LIHUE — A 1.3-acre park listed in the Kauai Parks and Recreation Master Plan in the Lihue District has no proposed improvements suggested. “We could use better (basketball) rims,” said Justin Halog, a team leader with the Boys & Girls
LIHUE — A 1.3-acre park listed in the Kauai Parks and Recreation Master Plan in the Lihue District has no proposed improvements suggested.
“We could use better (basketball) rims,” said Justin Halog, a team leader with the Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Lihue Clubhouse.
Halog said during summer days, he brings between 50 and 60 youngsters to Kalena Park, which features a basketball court, playground equipment and a water fountain.
“We come here just before lunch where the kids can work on various activities like Hip Hop, basketball, and just play on the playground,” Halog said. “We could also use a bigger playground.”
A student said the chicken holes could be filled in so they don’t trip, and the bathrooms are too small for the amount of people who use the park.
The summer program students were sharing the park with a group of mothers, some with strollers, others tending young children.
“We have been coming here every Thursday since Shaylee, my granddaughter, was born,” said Shirley Viquelia of Hanapepe Cliffside. “We come to town, have breakfast, stop at the park to play for awhile, and get in shopping before going home.”
Viquelia was looking after her two granddaughters who worked in between the Boys & Girls Club members.
“They could use more shade areas,” the grandmother said, aware of the rising heat that was not lessened despite a steady breeze.
Kauai residents are invited to submit comments on any of the parks that range from the .2-acre Horner Park to the 138-acre Ahukini Coastal Park.
Comments can be submitted online at www.kauaiparks.com, or mailed to Kimura International, 1600 Kapiolani Blvd., Suite 1610, Honolulu, HI 96814.
Starting July 30 at the Kapaa Middle School from 6 p.m., the Department of Parks and Recreation will host a series of community meetings to review the Kauai Parks and Recreation Master Plan and solicit feedback from the community.
The master draft plan is available at public libraries on the island, or online at www.kauaiparks.com.
Other meetings are July 31, 6 p.m. at the Hanalei Community Center, Aug. 1, 6 p.m. at the Koloa Neighborhood Center, Aug. 14, 6 p.m. at the Waimea Neighborhood Center, and Aug. 15, 6 p.m. at the Lihue Civic Center, Planning Commission Room 2A/2B.
Visit www.kauaiparks.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
