More community input is being sought regarding an effort to build a skate park in Hilo.
The Hawaii County Parks and Recreation in January 2022 announced plans to build the Hilo Skate Park with private partnerships and initial county funding for the planning process.
In March 2022, Parks and Rec officials and County Council member Sue Lee Loy of Hilo hosted a community meeting and introduced James Klindedinst, project manager with Grindline, a skate park design firm, and Matt Fujioka, a chief engineer for Bow Engineering and Development, to discuss designs and costs for the park.
The park would be built on land across from the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium off Manono Street. The land in 2000 was transferred from the state to the county through an executive order for recreation purposes.
Over the past year, design plans have been drawn up, changed and discussed between Parks and Rec, the Hilo Skateplaza Coaltion, Waiakea Ahupua‘a Crown Land Heirs and the County Council.
While the county has completed the environmental and cultural impact assessments and is working with collaborators to refine the conceptual design, the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition is taking on the role of community outreach and engagement during the planning process.
On Saturday, coalition member Michelle Montgomery led a community workshop to answer questions and give people the chance to help “design” or list the skate elements they want to see at the park.
Montgomery has been leading community workshops with the goal of completing a finalized list of skating and cultural elements that are wanted, which would be presented to the county and Grindline.
“Many things are happening behind the scenes, but community engagement and involvement is certainly lacking,” Montgomery said. “Without significant community involvement, a project of this magnitude will move at a snail’s pace.”
Funding for a portion of the planning process has been acquired, but there will be much more needed for the next steps. Parks and Recreation is seeking funding from federal, state and county sources. Last year, the park was estimated to cost up to $6 million.
“To make the park more sustainable, we will need to find corporate sponsors and more public and private partnerships to offset current and future costs of the skate park,” Councilwoman Lee Loy said during the meeting.
The park will include a covered roller skating arena, a large pavilion, concessions, parking, restrooms, and about a one-acre skate park for skaters and skateboarders of various skill levels.
The overall park design will highlight the history and cultural significance of the land upon which the park will be built, according to Montgomery.
“The end goal is much bigger than just a skate park,” Montgomery said. “This is a project to build a world-class, multisport skating facility on approximately 2.75 acres in Hilo that represents the land, people and culture of the area.”
According to Michelle Hiraishi, deputy director for Parks and Rec, the commitment to the project stands strong and is a priority for Mayor Mitch Roth.
Councilwomen Lee Loy and Jenn Kagiwada also are supporting the project and helping to solicit more community involvement, so the park can become a reality sooner rather than later.
To date, contractors have been hired to undertake the planning process, which includes the impact assessments, conceptual design development. Engineering full building plans and obtaining building permits will require new funding, according to Lee Loy.
The next community workshop hosted by the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition and Lee Loy will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, in the Butler Building next to civic.
“We’re hoping that we will have a final list of desired elements to present to the county and Grindline by the end of the next workshop,” Montgomery said.
Inline skater Michael Yee has been handing out flyers and trying to get the word out about the skate park meetings and workshops.
“After receiving the initial design, there was room for improvement, which is why we’re having these meetings,” Yee said. “Those interested in getting the park built will have to work together to raise the money and to make sure it is done the way we want it to be done.”
For those who can’t attend the workshops but still want to help, the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition is seeking volunteers for the Board of Directors, committee chairpersons, committee members, and occasional volunteers at events.
For workshop updates, visit the Hilo Skateplaza Facebook page or visit www.hiloskatepark.com. Those interested can also email questions to hiloskateplaza@gmail.com.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
