KEEP BOWLS PARKING FREE
Video Clip on Channel 2 News
:46 p.m., Friday, January 25, 2008
Most parking spaces to remain free at Ala Wai harbor
Honolulu Advertiser Staff
More than half of the 1,000 parking spaces at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor will remain free for the time being after more than 100 beachgoers and boat owners showed up at a Board of Land and Natural Resources meeting to protest a proposed fee increase. The rule changes would have implemented or increase fees for all but 130 stalls.
The board considered parking issues for more than three hours before deciding to send the Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation back out for another round of public hearings to develop a parking plan more palatable to harbor users.
Meanwhile, however, the board did approve the rule change that will eventually allow the division to collect parking fees from harbor users if it comes up with a plan that appeals to the board.
Board members made clear that the proposal floated yesterday would not pass muster.
The Division had proposed to reserve 130 spots for beachgoers at the harbor's helipad site, hire a vendor to charge prevailing public parking prices for the rest of the unpermitted spots and raise parking permit fees for slipholders from $20 a year to $25 a month.
No one testified in support of the department's proposal.

Jan 26,2008
By Treena Shapiro <mailto:tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com>
Advertiser Government Writer

Unmetered public parking at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor will remain free for the
time being after opponents turned up in droves to ask the Board of Land and
Natural Resources to reject a rule change that would lead to parking fees at
small-boat harbors across the state.
The board yesterday ordered more public hearings before settling on a
parking management plan.
Currently more than half of the 1,000 parking spaces at the Waikiki harbor
are free for recreational users, but the state wants to start charging for
most of the parking at Ala Wai and some of the other high-use small-boat
harbors across the state.
By 9 a.m., more than 100 people showed up to protest the parking rule
change, and dozens remained to testify and wait for the board's decision,
which came more than seven hours later.
Melissa Ling-Ing, of Common Ground, a proponent of beach access, said
increasing parking would mean denying those who can't afford $1.50 an hour
to park couldn't go to the beach. "We shouldn't have to pay to go to the
beach," she said.
She said if the state started charging for parking at the harbor, surfers
would probably use the free parking at Magic Island instead, then paddle
across the busy channel "which is illegal and very dangerous," she said. "If
there's big surf, forget it."
The Board of Land and Natural Resources could impose parking fees in the
future, but board members said they want to hold more public hearings before
taking the step.
The board also approved a substantial increase in the cost of parking
permits for boat slip renters. The fee will be increased from $20 a year to
$25 a month. In addition, the department will be able to change the default
public parking limit from 72 hours to 24 hours, unless signs are posted
authorizing parking for longer periods.
Part of the problem, according to Ed Underwood, administrator of the
Division of Boating and Aquatic Recreation, is that people not using the
beach or ocean leave their cars at the harbor while they're at work.
Underwood said he wanted to make sure there was still parking for people who
wanted to get to the beach, but pointed out, "This is a harbor and this is
there for the boaters."
The harbors do not get tax dollars for maintenance, and BLNR Chairwoman
Laura Thielen said the small-boat harbors have $300 million in backlogged
repairs. While the harbors were given $10 million in bond money last year
and have requested another $10 million this year, "Clearly it is not
sufficient to cover all the capital improvements and repair and maintenance
costs," Thielen said, explaining part of the rationale for collecting fees
from parking.
Although the department proposal included keeping 130 spaces on the Ala Wai
helipad free for beachgoers, the beachgoers noted repeatedly that they
weren't gaining 130 free spaces, they were losing 500 - in a part of O'ahu
where free parking spaces are hard to come by.
Maceo Fulks, 23, said he usually spends five to six hours at a time at the
beach, where he surfs, fishes and crabs. If he had to pay to park at the Ala
Wai Boat Harbor, he suspects parking could cost him up to $200 a month.
Malia Kaleopaa, 22, said she goes to Queen's Beach every day and usually
hunts for free street parking. Besides the harbor, she noted there's also
free parking at the Waikiki Shell, but added it's a long haul to the water,
especially for families who are carrying multiple surfboards.
Duke Morgan, 21, said the beach is where he goes to get away, but he can't
afford to pay for the escape. "I'm a student. I don't have extra money to
pay for parking," he said.
Jimmy Anderson, who parks at the harbor every Sunday while his family goes
to the beach, told the board that it cost him $11 to park in a metered stall
while he waited to testify, which is comparable to what he'd pay for a day
at the beach.
"It's ridiculous," he said before the meeting. Rather than pay for harbor
parking, "I'd go to another beach," he said.
Ling-Ing said she didn't know how the state could justify passing harbor
maintenance fees on to those who just park there to get to the water. "We
have a cold shower and a parking space when we go to the beach. I just don't
see why we should have to fund the majority of the boating fund," she said.
Those protesting the increase in parking permit fees were smaller in number
but just as passionate considering the hefty hike in their parking costs.
Underwood said that harbor users were surveyed and 60 percent of those who
participated said they wanted a parking management plan.
But slip holders said they weren't given enough information. "People have
been complaining, but did they know their complaint was going to cost them
$300 a year? If they had known that, they might not have complained so much.
They might have been willing to walk a little farther," said boat owner Fred
Madlener.
Janet Mandrell agreed. "I feel like it was a bait and switch. They ask you
if you want a parking plan. They don't tell you it's going to cost $300 a
year," she said.
But beachgoers and boaters all had a similar argument in the end: "We're
already burdened with enough fees in Hawai'i. It seems unconscionable that
the state wants to add another one," said Common Ground's Gary Ka'aihue.

