Strong community participation at Ala Moana Beach Park workshop

News Release from City and County of Honolulu March 19, 2015

Waikīkī – More than 350 people participated in a planning workshop at McCoy Pavilion to generate ideas for the future of O‘ahu’s “people’s park,” Ala Moana Beach Park.  Residents came from across the island from Wai‘anae to Waimānalo to share what they love about Ala Moana Beach Park and their visions for its future.

“Ala Moana Beach Park is our Central Park,” said Mayor Caldwell.  “It’s our people’s park, a place we all go to celebrate and enjoy living in the most beautiful place on earth.  Our park will maintain its identity and character, and we’ve asked the community, the people who use the park and will use the park in the future, how the city can better utilize this great open space.”

Workshop participants worked in teams to brainstorm suggestions for improvements and discuss and prioritize new ideas for the park.  The groups voiced strong support to keep park improvements directed towards residents, with a focus on safety, addressing homelessness, preserving and expanding parking, keeping lawns green, replenishing beach sand, enhancing popular resident uses such as ocean sports and picnics, improving maintenance and upkeep, and better local food at affordable prices.

Mayor Caldwell outlined possible projects using comments from the public, including: improving park maintenance and the cleanliness of comfort stations, replenishing the sand, greening the park beginning with the frontage along Ala Moana Boulevard, and improvements to the popular walking path around Magic Island.

Residents are strongly encouraged to continue commenting on the future of Ala Moana Beach Park at the project website, www.ouralamoanapark.com until the beginning of May, when the results will be summarized and shared with the public to confirm your priorities for your park.  Since the website went live on March 6th, the site has over 20,000 interactions making it one of the most successful project websites in the city’s history.

For more information, please visit www.ouralamoanapark.com and follow hashtag #alamoanabeachpark on social media.

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