HANALEI — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. held Thursday evening the first community meeting of a process that could take at least two years to decide the future of Hanalei’s Blackpot Beach Park. “We are not going to come up and
HANALEI — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. held Thursday evening the first community meeting of a process that could take at least two years to decide the future of Hanalei’s Blackpot Beach Park.
“We are not going to come up and say, ‘This is what we are going to do,’” Carvalho told the 60 or more North Shore residents who crammed the Hale Halawai ‘Ohana O Hanalei. The community, he said, would be the ones deciding the fate of Blackpot.
People were worried about what would happen to the park. On any given weekend, the beach facing the park is completely taken over by trucks and SUVs, with a string of them parked along the water’s edge. Tents larger than allowed are set up at the campsite and bathrooms are often quite dirty.
There were a few hard questions for Carvalho, but overall, the mayor received a warm welcome from the people, after assuring several times it would be the community’s input that would guide Blackpot Beach Park’s master plan.
On Sept. 12, the county secured the remaining two out of three lots that Michael Sheehan and Hanalei River Holdings LLC used to own at Hanalei River, immediately behind Blackpot Beach Park.
Those lots will be added to the existing park and the nearby Hodge parcel, which was recently acquired by the county.
With this newest acquisition, the Princeville Corporation will finalize the donation of the Montage property, adjacent to Sheehan’s former property, according to Carvalho. Additionally, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources has money in the bank to negotiate with Sheehan’s ex-wife, Patsy Sheehan, on the acquisition of her adjacent land, which Carvalho said could potentially be incorporated into the expansion of Blackpot Beach Park.
But the process ahead will likely be a lengthy one. And just the planning itself will cost more than a few bucks for taxpayers — $200,000 for a consultant that the administration will include in its budget proposal to the Kaua‘i County Council for Fiscal Year 2014, which starts July 1, 2013.
“We hope the master plan will take 12 to 18 months,” said Carvalho, adding that the community will participate in every step of the way.
And then there are additional operational expenses.
“We’re going to need a park caretaker to take care of that area, and that is something we are going to discuss in our next budget,” county Parks and Recreations Director Lenny Rapozo said.
Some of the major concerns with the future of Blackpot included parking and boating.
Carvalho said if it was up to him, there would be no parking and no cars at the beach.
“But we gotta figure out a balance,” he said.
When the county took Sheehan’s property, it also took the boatyard facility Sheehan ran there for more than 20 years (Sheehan is suing the county, its planning commission and the council in federal court for his permits revocation). Now, the boat owners have until Oct. 1 to leave the property.
“I don’t have a place to keep my boat,” said one of the boat owners, adding that many others are in the same situation. “We were displaced by the county.”
Carvalho was inclined to work with the boat owners to find a solution.
The canoe club was another concern. Leticia McCoy wanted to know what would happen to the club. Carvalho said the county wants to promote recreation activities, and canoeing is one of them.
But ultimately, he said, it will be the community that will guide the process of crafting the park’s master plan.
There will be several meetings where issues such as parking, boating and commercial activities will be discussed.
Deputy County Attorney Mauna Kea Trask said the administration is tackling many issues; it doesn’t work anymore not to address them.
“Our chins are strong, give it to us,” he said.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@thegardenisland.com
