Lifeguard tower shuffle leaves Spencer Beach Park waiting

KAWAIHAE — The Hawaii Fire Department is moving forward with replacing the lifeguard tower taken from Spencer Beach Park earlier this summer.

The two-man tower was moved from the Hawaii County park in South Kohala to allow for the immediate staffing of lifeguards at Kua Bay on July 1 after the state funded four positions for the popular North Kona beach spot this past legislative session, said HFD Battalion Chief Garrett Kim.

“It’s definitely saving lives there for sure having those guys there,” Kim said of the lifeguards now stationed at Kua Bay where previously any type of professional medical intervention was at least 20 minutes away. “Now you’ve got immediate lifeguard response with their medical capabilities — it’s a huge deal to have lifeguards.”

Spencer Beach Park remains guarded by one lifeguard on weekends and holidays, as it always has, Kim said. In the interim, until a tower arrives, the lifeguard stations himself or herself in shade under the trees or near the pavilion.

The county has put out a request for bids to procure a new two-man tower. However, a contract has yet to be awarded. Kim estimated the tower will cost at least $70,000.

The yet-to-be-ordered tower will not go to Spencer Beach Park, however. Rather, it will be installed at Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area to replace a one-man tower there, Kim said.

“We needed a larger tower at Hapuna, so everything worked out for us perfectly,” he added. “When everything finally gets settled out it’ll be just exactly how we wanted it.”

The one-man tower from Hapuna will then be transported to the Kawaihae-based Spencer Beach Park and be installed at Ohaiula Beach.

Kim said it “would be a great goal” to have the lifeguard tower back at Spencer Beach Park by year’s end.