LIHU‘E — A bill that would keep state park revenues on the island where they are generated instead of spreading them across Hawai‘i is being touted by Kaua‘i legislators and the advisory group tasked with preserving and protecting Koke‘e State
LIHU‘E — A bill that would keep state park revenues on the island where they are generated instead of spreading them across Hawai‘i is being touted by Kaua‘i legislators and the advisory group tasked with preserving and protecting Koke‘e State Park.
State Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, said he introduced the bill specifically with Koke‘e and Na Pali in mind because they are “high-traffic” parks and he is concerned that the cash-strapped Lingle administration will use concession revenue, camping fees and proposed admission charges collected on Kaua‘i as “an ATM machine” to fix parks on other islands that host proportionally fewer visitors.
“We run the risk of over-commercializiation of our parks in order to invest in other parks,” Hooser said Monday. If his bill passes, he said, revenue-generation vehicles currently being discussed have the “potential for providing Kaua‘i parks with sufficient funding, and we could really have some first-class parks in terms of maintenance and facilities.”
Hooser said passing the bill would preserve Koke‘e and “dampen the desire to overly develop the parks, because the money stays here. Otherwise the state is trying to accelerate the (revenue) potential of the parks.”
Senate Bill 2414, similar to proposed legislation that failed in recent years, would establish within the state parks special fund a separate sub-account for each county that would collect park user fees at state parks in that respective county, and use those funds for repair, maintenance, and operating costs in state parks in that respective county.
“Koke‘e is one of the biggest revenue generators; it’s looked at to be a cash cow,” Kaua‘i State Park Advisory Council Chair Canen Ho‘okano said Friday, noting that Koke‘e maintenance crews do a wonderful job despite working with subpar funding and not enough equipment. “If it’s the crown jewel of the state of Hawai‘i, then the people who are taking care of that crown jewel should have the best tools available.”
In 2007, Nu‘uanu Pali State Wayside was the most trafficked state park in terms of number of users, according to a study commissioned by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. Wailua River State Park — including Opaeka‘a Falls, Wailua Falls and Wailua Marina — was second statewide, followed by Ha‘ena State Park, Diamond Head and Makena State Park on Maui.
Waimea Canyon State Park ranked eighth, and Koke‘e — just the meadow and Kalalau Lookout — 12th. Had their volumes been combined, the greater Waimea-Koke‘e park system would have ranked third. Had Ha‘ena and Na Pali Coast State Parks been combined, that area would have jumped to first in the rankings.
Ho‘okano said the legislation would serve as a precedent for the rest of the state, and said he feels every island has ways of generating revenues through parks. Big Island and Maui have already sacrificed two of their bigger attractions — Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala National Park, respectively — to the federal government.
Ho‘okano pointed out that the Diamond Head State Monument outside Honolulu already keeps 55 percent of its admission fees for maintenance of the park.
“Diamond Head and Koke‘e are two of the biggest money-makers,” he said. “Diamond Head already has legislation, the same should apply for our park on Kaua‘i.”
Asked if he would be willing to come down from the 100 percent level laid out in the bill, Hooser said he feels Kaua‘i is “entitled” to the full amount, he believes “we deserve it,” and that he primarily represents District 7 — Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau — but said he is open to a compromise.
“These are natural resources that are very fragile, so how do we protect them and maximize the maintenance and the upkeep of them?” he said. We should “make sure we get the fair share of funds that comes from those parks” and “guard against overdevelopment” and reduce the pressure to charge higher fees by keeping the money on Kaua‘i.
“We have to figure out a way to protect and preserve the parks, and also to come up with the way to fund that,” he said.
SB 2414 was passed earlier this month by the Senate Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs Committee, passed on second reading and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.
It currently contains a clause that would make it effective on July 1, 2050, a common procedure, according to Hooser, called a “defective date” that is applied to bills with unanswered questions or concerns that keeps the issue alive but guarantees that the Senate has a final chance to fix the date — and take another look at the bill — if the state House of Representatives passes a fixed version.
Westside Rep. Roland said Monday he supports the legislation.
Ho‘okano and the KSPAC area also pushing for a House Bill introduced by Sagum that would give locals another chance to secure long-term Koke‘e cabin leases via lottery before they go to auction.
“The advisory council is supporting these bills as a whole,” Ho‘okano said.
See a future edition of The Garden Island for a full update on House Bill 2270.
For more information, www.kokeeadvisory.org or www.capitol.hawaii.gov.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com.
