Big Island News: Old Kona Airport plans to be topic of three-day workshop

The County of Hawai‘i’s Department of Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a three-day charrette workshop to develop a master plan for Kailua Park, also known as the “Old Airport Park” or “Maka‘eo,” in Kailua-Kona.

The charrette will be held from Saturday, May 16, 2009, through Monday, May 18, at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona.

The project area spans over 117 acres and includes the County-managed Kailua Park area (consisting of the athletic fields and courts, roller hockey rink, old terminal building, gymnasium and swimming pool) and the former Old Kona Airport State Recreation Area (AKA “Maka‘eo”) which was recently turned over to the County (consisting of the Events Pavilion, the old airport’s runway, Maka‘eo jogging path, r/c aircraft runway, shoreline pavilions and comfort stations).

At the charrette, participants will contribute to and shape a plan for the future recreational use and development of the project area. Everyone’s participation in this workshop is encouraged because it is vital to the success and longevity of the master plan that the needs of all current and potential users are actively represented and advocated for. It is equally important that the entire Kona community’s recreation-based needs, which are appropriate for the project area, are brought forth and considered in this process.

The charrette workshop is open to all interested citizens and the P&R department is seeking a diverse group of stakeholders to participate. Because the charrette requires an intensive effort and the plan will evolve over the course of the workshop, the organizers ask that participants commit to attend the workshop all three days.

The charrette workshop will be facilitated by Kimura International, Inc., P&R’s prime consultant for this project, with technical assistance provided by its team of planners, architects, landscape architects, and civil engineers. The resulting work product will be refined into a master plan that will guide the park’s direction over the next 20+ years. The final master plan will be presented to the community at a public meeting later this summer on a date to be determined. An Environmental Assessment for the master plan will also be completed.

If you have questions or are interested in participating, contact Leslie Kurisaki of Kimura International at .

Information about the charrette will be posted on the project web site at www.kailuaparkplan.com, which will be updated as new information is generated.

For accessibility accommodations for this meeting or to request a sign language interpreter or printed materials in alternate format, please contact James Komata of the P&R Department at (phone/TTY).