The staff with the State Parks Division of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is asking members of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to approve a new redevelopment plan for Koke‘e and Waimea state parks.
Staff briefed land-board members last night, and the board could rule on the recommendation at their meeting at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e this morning.
If implemented, the plan could change the look and feel of the world-renowned visitor attraction over the next 20 years. The 6,182-acre park complex draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and is a favorite recreational destination for Kaua‘i residents.
The draft master plan contains four options, and one preferred by state planners emphasizes upgrades to infrastructure, visitor amenities like lookouts, and utility systems.
The plan also calls for the establishment of a new entry gate and a collection of entry fees.
The main purpose of the entry gate is to allow for the closing of the park during emergencies, collection of fees to fund park operations and maintenance programs, and to orient visitors to the park, a state DLNR official said.
At the same time, the division staffers are recommending the land board consider a proposal to hire a vendor through a bid process to manage more than 100 recreational cabins.
The units could either be rented out or leased out on a short-term basis, possibly five to 10 years, DLNR officials said.
That recommendation is likely to draw heated opposition from the lessees of the cabins who want an extension of leases that were first issued in 1985. All the leases expire at the end of December 2006.
The cabin lessees said they have been good stewards of the state-park complex, and would like to see their leases renewed or renegotiated.
Members of the Koke‘e Leaseholders Association have spent about $100,000 in recent years to repair and maintain restrooms and lookouts and other projects, they said.
The master plan was developed by Honolulu consulting firm R.M. Towill Corp. and state parks staffers with community input.
The preferred option (remedial-improvement plan) calls for the preservation of the character of the park through the upgrading of visitor amenities, infrastructure and utilities “in a manner that reinforces the park’s historic character,” according to documentation delivered to the land board for review.
The preferred option calls for taking advantage of opportunities to generate more revenues to sustain park programs, operations, maintenance, and routine upgrading of facilities.
The preferred plan places an emphasis on providing a “quality experience” to park visitors “with the prioritization of funds expended for roads, a water system, parking and improvements to lookouts,” according to a DLNR report.
Proposed are these improvements in the park
- Kalalau Lookout: Koke‘e Road would be realigned to create a “T-intersection” at the entrance of the lookout parking lot;
- The Pu‘u o Kila Lookout: Plans include improving a walkway from the parking lot to the viewing platform, adding a composting toilet, improving access, and stabilizing eroded areas;
- Pihea Trail: A trailhead will be defined with signs and landscaping. A boardwalk and steps are planned to be installed along a valley rim by the trail;
- Awa‘awapuhi Trailhead: Plans call for installing shoulder barriers and curb stops around a parking area, restoring plant signs along the trail, and developing joint interpretive programs with the DLNR’s Division of Forestry and Wildlife plant nursery program;
- Developing new lookouts at lower elevations to provide views of the upland areas of the canyon, the Waimea River, an irrigation ditch system and agricultural practices;
- Repairing Camp 10 Road and prohibiting two-wheel drive vehicles on the road, Halemanu Road and the road to the Pu‘u Lua Reservoir;
- Developing a visitor service center, and building a new park headquarters and renovating the lodge and museum buildings. Developing the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp into an education center and creating an “orchard landscaping” to unify a park setting;
- Expanding and improving off-street parking by Nu‘alolo Trail;
- Establishing a major trailhead at Pu‘u Hinahina Lookout;
- Improving access to the Pu‘u Lua Reservoir, and expanding a fish stocking program there;
- Waimea Canyon Lookout: Redeveloping viewing platforms, restrooms, concession areas, information kiosks and landscaping;
- Making road improvements to Koke‘e Road and Pu‘u o Kila Road to the Pu‘u o Kila Lookout;
- Redesigning the road from Kanaloahuluhulu Meadow to the Kalalau Lookout to accommodate full-size buses.
The preferred option, which includes the proposed changes, was selected because it addressed “the issues, concerns and opportunities” expressed by the Koke‘e Interagency Task Force, a DLNR report said.
The task force was comprised of staffers from various DLNR divisions on Kaua‘i, the Kaua‘i County Planning Department and former Kaua‘i BLNR member Lynn McCrory.
The consultant and state-agency officials also recommended the land board consider five alternatives on the use of the recreational cabins.
They include continuing the leases with the current lessees; re-leasing the cabins, except for 19 rental units; re-leasing the cabins except for some lots in the Koke‘e and Halemanu area; re-leasing cabins except for some lots in Koke‘e and removing “non-historic structures” and leasing all lots to a “third-party concession for disposition as day-rentals and medium and long-term rentals,” according to a DLNR report. The rental or the short-term leasing of the cabins will allow many more Hawai‘i residents to use the cabins over a 20-year period, DLNR officials said. Over the next 20 years, DLNR could receive $5,956,023 “in net present value,” equating to $478,000 yearly, officials said.
Over a 20-year period, the master lessee would receive a net revenue of $470,000, or $44,350 yearly, officials said.
Lester Chang, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
