A consultant for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has recommended at least 121 recreational cabin leases in Koke‘e State Park not be renewed.
Some should be torn down all together, and ones that remain should be put up for public auction, said the consultant.
Should the state Board of Land and Natural Resources (Land Board) go along with the recommendation by consultants from R.M. Towill Corporation of Honolulu, a board decision could close out efforts by the current cabin lessees to have their leases extended.
The leases are coveted because the cabins are located in remote forest areas, high in the mountains of the northwest corner of Kaua‘i. Some of the leases are held by Kaua‘i’s most powerful political and business leaders, and wealthy kama‘aina families.
The recommendation by the consultant to end the leases is only that, however, and may be removed from a proposed master plan Towill officials are developing for DLNR, said a DLNR spokesperson.
The plan outlines suggested maintenance, operation and development of the Koke‘e and Waimea State Parks over the next 25 years. The cabins are located in the state park complex.
The subject of the recreational cabin leases is likely to come up during an informational meeting DLNR officials have scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 5 p.m. at the Lihu‘e Neighborhood Center.
The meeting is to discuss alternatives for the proposed master plan. DLNR officials hope to gather public comment on four alternatives for the management of the two parks.
The issue of the cabin leases goes back to 1985, when the DLNR put the leases out to bid in a public auction on Kaua‘i.
Some longtime leaseholders who lost their leases were so outraged that they tore down their cabins or took them off the DLNR sites before new lessees could move in.
The new lessees eventually moved into their cabins, and have used them for nearly two decades. Though most of the leases expire by December 2005, the lessees are hoping the state DLNR will hold off on any auction and extend their leases.
A state official, who asked not to be identified, said the recreational cabin leases end December 2005, March 2006, and Dec. 31, 2006.
To facilitate paperwork, the Land Board has informed lessees that all recreational cabin leases will end as of December 2006, a DLNR official said.
The current lessees are concerned the public bidding in another auction could drive up the cost of the leases beyond what they can afford. The lessees who lose their leases would either have to remove the cabins or relinquish them to the state.
Some lessees said that if they have to give up their cabins, they are entitled to compensation.
Cabin lessees also are concerned the state may consider their cabins as improvements to the park, allowing the state’s confiscation of the structures without compensation to them.
Attorneys have been asked to give opinions on the matter, one longtime leaseholder said, a gesture that could signal the filing of lawsuits against the state that could prevent any action by the Land Board.
The only leases not immediately affected are those held by churches. The Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America won ownership of land under its Camp Alan Fayé as the result of a land swap approved by the state Legislature earlier this year.
The church leases remain in effect until they expire, beyond December 2006, the state official said.
At that time, officials of the DLNR Land Division, which issues the leases, will turn over responsibility to the DLNR State Parks Division. From there, the Land Board, after consultation with officials from the Parks Division for recommendations, may decide what to do with the leases.
Frank O. Hay, a representative of the Koke‘e Leaseholders Association, was not immediately available for comment.
However, Hay earlier told DLNR officials that leaseholders have been good guardians of the parks. He said leaseholders have played major roles in protecting park resources, helping lost hikers and repairing public facilities.
Related to the proposed master-plan options for the state parks, the consultants noted in a summary report that the two parks, with 6,200 acres between them, are the state’s “flagship parks.”
The Koke‘e and Waimea State Parks boast vast acreage of native forests, remote waterfalls and miles of trails.
Some of the trails provide dramatic views of the land meeting the sea, and of jagged, high cliff lines.
The parks are among Kaua‘i’s most-renowned natural attractions, visited by thousands of visitors and residents each year.
Among the goals of the DLNR master plan are the protection and preservation of natural, cultural, scenic and outdoor recreational resources and recreational residences, establishment of interpretive programs, maintenance of safe facilities and infrastructure in the parks, and proper management of the parks.
The plan also will look at current water- and sewer-system constraints, the control of invasive species, the enhancement of native species, and generation of revenues from uses in the state parks.
Of the alternatives presented by the consultant, one calls for no action, meaning the operation and maintenance plan for the two parks would remain “status quo,” according to Jim Niermann of Towill.
Under the no-action plan, there would be no new construction of facilities or development of new park programs. Current activities and programs would continue with existing revenues and management resources, the consultant noted.
The second alternative, dubbed “remedial improvement plan,” proposed these objectives and others:
A fourth alternative proposed these objectives:
- Enhance the identity of the parks and visitor orientation through interpretative and directional signs;
- Protect and restore historical and cultural resources;
- Focus development at lookouts and along roads between Pu‘u Ka Pele and Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow;
- Increase the miles of trails, create trail hubs and provide interpretive programs for hiking and camping;
- Connect the state parks and adjacent state forest areas through an enhanced trail system;
- Establish design guidelines for the protection of historic structures and the construction of new structures;
- Remove structures that do not lend credence to the historic character of an area, and re-vegetate the cleared area with native vegetation;
- Design and construct a visitor center;
- Develop themes that involve native forest, bird-watching and historic cabins.
The recommendations by the consultant are only that, and the plans may be altered and may contain new provisions, depending on the new information and input from the public, a DLNR official said.
Implementation of the master plan is a way to “improve the daily operations and maintenance concerns associated with public recreational use of the area,” DLNR Chairperson Peter Young said in a news release.
A preferred alternate plan is to be recommended to the Land Board (BLNR), which will either approve or reject the plan, DLNR officials said.
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225), or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
