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Elderly residents
applaud commission’s approval
of Pawaa Park plans

By Leila Fujimori
Star-Bulletin

Alice Bender has been fighting for a little green space for her elderly neighbors "just for sitting and being outdoors," she says. When they take a walk with their walkers and wheelchairs, there are just sidewalks and streets.

So Bender was pleased when the city Planning Commission approved plans last week to designate a park at the property where the former Cayetano campaign headquarters was located, on Kalakaua Avenue from Young Street to King Street.

"This densely packed urban community has access to the least amount of open space and therefore has the greatest need for a large park and community center," said Councilman Andy Mirikitani, who introduced the bill to designate the site as a park.

The 28,000 residents in the Ala Moana-Makiki area lack a community center with a large park space, which city standards require for every 10,000 residents. Bender counted more than 900 elderly people living in high-rises within a half mile of the site.

Mirikitani has been working toward the goal of a "super park" on the entire block. Last month, he initiated and secured a $750,000 appropriation for a new Pawaa Park, which the City Council approved recently.

Last year, he secured $500,000 in capital improvement project funds to establish the park at the former police maintenance yard site and the Kalakaua Avenue parcel.

Another $200,000 was appropriated last year for the planning and design of an Ala Moana Community Center by renovating and rebuilding the former Cayetano headquarters building.

The community center would provide a place for the elderly to meet, to have educational, health and recreational programs, like dancing classes, said Martha Black, 87, who has organized support for the park.

"It's absolutely thrilling that the managers, board members and the residents of the condos are excited about it," Black said.

The elderly are not the only ones who would benefit from a park. Black said more and more youngsters are living in high rises and will also be able to make good use of the park.

But the area has the largest number of high-rise senior citizen projects on Oahu, with more being planned, as well as high-rises with a large elderly population.

"Many of these senior citizens are housebound," said Ah Jook Ku, a condominium board member at One Kalakaua, which has close to 200 seniors. "Caretakers would be able to wheel them over.

"When you're outdoors, you feel better," Ku said. The elderly need sunshine and to be on the ground since they live in high-rises, she said.

Although Bender said it will probably be a while before Pawaa Park is a reality, she said, "It'll be a nice break in the concrete and asphalt."