[ OUR OPINION ]
Holiday dimmed by
deteriorating war
memorialON THIS day, as the nation pays tribute to the men and women who have died in service to the nation, an edifice that was to be a living memorial to Hawaii's World War I veterans is crumbling away.
THE ISSUE
A collapsed deck at the Waikiki Natatorium may be an indication of severe structural problems at the facility dedicated to World War I veterans.
Unable to withstand neither the corrosion of natural elements nor the irresolution of public squabbles, the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium is close to ruin.
What a shame.
Opened in 1927 at ocean's edge, the once-shining Beaux Arts landmark that featured a 100-meter salt-water pool has been marked as one of America's most endangered places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Closed for a quarter of a century, the city had been able to open restored restrooms four years ago. Now, the Natatorium has been shuttered again because a section of pool deck collapsed a few weeks ago. Whether the entire structure has deteriorated so badly that it cannot be renovated remains unclear.
If so, a group that has persistently obstructed plans to restore the Natatorium should be pleased. Members of the Kaimana Beach Coalition can stand proud of their continual antagonism that has stymied the city's attempts to fix the memorial.
The group moved to thwart fixes at every turn. It objected to plans to restore the entire complex, then to plans for partial restoration.
When the city designed a non-mechanized circulation system to flush seawater through the pool in response to concerns about water quality, it objected and filed suit. After a Circuit judge ruled that state Health Department guidelines would be needed, the department spent a year drafting rules to deal with water quality. But the coalition remained unsatisfied, demanding standards that exceeded those of the surrounding ocean, prompting an official to declare in frustration that "we ought not to have an ocean either."
By the time Governor Cayetano approved the new health rules, the city's momentum was lost. In addition, the money set aside for the restoration project in 1998, was deemed inadequate to complete the project.
The coalition's goal all along has been to get rid of the Natatorium, unreasonably claiming that its restoration somehow interfered with the use of the beach, as if its presence detracted from their enjoyment. The group's members have lost sight of the reason it was built in the first place -- to honor those who fought and those who lost their lives to preserve our nation.
With the country at war, Memorial Day has piercing resonance. Somewhere in Iraq, Afghanistan or elsewhere in this troubled world, there are American troops standing steady to protect the rest of us. Whether we agree with the justification for the conflicts, no one can deny their commitment and our obligation to support them.
As at countless places around the country today, a service of remembrance was to be conducted at the Waikiki memorial. The holiday also will bring picnickers and sunbathers to the beach nearby and some may complain about the closed restrooms at the Natatorium.
That concern is trivial compared to the disgrace if the memorial lost for all time.
