HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has announced that city officials will halt a development project at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park that opponents said could disturb cultural artifacts.
HONOLULU — Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has announced that city officials will halt a development project at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park that opponents said could disturb cultural artifacts.
Caldwell appeared with supporters and opponents of the project Thursday to announce there would be no further work, KITV-TV reported.
The $1.43 million project in southeastern Oahu was planned to include an 11-stall parking lot and a grassy field for gatherings and cultural activities.
The development was opposed by Native Hawaiian activists who want to preserve part of the area known as Sherwood Forest, where about 100 ancestral bones have been found.
The city announced earlier this year that the administration came to an agreement with project opponents, including the group Save Our Sherwoods, to complete the field with limited parking and without playground equipment.
The administration also committed to supporting the area’s cultural and historical significance.
The city will not proceed with any aspect of the project’s master plan, Caldwell said Thursday.
“The next steps are up to this community to determine, but it is time for the land and our community to heal,” he said.
Department of Design and Construction Deputy Director Haku Milles said work remains to restore the site, including leveling construction mounds and landscaping that will include indigenous grass and trees.
Caldwell said the next city budget includes $1.2 million for work to improve Azevedo Field in Waimanalo.
Another $6 million was already invested in capital improvements in the area including work on the Waimanalo District Park gym, Waimanalo Beach Park pavilion and Kaupo Beach Park.
