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Water Ways
Ray Pendleton
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DLNR comes out of hiding
An often-vocal crowd of some 150 people attended an "informational meeting" called by our state's Department of Land and Natural Resources director Peter Young at the Hawaii Yacht Club on Nov. 30.
Young's agenda included an update on the temporary repairs to the Ala Wai Harbor's D Dock, the replacement of F Dock, the status of the fuel dock lease, and considerations for vehicle parking around the marina.
Young described the recent repairs made to D Dock as "putting them on life support." As I noted in Water Ways on Nov. 26, they still appear to have safety issues.
Young blamed Hawaii's Legislature for not approving the DLNR's requests for capitol improvement funds in recent years as the reason for the docks ending up in such a dire state.
Ala Wai boaters and the surrounding fast-land leases pay enough into the boating special fund to maintain the marina, he added, but there isn't enough once funds are allocated to the state's less affluent small boat harbors.
The contract to build the new F Dock to replace the aging one donated by the Waikiki Yacht Club is being finalized, Young told the group. But it's doubtful it will be ready prior to next year's Transpacific Yacht Race.
With a dozen or more boaters wearing "Save the Fuel Dock" T-shirts, there was little question what the most important issue was for them. But for the surfers, it appeared to be the topic of vehicle parking.
Young tried to pacify the surfers' fear of losing the free parking they have become accustomed to in the old heliport area makai of the Hilton Lagoon, saying there were no plans for establishing fees there.
However, his department is open for ideas on the best way to begin charging for parking around the marina and yet to allow free access for boat owners and their guests.
The issue with the fuel dock lease, Young said, was that by state law, its renting of live-aboard moorings to boaters was illegal as it exceeded the 129 allowable live-aboard slips in the harbor.
"We want to save the fuel dock," Young said clearly. But he was less clear as to how that would be possible if its moorings rights were revoked from its permit.
This became the only one of that night's issues to be taken up by the Board of Land and Natural Resources this past Friday, but it was enough to create a standing-room-only crowd.
After hearing more than an hour's worth of testimony affirming the fuel dock to be an absolute necessity for Ala Wai boaters, and that its mooring fees were its financial foundation, the Board approved something of a compromise.
The fuel dock's revocable permit was canceled, however Young will now be allowed to negotiate with the present permit holder, and any other potential permittees, with the mooring rights -- without live-aboards -- still up for discussion.
