KAILUA-KONA — After decades of discussions, adjustments and scrapped plans, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has released an environmental impact statement preparation notification (EISPN) for the Master Plan for Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park in South Kona.
KAILUA-KONA — After decades of discussions, adjustments and scrapped plans, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources has released an environmental impact statement preparation notification (EISPN) for the Master Plan for Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park in South Kona.
The process has now entered a 30-day public comment period ending May 24, during which time interested parties may submit suggestions or concerns that will be logged and made part of the official record for the upcoming draft EIS and future documents.
Comments may be submitted via email to John Kirkpatrick of Belt Collins Hawaii LLC, which has served for several years as the state’s consultant in the development of the Master Plan for the park. His email is jkirkpatrick@bchdesign.com.
“The Division of State Parks and Belt Collins have been working for years to try and figure out a plan that hits the sweet spot, that has a good balance of resource protection and visitation, and respects both the resources in the park and the surrounding community,” Kirkpatrick said.
The EISPN notes that the park is relatively undeveloped with limited facilities and restricted access to certain areas by natural barriers such as vegetation and distance. The site is equipped with some hiking trails and is a popular snorkeling spot, boasting a large coral system and serving as home to a pod of Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
The Master Plan focuses on expanding parking and restroom facilities, creating a more extensive trail system and constructing an interpretive center — in part to alleviate issues already negatively affecting the area, such as small roadways in Napoopoo and a lack of restroom facilities on the Kaawaloa side.
“Creating a parking lot to both encourage tourists to visit the park and to help remove some of the pressure that exists on the village is probably the key impact,” Kirkpatrick said. “Also, (we are) trying to get the man power and the interpretive facilities, trails and so forth, to really make the resources of the park available to people without endangering those resources.”
He added plans for the approximately 537-acre park, which began in 1985, have been scaled back due to budgetary restrictions and community push back against some proposals at what he called “probably the most important historical site in Hawaii.”
Kealakekua Bay served as the geographical contact point between native Hawaiians and the likes of Captain James Cook, as well as other explorers and missionaries.
The EISPN notes the area was “recognized as an important chiefly center in pre-contact times” and was also integral to shipping and ranching concerns after a connection with the Western world was established.
Kirkpatrick said interested parties who submit comments will all get a response, but those who do it earlier in the process shouldn’t expect a reply right away as responses will go out as a set, either prior to or coinciding with the release of the draft EIS.
He added that after the draft EIS is sent out, there will be an additional 45-day public comment period. And while no date has yet been set, there are also plans to convene another meeting with surrounding community in the same general time frame.