Gathering Places
Gathering Places
THE BEACH at Waikiki, the most important feature in Hawaii's economic mainstay, is in serious disrepair. Plans for restoring this vital resource have been around for more than 10 years but the state Legislature, for the second year, appears ready to delete from the current budget proposal the needed funds requested by Governor Cayetano. Show us the money to
rescue Waikiki BeachThe need to replenish sand and to stabilize the world's most famous beach has been ignored for too long and restoring the beach becomes more costly by the day. The technical, environmental and financial feasibility of restoring the beach was established more than a decade ago, when plans and preliminary design work were completed by the state.
At that time, the entire project could have been completed at an estimated cost of $11 million -- a sizable sum, but dwarfed by the $500 million Waikiki contributes annually to tax coffers.
Implementation of these plans was repeatedly stalled until 1997, when the city initiated its $15 million renovation of Kuhio Beach Park. To complement that, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) proceeded with detailed planning for restoring the segment of beach fronting the park.
An environmental assessment was prepared and in 1999, the governor requested $3 million for that portion of the project. With no explanation, the Legislature denied that request.
Despite this setback, the DLNR retained an international expert in beach reconstruction, Olsen Associates, to validate its plans for Kuhio Beach. The independent review concluded that the state's plans were sound but recommended design modifications to ensure that the beach protection scheme would work as expected.
Bolstered by these findings and armed with the support of Waikiki's business community, Governor Cayetano again this year identified the restoration of Waikiki Beach as a funding priority. Last month, however, lawmakers axed the $3 million appropriation from the budget. They did the same for another DLNR priority, Diamond Head State Monument improvements.
Some have speculated that the funding requests for Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head were victims of hardball politics. I want to believe that isn't true. Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head are too important not to transcend district boundaries and party labels.
Further delay in funding these vital improvements also jeopardizes state efforts to secure federal funds to assist in the restoration of the remaining degraded portions of Waikiki Beach.
Hawaii's congressional delegation has been instrumental in positioning Waikiki Beach as a potential Federal Shore Protection project. Continued inaction on the part of the Legislature sends the wrong message, and would severely undermine this effort.
Ironically, at a time when our government leaders are correctly contemplating the need to invest in additional recreational, cultural and educational attractions, they are failing to recognize the intrinsic value of those we already have. They should not allow Waikiki Beach to suffer benign neglect.
Eric Masutomi is chairman of the Waikiki Improvement
Association's Beach Committee.