Open house on Haena master plan
HAENA — The plan for the future of Haena State Park has been tweaked, and Saturday, the State Parks division and members of the Haena State Park Community Advisory Committee will host an open house to chat about the changes.
Currently, the entities are working on the proposed park’s Draft Master Plan and Environmental Impact Statement. The open house forum will allow community members to visit the site and see the plan for facilities.
The open house will be at the park site from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and there will be time for in-depth questions and answers from Parks staff and CAC members.
According to a release from the state’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, there are three main changes from the August 2015 plan:
w The education center and caretaker’s cottage have been deleted and replaced with a smaller, traditional thatched welcome hale located at the entrance.
w New restrooms for men and women will be located to the right of the welcome hale, but separate.
w The interpretive path is now a pedestrian only path, and its location is shifted mauka near Ke’e to better direct people towards lifeguarded beaches.
The new master plan outlines a single entry, controlled access park with hours from 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and entry fees of $5 per car, or $1 per person. According to the master plan revisions summary from DLNR, the goal is to reduce use to 900 persons per day during controlled access hours.
Parking with a little more than 100 spaces would be in two designated areas — one for Fee-Paying Park Users (non-residents) and one for Fee-Exempt Park Users.
Fee-Paying park users would be allowed to enter the park only if they have a pre-paid entry receipt and that would apply to any type of entry — bikes, by shuttle, on foot, or via vehicle.
The plan is also to close the existing road, Route 560, from the park entry point – which is near the present parking lot – to the parking area at Ke’e, and replaced with a pedestrian path. Limited use of the existing road would be allowed for authorized personnel, like lifeguards, emergency responders, and parks staff.
The park entry area will include a turnaround, shuttle bus stop, small 20’ x 30’ welcome hale, and restrooms.