Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands Cleanup at AWSBH
Waiwai Ola Waterkeepers Hawaiian Islands, “Waterkeepers,” informed our office that they will be holding a cleanup of the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor on Friday, January 24th. They will be meeting at 3:00PM outside the Harbor Master’s Office and they invite any volunteers who are interested in joining the group alongside high school volunteers. The mission of Waterkeepers is to sustain fishable, swimmable, and drinkable waters for present and future generations though sustainable and innovative methods. To learn more about this organization, visit their website: https://waterkeepershi.org/
Department of Health Ala Wai Harbor Water Quality Sampling Report
What is needed for the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor to achieve its full potential?
The following list are ideas from interested supporters at the July 1, 2019 meeting to identify what Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor (AWSBH) needs to achieve its full potential as the “focal point of” or “gateway to” Waikiki. There were many good ideas and some duplicated (the number is noted in parentheses next to the item).
If you think anything important is missing or have further comments please email senmoriwaki@capitol.hawaii.gov.
Boating-Related Services/Uses
• Dry dock or haul out
• Gas dock with services for visitors’ boats
• Pump out stations (4)
• Restrict commercial vessels; limit according to the original Ala Wai Founder document (2)
• Enforce boat use requirements
General Amenities/Services
• Better managed parking and facilities – no time share booths or other non-marine annoyances
• Focus on harbor restoration before development
• Ensure the public can afford this harbor as an alternative to private harbors
• Prioritize residents over tourists
• Parking – preserve adequate parking for ship holders; parcels A&C should build adequate parking for public use; more public parking at reasonable rates (3)
• Disallow commercial/tourist related activities
Harbor Master Services & Location
• Harbor Master office to be located on/over fuel dock
• Training on small boat maintenance and repair/ partner with the Marine Education Training Center (METC) to offer public courses on small boat maintenance and repair (2)
• Professional harbor management with standards similar to world standards with some cost containments for rate standards
• Improve transparency and outreach methods & make sure they are appropriate for harbor demographic (3)
• Address lack of staff/support and funding; solution: partner with City to keep public land public
• Change harbor rules to allow staff to better manage vacancies
• Enforce rules so all boats in harbor are in good working condition (get rid of the eyesores)
Aesthetics/Building Design
• Architecture to complement harbor users
• Need more open greenspaces with attractive landscaping (2)
• Consider sea level rise in building design
• Do not allow development of buildings higher than 2 stories or 15ft
Facility Maintenance/Sanitation/Cleanliness/Safety
• Replace and/or repair damaged docks (2)
• Identify what harbor community can do (e.g. Saturday morning cleanup and “neighborhood” watch)
• Develop plan to handle deferred maintenance issues
• Repair very dangerous sidewalks
• Fix harbor lighting throughout the harbor
• Repair 800 row and convert to finger piers
• Seek partnership with City to help manage the harbor and maintain as a public resource
• Security/enforcement
Culture/History
• Provide for continuation of century old Transpac – one of Hawaii’s four major sports events
Environmental Management
• Improve and monitor sea water quality
• Environmental controls – dredging channel, not just upstream; cleaning debris; testing for oil and sewage (2)
• Consider sea level rise impacts (see reference: Hawaii Seat Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation Report at: https://climateadaptation.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/SLR-Report_Dec2017.pdf
