Kakaako to be site The sex offender parole office will be moving to Kakaako, not downtown, in a change applauded by downtown educators and elected officials.
of parole program
Concerns about sex offenders
prompted the location changeBy Treena Shapiro
tshapiro@starbulletin.com
Gov. Ben Cayetano announced yesterday that next Friday the state will move the sex-offender and mental-health parole program on Waiakamilo Road to 919 Ala Moana, a state building shared by the Public Safety and Health departments. About 340 parolees will be reporting to the office, including 88 sexual offenders.
Commercial tenants in the Kakaako area seem less concerned about the move than those downtown who opposed the Hawaii Paroling Authority's original proposal to move the office to its 1177 Alakea St. offices. That location is close to three schools -- St. Andrew's Priory School for Girls, Central Middle and Royal Elementary schools -- as well as Hawaii Pacific University.
"The Ala Moana Boulevard location is a good solution in that it will not cost the state additional money, nor is it adjacent to schools," Cayetano said yesterday.
Caroline Oda, headmistress at St. Andrew's who lobbied hard against the downtown move, said, "I'm very pleased because the worry that would have been on the shoulders of every parent in this area would have been very heavy, and it would have been a daily concern."
Helen Varner, director of communications at HPU, who had similar concerns over student safety, said, "We're just very happy that he has reconsidered that decision and made that change."
Both sites fall in the district of state Sen. Rod Tam (D, Downtown-Pauoa-Nuuanu), who proposed moving the parole office to the Ala Moana building.
"It is just wonderful that we came to an agreement whereby we can eliminate the unsafe, hazardous conditions which may occur near schools," Tam said.
The new office, however, will be within walking distance of Voyager Charter School and its 130 students, grades kindergarten to four. The school, on Auahi and Keawe streets, is about six blocks from 919 Ala Moana.
"I'm not thrilled about it, but where else are we going to put them?" said Timmie Sinclair, the school's acting administrator. "We're not going to find an area that we aren't going to have children."
Sinclair works with murderers and rapists every day as a forensic psychologist for Sexual Homicide Exchange, a nonprofit group that specializes in violent sexual offenses. With her background, she said, she understands the need for finding a location for the parole office.
Sinclair's daughter, Brynna, is among the school's students.
"It's my responsibility as a mommy and as the administrator of the school to keep track of these kids," she said. "As far as I'm concerned, no predator will lay a finger on my kids on my watch."
Tam said he does not anticipate opposition to come from the Kakaako businesses.
"It's a different type of environment," he said.
The 1,400-square-foot Ka-kaako site was ideal because no one would be displaced, Tam said. The vacant space had been designated for use by the Department of Health.
Jackie Kido, a spokeswoman for the governor, said, "After assessing the situation, the governor decided the state would be better served to use the space as a parole office."
City Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura, who represents the downtown district, noted: "This is the way government should work. The community was concerned. Together, we came up with a number of alternatives, and I think the governor made the right decision."
Thomas Arizumi, chief of the Health Department's Environmental Management Division, which is in the 919 Ala Moana building, said he was not concerned about sharing the building with parolees.
"I assume they'll be pretty well behaved and guarded," he said.
Public Safety Director Ted Sakai, whose offices are in the same building, said, "I don't believe there is going to be an undue risk to public safety by having the parole office here."
Sakai said he thinks the Kakaako offices will work temporarily but are not the ideal site.
"What we'd like to do is move (the satellite office) out to Kapolei because a lot of their parolees come from Waianae, Waipahu, etc.," he said.
Tam said he would be introducing legislation next session to fund a satellite parole office in a commercial area of Kapolei.
Star-Bulletin reporters Lisa Asato and Gordon Pang contributed to this report.