The public has until Oct. 24 to submit comments about proposed improvements to Waiakea Uka Park.
The state’s Office of Planning and Sustainable Development on Friday released a draft environmental assessment for the Hilo county park project with an anticipated finding of no significant environmental impact.
The draft EA was prepared by Hilo consulting firm SSFM Inc.
County Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina said the initial cost of the project is $10.715 million, and the contract duration is 300 consecutive calendar days.
Gov. David Ige last month released an initial $6.4 million in capital improvement funds for the project, which is a partnership between the state and county. The state will providing three-quarters of the funding, and the county will provide one-quarter.
The park has two ball fields, a playground and the almost eight-decades-old Stanley Costales Waiakea Uka Gym, which for years have all served as a social and recreation hub for the community.
The plans are to build a new community center, a new standalone restroom facility, two new parking lots, and to relocate the lower baseball field, plus landscaping improvements.
The parking lots will be constructed within the park to allow for more parking spaces for people using the baseball fields, gym and future community center.
Planners say the extra parking also will help alleviate street parking on Ainaloa Drive, making the road safer for pedestrians and drivers.
Permits needed include a state Historic Preservation Program permit, community noise permit/variance, EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, individual wastewater system approval, flood zone no-rise certification, plus grading and building permits and site plan approval from the county.
Messina said the draft EA is just that, and the finding of no significant environmental impact, or FONSI, “has not been determined or issued.”
“We anticipate a FONSI at this point because we are not aware of any major environmental issues that this project could be associated with,” Messina said. “Upon closing of the public comment period, we will review, assess and respond to all comments received.
“At that time, we will issue the final EA and, hopefully, the FONSI declaration. Start of construction could be as early as December of this year. However, the actual start date truly depends on the nature and scope of the input received during the draft EA’s comment period.”
The draft EA can be viewed and comments made at https://bit.ly/3DKItGG
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.