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Purchasing an annual pass for $10 is
one way to get into Diamond Head.

For state, $1
fee is one big
Head-ache

The entry charge -- which nets about $33,000 monthly --
irks some, but others call it
reasonable for the site

By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin

IMPLEMENTING a new $1 entrance fee at the Diamond Head State Memorial has been an eye-opener in terms of the resources that it takes to collect it, said Martha Yent, state parks interpretive program supervisor.

When the state began charging the fee on May 1, visitors just dropped a dollar into a collection box on the honor system. But soon after, a cash register was installed in the interpretive booth so visitors can get change for larger bills.

That means someone needs to be at the booth 11 hours a day, not just to make change, but to make sure people don't ignore the honor box. "We don't have a way to funnel visitors to the collection box," Yent said. "We have to do a little bit of a chase to remind people."

With only one person in the booth at a time, collecting fees from groups of 30 to 40 people can be overwhelming, Yent said. Although several commercial tour companies stopped disembarking busloads of tourists at the trail head when the fee was implemented, the visitor count has been holding steady at about 1,500 visitors a day.

By Kathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Visitors to Diamond Head State Park can either put their dollar
in the drop box or go up to the cashier. Each person is stamped
so he or she can return to the parking lot if needed.

Two student workers have been able to put in full-time hours over the summer, but even so, Yent and the Diamond Head coordinator have now added fee collection to their job descriptions. The students will drop to part-time hours when school starts up in the fall, so a full-time clerk-cashier will probably be hired to make up the lost hours.

By the beginning of next year, a new, permanent system to generate revenue from the park should be in place. The state has discussed installing a vehicle toll booth and charging $5 per car.

But as an interim measure, the dollar fee has been bringing in about $40,000 a month, after 20 percent has been given to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA receives a share because the park incorporates lands ceded from the former Hawaiian Kingdom to the Hawaiian Territory, which became the state. Operating costs, including the salaries for four employees and bank service, run about $7,080 a month.

However, while the fee nets about $33,000 a month into the state Parks division, Yent said she expects it to drop after summer vacation.

One of the challenges of the job is explaining to people that the fee is for entrance to the park, not just a hiking fee. People don't want to pay to meet someone returning from the hike or just to use the restroom.

"It's been a complaint of a number of people," Yent said. "On the one hand, we don't want the park to be just a pit stop, but we understand that people have needs." So if you're using the facilities, you have to contribute to their upkeep, she said.

Most tourists have been happy to comply with the fee. Brent Goodwin, of Maryland, said, "I think they should charge. If they're going to keep up the trails and all that, someone's got to pay for it."

But Goodwin thinks it should be a donation system instead of a mandatory fee. "People should be allowed to go even if they can't pay for it," he said.

It's the residents who argue the most because their tax dollars are already going into park maintenance, Yent said.

For instance, as he entered the park one day last week, Timothy Chong said, "I don't like the fee. I mean, we're already here. It's ridiculous for someone who lives here."

His friend Garrett Calizar said residents should be exempt from the fee, but he wouldn't mind paying "maybe if they cleaned up the park a little more."

But other local park users still think the fee is reasonable. Manu Mook, of Waimanalo, who visits the park twice a week, purchased an annual pass for $10. "It's very good because it pays for the toilet paper, the sewer. It pays for taking care of the lawn, the men who are working here."

The entrance fee is a value, he said, pointing out that at some mainland airports, it costs 25 cents to use the restroom, but at Diamond Head, it's a dollar to use everything.

"Already, the tourists don't mind paying a dollar," he said. And as for the residents, "the free days are gone, everybody's got to pay their dues."