterranean style and includes a tile roof and courtyard fountain.
In 1960 a three-story annex was added for a total of 26,000 square feet of office space.
About 85 people work in the complex, Pinell said. The department has almost 300 workers at four other locations.
The 2-acre grounds include a wide variety of rare and significant trees, Pinell said, some of which are more than 100 years old.