LAST HEARING TO SAVE BOWLS!!!!!
KALANIMOKU BLDG (1151 PUNCHBOWL STREET, BOARD ROOM 132, 1ST FLOOR)
JANUARY 25, Friday @ 9AM
Please come and testify!!!!!!! 

Message from Melissa of Common Ground Hawaii Jan 19,2007
URGENT CALL TO ALL! THE BOARD OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES WILL BE HAVING THEIR MEETING TO FINALIZE THE RULE CHANGE FOR ALL SMALL BOAT HARBORS NEXT WEEK FRIDAY, 1/25 AT 9AM.
WE NEED EVERYONE TO COME TO THIS MEETING AND TESTIFY. I KNOW ITS A WORK-DAY FOR MOST, BUT I THINK ONE DAY OFF IS WORTH THE REST OF THE YEAR IF WE CAN STOP THIS RULE CHANGE FROM GETTING PASSED?! THEY WILL VOTE ON THIS THAT DAY, THIS IS IT!!! IF IT PASSES, WE ARE JUST ABOUT PAU, NO MORE FREE PARKING OR BEACH ACCESS AT THE ALA WAI HARBOR: BOWLS, KAISER'S ROCKPILES, THREE'S......THIS IS IT!!! OUR FINAL PUBLIC CHANCE TO STOP THIS!!
PLEASE IM BEGGING YOU ALL TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, PLEASE, WE NEED YOUR HELP AND PASSING THE WORD ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW, THEY NEED TO COME TO THIS MEETING, ONE EXTRA PERSON COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!!!!!
THEY DO NOT TAKE WRITTEN TESTIMONY, BUT YOU CAN WRITE A LETTER TO THE BOARD AND SEND PRIOR TO THE MEETING, BUT BEING THERE IN PERSON, FILLING THE ROOM W/OUR RED SHIRTS WILL MAKE A IMPACT!!
PLEASE, ONCE AGAIN, FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, @ 9AM IN THE KALANIMOKU BLDG.,  1151 PUNCHBOWL STREET, BOARD ROOM 132, 1ST FLOOR. THIS BLDG IS ON PUNCHBOWL, JUST BEFORE THE HONOLULU HALE.
LETS ARRANGE CAR-POOLING TOO IF POSSIBLE AS PARKING IS EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO GET AS LEG IS IN SESSION.
PLEASE, AGAIN, PASS THE WORD OUT AND PLEASE TRY TO BE THERE!
 
MAHALO,
MELISSA

on Jan. 11,2008 Melissa Ling Ling with Common Ground Hawaii writes:
Hauoli Makahiki Hou! Well some very importants news, our last chance to stop the DLNR from their parking proposal will most like be on Friday, January 25, time unknown. This will be the Land Board Heard, which we will need everyone & I mean EVERYONE TO COME OUT AND TESTIFY!!!! THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE  w/o getting into legal stuff to stop them! We just got the word at today's hearing with the SBRB hearing. It went well, we almost got a chance at stalling the process as far as moving forward with this but unfortunatley, the voted to send the DLNR's parking proposal to the Gov for her sig. but with the amendment that there is concern that the public is definately in opposition on this and that this issue should be looked at from another view other than Small Business Reg. board.
So, that was a good thing that we all went to that and gave our input.
However, the Land Board is not as compationate as this Board and so we all need to get our testimonies there!!!! We need numbers, we need lots of us there to testify!!!! This is it, no excuesses!!! Im taking off from work that day, I did today too...if we dont, this summer will be stopped from going to Bowls by a parking vendor!!! NO JOKE!!!!
So, please, please, help out in getting word out...this date is not in stone yet but we are pretty sure this is it. We will keep you posted!
Aloha, Melissa
DNLR Hearing Jan 25,2008