A Hamakua beach park finally reopened Wednesday after seven years of closure and renovations.
Kolekole Gulch Park closed in 2017 after extensive lead contamination was found in the park’s soil, stemming from lead paint used in the overspanning Kolekole Stream Bridge.
While the park briefly reopened in 2020 after the state Department of Transportation removed the majority of the contaminated soil, it closed again in 2021 to accommodate a DOT repair project on the bridge above, as well as a Hawaii County project to upgrade the park’s facilities.
But that county project concluded this year, and the park reopened again Wednesday to cheers from residents and county officials.
County Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina said at a reopening and blessing ceremony Wednesday that the park was the very first place he stopped at after arriving on the island the first time. The renovations to the park, he said, largely were aimed at adding accessibility improvements without disrupting its natural beauty.
The $6.3 million renovation project installed new sidewalks and paths, refurbished pavilions, a repaved parking lot, a new potable water system and more, Messina said. The improvements put the park back into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Hamakua Councilwoman Heather Kimball praised the project during the ceremony.
“Places like this are the heart and soul of the community,” Kimball said, adding that its long closure has been a burden for Hamakua residents, for whom beach access points are few and far between.
“If I have one request … it’s to please help us keep this place clean,” she said. “This place is the heart of the community, and we need to malama our heart.”
Mayor Mitch Roth said it was “amazing” to see the current condition of the park after such a long closure.
A smattering of residents were present at the park Wednesday, whether attending the ceremony or just visiting.
“I’m happy it’s finally open,” said Pepeekeo resident Dennis Gonzales. “There’s not a lot of beaches on this coast. There’s Laupahoehoe, but that’s always crowded, and it’s kind of a drive. There’s Honolii, but that’s also crowded. And there’s Keaukaha, and that’s always crowded. … It’s just hard to get down to the water.”
Gonzales said his family had visited Kolekole and the nearby Hakalau Beach Park — which also closed in 2017 under similar circumstances — for generations.
“My grandfather, my father, my kids, my grandkids — we would come here all the time to swim, for picnics,” Gonzales said. “I didn’t think it would be closed this long. It’s been frustrating.”
While Gonzales said he was grateful to everyone involved in the park’s reopening, he said there was at least one fly in the ointment: “There needs to be more parking,” he said. Indeed, the parking lot was full Wednesday morning, although that likely was due to the ceremony.
And while people rejoiced the park’s reopening, Messina said another closure in the future is coming. A fenced-off portion of the park contains one last patch of lead-contaminated soil that the state DOT has yet to remove. When that happens, Messina said, the park will be closed again in the interim.
DOT spokeswoman Shelly Kunishige said via email Wednesday that final lead remediation phase will be carried out concurrently with another phase of Kolekole bridge rehabilitation work.
The combined project, estimated to cost about $36 million, is not scheduled to begin until summer 2027.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.