Gov seeks $20M
for parksKauai's neglected state park
land would benefit most if
the Legislature says yes
POIPU, Kauai >> Gov. Linda Lingle will ask the Legislature for bonding authority that would allow her to spend between $15 million and $20 million restoring state parks throughout the islands, according to Marsha Wienert, Lingle's tourism liaison.
And Lingle will ask for twice as much the following year, Wienert said.
Wienert was the main speaker yesterday at the Kauai Visitors Bureau's annual membership luncheon.
Her announcement of funding for state parks brought loud applause from the audience, all leaders in the island's tourism industry. She said veteran parks officials have told her it is the biggest spending proposal since statehood.
State parks on Kauai have been a major sore spot for more than a decade. More than half the total state park land in Hawaii is on Kauai, and, because the island has no national parks, they provide Kauai's largest tourist attractions.
The Department of Land & Natural Resources has not had the funds to maintain the parks for the past decade. As a result, roads to some of the island's most spectacular parks -- such as the Kalalau Valley overlooks and Polihale Beach State Park -- often are impassable because of huge potholes. Bathrooms in many parks have been padlocked for years because of deterioration.
Wienert said the exact figures are still being calculated by the DLNR and will be presented to the Legislature before it convenes next month.
The proposal will call for three to five years of bonding authority. The bonds will be general obligation bonds, which could be repaid through the state's general fund, but user fees are likely to be part of the package.
Wienert said Peter Young, the new head of the DLNR, will be a key player in trying to convince the Legislature the parks are the state's most important assets in attracting tourists.
Former Gov. Ben Cayetano repeatedly refused requests from Kauai's tourism industry to ask the Legislature for more money for the parks.
Wienert came to Kauai bearing more gifts than just parks spending proposals. She also announced that in the latest tourism study, Kauai came out the winner in every major category in the past year.
"Visitor days were up 5 percentage points compared to last year," she said. "That's the best in the state."
The average visitor to Kauai spent just over seven days on the island in the past year.
Visitor spending also increased more -- up just over a dollar -- than on any other island. In the past year, the average Kauai visitor spent $143.33 per day.
Finally, Kauai is the only island that draws more first-time visitors than return visitors. On Kauai last year, 53 percent of the tourists were first-timers compared with 38 percent for the state as a whole.
"Repeat visitors are good, but study after study shows first-time visitors spend significantly more money than repeat visitors," she said.