DEIS Proposed Actions

*Bold lettering indicates ...

  1. Pi‘ikoi Street and Queen Street pedestrian entrance expansions and partial drainage canal cover; (2.3.3) 
  2. Widening the shared-use path along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive; (2.3.6) 
  3. Widening the shared-use path along the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor; (2.3.10) 
  4. Improve the existing canoe launch ramp and crossing from the Canoe Hālau; (2.3.11) 
  5. Rearranging the parking along the makai side of Ala Moana Park Drive to add loading and unloading zones near crosswalks; (2.3.5) 
  6. Reconfigure parking on the mauka side of Ala Moana Park Drive to add more stalls; (2.3.5)
  7. Keyhole parking lot expansion and reconfiguration; (2.3.5) 
  8. Reconfigure and expand Magic Island parking lot; (2.3.5) 
  9. Improve the pond edges and paths; (2.3.2) 
  10. Renovate McCoy Pavilion and the banyan courtyard; (2.3.12) 
  11. Improve “high spot” terrace for ADA access, repair pergola, and widen the shared-use paths on both sides; (2.3.13)
  12. Repair drainage canal walls; (2.3.4) 
  13. Repair the Bridle Bridge; (2.3.9) 
  14. Add a dog park near Kewalo Basin; (2.3.1) 
  15. Repair Roosevelt Portals at Atkinson Street entrance (Sec. 2.3.7) and improve the Kamakee Street entrance; (2.3.8) 
  16. Sand replenishment and long-term beach nourishment; (2.3.14) 
  17. Build a playground; (2.3.15) 
  18. Relocate the maintenance yard; (2.3.16) 
  19. Create a multiuse facility at the Lawn Bowling area; (2.3.17) 
  20. Relocate the Ocean Safety’s Honolulu Headquarters; (2.3.18) 

Sample Template

To: Mayor Kirk Caldwell <kcaldwell@honolulu.gov>; Robert Kroning <rkroning@honolulu.gov>; Joanne Hiramatsu <jhiramatsu@bchdesign.com>

Subject: Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Ala Moana Regional Park and Magic Island Improvements, issued by Belt Collins on July 8, 2018

Aloha Kakou,

I am commenting on the Master Plan for Ala Moana Regional Park DEIS. I do like many proposed actions in the Master Plan, but there are proposed actions I have issues with. I feel strongly about the following issues because this park means a lot to me for the following reasons: 

(Write here)

 

Thank you for allowing me to voice my concerns about the following (#) proposed actions in the DEIS.

 

My biggest issue with the DEIS is "____________________________________________" in Section _______.

(see DEIS Proposed Actions above)

 

I think/feel/believe that

(Write here)

 

My biggest issue with the DEIS is "____________________________________________" in Section _______.

(see DEIS Proposed Actions above)

 

I think/feel/believe that

(Write here)

 

Please do not go forward with these plans for the reasons I have stated. In closing, thank you, again, for allowing me to voice my concerns. I do hope you are listening to what the people of Hawaii want and do not want.

Sincerely yours,

(Write name)

Sample Letter

TO: Mayor Kirk Caldwell<kcaldwell@honolulu.gov>; Robert Kroning<rkroning@honolulu.gov>; Joanne Hiramatsu <jhiramatsu@bchdesign.com>

SUBJECT: Concerns about safety of DEIS Section 2.3.6. Makai Shared Use Path

Aloha Kakou,

Ala Moana Beach Park was established in 1934 as “the People’s Park”. Originally known as Kālia, few long-time residents or even visitors refer to the park as Ala Moana Regional Park. Its naturally beautiful beach is what endears this park to the People. On any given day, people safely swim, body board, surf, kayak, stand up paddle, canoe paddle, snorkel, water exercise including walking from Magic Island to Kewalo, do SUP yoga, and fish on the reef or catch halalu near the shore. On shore, the sandy beach offers park users opportunities to build sand castles, sun bathe, collect seashells, jog or walk, picnic, read, meditate, fish, or watch the sunrise or sunset.

People who use the beach for these purposes frequently have bulky items to carry—surf boards and paddles, inflatable tubes, beach toys, fishing gear, nets, kayaks, canoes, exercise equipment, towels, umbrellas, etc. Any plans for park improvement must prioritize safe access to its major asset--the beach.

The proposed “Makai Shared Use Path” in DEIS Section 2.3.6 does the opposite, creating obstacles for beach users carrying their equipment to get safely to the beach. Changing the name from “promenade” in the EISPN to "Makai shared use path" in the DEIS does little to address the original problem created by the widened pathway—the safety of people on foot vs. those on wheeled vehicles.

On page 2-21, lines 17 to 24, the kinds of shared use that currently exists are noted. However, Figure 2-8, Widen Shared-Use Path, on page 2-24, shows most of the grassy area gone with sterile benches where local families like to picnic (observed in 2-21, lines 23-24) and where surfers put down their boards to wax them. Removing the grass takes out useful functions and replaces it with hot cement that sets up dangerous exchanges on the multi-modal pathway and benches that block people’s access to the beach from the road.

If Figure 2-8 is the vision of an improved beach park, it’s ironic that all the people are wearing street clothes. Everyone has shoes on, so they won’t feel the hot cement or sand between their toes. There’s not a single bike, Segway or skateboarder in sight, perhaps because sketching that in would draw attention to the hazards of shared use. The City’s argument that this is complying with “Complete Streets” is a misapplication. Ala Moana Beach Park is not a neighborhood, it’s a beach park! And, in neighborhoods where there are such plans are being applied, successful efforts make bike lanes on the road, separate from cars, and separate from pedestrian sidewalk.

Speaking of cars, they are not shown in Figure 2-8. Despite the City’s concession of keeping most of the Makai side parking, the benches and planters pictured make it difficult for people parking the makai side to exit from their doors closest to the beach. And if they are carrying beach equipment, they will need to unload from the active roadside.

In conclusion, I recommend that City reconsider the folly of Section 2.3.6 and concentrate instead on actions that improve the function of the park and preserve the beauty of the natural environment such: as repairing the sidewalks and maintaining the grassy areas; increasing the maintenance of showers and bathrooms; providing sturdy and attractive trash receptacles and charcoal disposal areas to prevent litter; and creating better signage at the Park to indicate areas where safe fishing can take place, sandy areas for keiki and kupuna to swim or play, etc.

As a taxpayer in Hawaii for more than 50 years, I want the City to expend my taxes on what is most needed for the most people of Hawai`i. Please heed the voices of the people to Keep Ala Moana beach park a safe place for our `ohana as “the People’s Park.”

Sincerely,

Sharlene Chun-Lum

99-546 Iwaiwa Street

Aiea, HI 96701

Email: sharstocks@yahoo.com