Hawaiian Paradise Park’s neighborhood board wants Hawaii County to reconsider building a community park for the large subdivision about four years after the organization last rejected the idea. ADVERTISING Hawaiian Paradise Park’s neighborhood board wants Hawaii County to reconsider building
Hawaiian Paradise Park’s neighborhood board wants Hawaii County to reconsider building a community park for the large subdivision about four years after the organization last rejected the idea.
The board sent a letter last summer in support of deeding a 20-acre parcel to the county if it builds a park there.
According to the Finance Department, the request is being reviewed by various departments prior to a resolution being sent to the County Council for consideration.
Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan, whose district includes HPP, backed the idea, calling it his “No. 1 park project,” and recently started an online petition urging the administration to move forward.
The petition had 186 signatures as of Wednesday.
Ilagan said the council already allocated $300,000 for planning and design and he is hopeful it could consider accepting the property at 26th Avenue and Kaloli Drive as early as next month.
Ilagan said he would draft an amendment that would require the county to move forward within two years of accepting the property. If it fails to do so, the property would revert back to HPP.
He said that could help address concerns that killed the deal several years ago.
The county’s previous offer included $5.6 million in capital improvement funds to build the park, which since was reallocated to the Pahoa regional community park project.
Money for construction would need to be found for the latest proposal to come to fruition.
Ruth Mizuba, an HPP board member, said the lack of a park is a major issue in the community, which is seeing a growth in the number of young families.
The subdivision is the size of a small town, with a population of 11,404 as of 2010.
“We have enough children in Paradise Park for an elementary school of its own,” she said.
Mizuba said she expects to hear concerns from residents who might see a park as bringing increased crime to their part of the neighborhood or attracting the homeless. But she said she thinks a county-funded park is a “win-win” for the community.
“I think it can only benefit our community,” Mizuba said.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
