County beach parks finally reopen today after an apparently premature announcement on Monday caused confusion among would-be beachgoers.
Mayor Harry Kim announced Monday that the county would “reopen its beach parks islandwide effective (Tuesday),” but parks remained closed Tuesday, to the dismay of several park visitors.
On Tuesday, Kim apologized for the confusion, explaining that a policy to reopen county parks first required approval from Gov. David Ige and the state attorney general.
“When the governor made his emergency proclamation, it sets the policies for how we handle COVID-19 statewide,” Kim said. “And it tells the county governments that any changes to those policies that reduce restrictions must get the stamp of approval from the governor and attorney general.”
Kim said the governor approved on Tuesday a policy allowing Hawaii County beach parks to reopen. The mayor clarified the parks would not reopen until today and conceded that the misunderstanding was an error on his part.
Although the confusion caused by the miscommunication lasted only a day, some have been critical of a perceived lack of consistent communication between Kim, Ige and the Big Island population.
Kona Rep. Nicole Lowen said her office receives daily calls from residents confused by seemingly contradictory rules regarding beach parks.
“I think if you asked an average person which parks are under the jurisdiction of the county or the state, they would have no idea,” Lowen said, adding that the rules regarding what activities are allowed at county and state beach parks have been poorly conveyed.
Since March, county and state parks have been closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, while beach parks were closed, beaches themselves remained open for exercise purposes, leading to a confusing system where people were allowed to travel through parks to swim in the ocean, but not allowed to loiter in the park or on the beach.
The scenario became more complicated earlier this month when certain state and county parks reopened on a limited basis for “mobile activities” only. State parks that reopened still prohibit activities “such as parties, picnics, gatherings, setting up on the beach, and camping,” but allow hiking and ocean use; the county parks that reopened were all “walking parks,” Kim said and had similar restrictions.
The confusion did not stop some from taking their exercise at the beach, however.
“I thought the park would be open today (Tuesday), but I’m just here to swim so it doesn’t really matter,” said swimmer Ty Medeiros, who visited Richardson Ocean Park to swim Tuesday.
“We’re so fortunate to be able to have the beaches during this time,” agreed Robert Ely at Richardson Ocean Park Tuesday. “I mostly use the parks to swim, but it’ll be nice when they open fully.”
The newly reopened beach parks do not include Hakalau Beach Park and Kuhio Kalaniana‘ole Park, which remain closed for improvement work. They do, however, include the long-closed Kolekole Beach Park, which was closed in 2017 due to lead contamination in the soil.
Kim said most of Kolekole is available to the public, although certain areas of high contamination are still cordoned off.
All reopened parks will be open fro m7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be subject to several restrictions. These restrictions include a prohibition on groups of more than 10 people, a requirement that all park visitors who are not members of the same household remain at least six feet apart from each other, and a prohibition on all commercial activities within the parks.
The restrictions also state that all gathering spaces within the parks — including pavilions, playgrounds, sport courts and fields and others — will remain closed until further notice, and that all permits and reservations for use within the reopened parks are canceled until further notice.
Here is the list of reopened county parks:Kahakai Park
Isaac Kepo‘okalani Hale Beach Park
Honoli‘i Beach Park
Kolekole Gulch Park
Carlsmith Beach Park
Happiness Gardens
Hilo Bayfront Beach Park
James Kealoha Beach Park
Kanakea Pond
Lehia Beach Park
Leleiwi Beach Park
Wai‘olena Beach Park
Wai‘uli Beach Park
Lili‘uokalani Gardens
Moku Ola (Coconut Island)
Onekahakeha Beach Park
Reeds Bay Beach Park
Richardson Ocean Park
Laupahoehoe Pt. Beach Park
Waipi‘o Lookout
Kapa‘a Beach Park
Keokea Beach Park
Mahukona Beach Park
Mahukona Wharf
Hono’uli Beach
Spencer Park at ‘Ohai‘ula Beach
Kahalu‘u Beach Park
Kuemanu Heiau
La‘aloa Bay Beach Park
Magic Sands Beach Park
Pāhoehoe Beach Park
Wai‘aha Bay Beach Park
Kailua Park
Kohanaiki Beach Park
Ho‘okena Beach Park
Manini Point
Miloli‘i Beach Park
Kawa Bay
Honu‘apo
Whittington Beach Park
Staff photographer Kelsey Walling contributed.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.