Slowly but surely, the effort to construct a skatepark in Hilo is making progress as contracts are executed for the design and permitting of the structures that may one day stand across from the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
While the county finalizes design contracts for the whole park and secures funding for the indoor skating rink, the community group responsible for funding the skating elements, the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition, said they are ready to start fundraising as soon as the county completes the site’s environmental assessment.
“Our group will not raise funds until the EA and plans are completed,” said Rhonda Nichols, president of the Hilo Skateplaza Coalition, which has been working with the county on the project for over a decade. “We have spent 16 years on this project, and will not get burned again if the project doesn’t move to the next level.”
Nichols explained that funds had been previously raised for design and planning but were ultimately lost due to sudden changes, such as the project’s location. She said that “disheartening” event made her cautious about the timing of fundraising again.
She said in a July correspondence with the Tribune-Herald that her group’s fundraising goal was $2 million.
“Our timing to begin is a matter of organizational integrity and hard timelines required of many grant organizations we have been collaborating with over the years,” she said. “We want to give people a reason to celebrate their contributions and see timely results from their donations. We have many donors awaiting to donate both cash and unkind donations.”
Parks and Recreation Director Clayton Honma said the EA is “currently underway, and we are hopeful that we will be able to complete the EA by the end of this year.”
A contract with an architect to design an indoor facility that will serve as a skating derby and event space was signed on Sept. 20, Honma said.
County spokesman Tom Callis explained that this is the first of three agreements to advance the development of the skatepark, and the next two contracts will “cover the necessary planning, design and permitting for the outdoor skating elements, roadways, concession building, walkways, comfort stations, parking, utilities, landscaping (and more) for the park.”
Honma said those details will be in the first phase of construction, while the indoor skating facility will be in the second construction phase. He said construction money has been secured for “most of ” the first construction phase, and that the county will collaborate with the Skateplaza Coalition to fund the outdoor skate elements.
He said his department is looking forward to “exploring options” for the second construction phase.
“While the construction of the indoor skating facility might happen in a later phase, understanding the footprint of a future facility is important for continuing the planning and design work that is already underway for the parts of the project for which we do have funding for construction,” Honma said. “That’s because we want to ensure that we can locate a potential future indoor skating rink facility as seamlessly as possible after the first phase of construction has been completed.”
“We will (pay for the outdoor skating space) by hiring experienced local contractors paid for by private funds. The county will contract for the infrastructure and bathrooms via competitive county bid process,” Nichols said. “We are grateful for the continued partnership with county leadership and Parks and Recreation Department staff. I believe, in the end, this project will have been worth the wait and process.”
Email Kyveli Diener at kdiener@hawaiitribune-herald.com.