Renovated Kauai park
will allow for camping

WAILUA, Kauai » The jewel of Kauai County parks will be adding camping to its list of activities soon, Mayor Bryan Baptiste has announced.

Lydgate Park, the site of a huge community-driven overhaul during the past 10 years, is now the site of Kauai's "higher-end campgrounds," Baptiste said, complete with individual and group tent-pitching pits, tables and barbecues, as well as private showers and brand-new bathrooms.

It also will be the only county facility that charges a fee to use the campsites: $5 per site for Kauai residents and $25 per site per night for off-island visitors, the mayor said last week. There are camping fees for state parks on Kauai but not for the other county parks.

The fee helps defray the cost of maintenance and ensures that those who secure the sites will actually use them.

"This is not like other campgrounds," Baptiste said. "It's a different campground experience with more amenities."

Unlike some of the other county parks, which have become housing options for the homeless and drug users, the park also will observe a 9:30 p.m. "quiet time," with county park rangers and police enforcing the rule.

Camping will only be allowed five days a week to allow for maintenance.

"One of the concerns expressed by those who participated in the planning process was security," said Bernard Carvalho, director of the county offices of community assistance. To that end, the county budgeted for a new park ranger to enforce the rules and check permits. Kauai Police Department representatives also agreed to step up patrols in the region, Carvalho said.

While final approval rests with the Kauai County Council, the 31 campsites, including three disabled access sites and a site for groups of up to 200 people, have been built. So has a nearby comfort station.

"I think the campgrounds are something we can really be proud of," said Tim Bynum, county community response specialist, who has been instrumental in the refurbishment of the park. "It offers families another great activity at Lydgate."

The campsites are part of the overall master plan for the east-side park. Volunteers, along with helping the maintenance staff with the upkeep of Lydgate, have helped build a playground, a small pedestrian bridge and a pavilion, as well as most of the campsites. The ocean-side park also boasts a concrete bike/walk path, picnic areas and numerous surfing and fishing areas.