Reclaiming Maili Park

Families return to Maili beach, no longer a homeless camp

» FIRST | SECOND OF TWO PARTS

On a warm, breezy Saturday, 19-year-old Nathaniel Kahala turned over hot dogs on a small barbecue grill at Maili Beach Park to prepare for his son's first birthday party.

Park limits sought The Waianae Neighborhood Board will discuss proposed night closure for the following parks at their monthly meeting tomorrow: » Waianae District Park » Pililaau Community Park Night closures also have been proposed for the parking lots at: » Kahe Point Beach Park. » Surfers Beach Park. » Nanikai Beach Park. » Forac Beach Park. » Depots Beach Park. » Coves Beach Park. » Lualualei Beach Park. The board meets at the Waianae Neighborhood Community Center, 85-671 Farrington Highway, at 7 p.m.

Friends and loved ones started to trickle in under a large white tent with decorative ti and palm leaves tied to each post.

Laughter filled the air as children bounced around on an inflatable slide and castle next to the tent.

Since the city's recent cleanup of the park, which included evicting homeless campers, Kahala and other beachgoers said they have seen a vast improvement.

"It's a lot better," Kahala said. "If they didn't have the cleanup, we wouldn't have the party here."

Recreational activity has returned to the long stretch of open space at Maili Beach Park with baby showers, birthday parties, soccer practices and sunbathing on the sand.

"Maili used to be the favorite park to have birthday parties," said state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who represents Nanakuli-Makua. "It looks like that's beginning to come back now."

The community overall has been pleased with the results, said Les Chang, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Green grass is slowly filling in the bare patches of the landscape after fixes to the sprinkler system. City parks workers also replaced plumbing fixtures in the comfort stations, removed shrubs and trimmed the lawn.

Tents occupied by the homeless no longer obscure tall palm trees and rows of picnic tables along the beach.

"You could actually see the ocean, the beaches, not the blue tents," Karnie Lisle said as she sat on a beach chair at another birthday party held at the park for Grancesten Alvaro, who turned 2.

Still, hundreds of the homeless still occupy weathered tents and tarps at other parks on both sides of Maili Beach Park.

Currently the city and the Waianae Neighborhood Board are considering cleanups and night closure at other beach parks along the coast. Night closures for designated parks will be discussed at the board's monthly meeting tomorrow.

During the last week of March, permanent closures went into effect at Maili Beach Park between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Cleanup efforts at the park first started in November, but city officials waited until the state opened its shelter, Paiolu Kaiaulu, at the beginning of last month, to resume the cleanup at the rest of the park.

A large majority of the homeless who lived at the beach park -- 80 percent -- relocated to the state shelter. Others moved in with relatives or to other beach parks along the coastline.

As of Thursday, 168 people -- 115 adults and 53 children -- were at the shelter, said site director Darryl Vincent.

Vincent said they expect to reach the shelter's maximum capacity of 270 people by the end of May.

At a recent community meeting, many supported closures for parks and parking lots of Waianae District Park and Pililaau Community Park. Night closures for parking lots at Kahe Point, Surfers, Nanikai and Forac (also known as Zablan), Depots, Coves and Lualualei beach parks were also supported by area residents.

Night closure was recommended for the parks to reduce illegal activity, including drinking, fights, drug use and loud music. "Waianae is speaking out," said Patty Teruya, chairwoman of the Waianae Neighborhood Board. "We had enough."

Night closure for parks has been an ongoing issue for community members. In July 2005 the Waianae Neighborhood Board voted in support of night closures for all city parks along the coastline.

"We don't know if we're going to get every park closed," Chang said. "We're addressing it park by park."

For the past 20 years, the homeless have inundated Maili Beach Park with their tents, area residents said. In recent years the crowds of homeless dissuaded some families from holding gatherings there.

"It was their beach. It (had) been their beach for a very long time," said Lisle, who has lived on the Waianae Coast for almost 50 years.