HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0711.235 2008-2010June 7, 2010
HILO DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
329 Kamehameha Avenue — Hilo, Hawaii 96720 — Tel. (808) 935 -8850 Fax: (808) 935 -4356
Council Chairman J Yoshimoto and all Council Members
Hawaii County Council
RE: Communication No. 711.182
Aloha Council Members,
I am providing testimony on behalf of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association Board
of Directors. It has come to our attention that a last- minute budget amendment proposed by
Councilman Dominic Yagong (Comm. No. 711.182 expenditure line item 010.500.5501.01)
would, among other things, eliminate salaries and wages from Parks Maintenance for one
staff position at the Bayfront Park area. We are against this budget cut and strongly
recommend that this position not be eliminated.
In the past the County had three people assigned to maintain the County facilities in the
Bayfront park area, which stretches from the Wailuku River to the Wailoa River and includes
the Mooheau Bus Terminal, Mooheau Bandstand, the soccer fields, and the canoe facilities
and all the restrooms in that area. With previous budget cutbacks within Parks Maintenance,
this crew has already been whittled down to two people and the proposed amendment would
have only one person responsible for maintaining this huge and highly used park area. Every
single day thousands of people use this area and to suggest that one person can maintain it is
ridiculous and potentially dangerous.
We have direct and almost daily experience in this matter because the DIA office is housed
in the Mooheau Bus Terminal building where our staff provides information about the Hele
On bus service and sells share -ride taxi coupons under a contract with the County Mass
Transit. In one five -day week our office services an average of 200 people seeking bus
information, 50 people purchasing taxi coupons, 60 people requesting visitor information,
and 50 people with other needs. We have answered questions and provided the true Hilo -
style Aloha spirit to tourists from as far away as Capetown South Africa and as close to
home as Honolulu. We have yet to count the number of people that don't come into our
office or are here on weekends but we estimate at least four times as many people are
utilizing the waiting area, restrooms, parking lot, and adjacent Mooheau Park and Bandstand
on a weekly basis — that isn't including sports activities and other event participants. That
adds up to almost 1,500 people every week, just in the Mooheau area alone.
Comas, No. "7 1 f • 23C
Ref. Tor V(C UNIC t j
Ref. Date„AN 0 7 2010
On our part, the DIA seeks volunteers and assigns our small staff to help with whatever
maintenance we can but we too have been severely affected by the recession. As best we can,
we will continue our voluntary participation in keeping the County's facilities clean, safe and
sanitary but in no way can provide the level of maintenance required for the Mooheau area
on a daily basis and we are certain that one person couldn't do so either.
The DIA assists County Parks Maintenance as best we can when special projects or sick days
take away one or both of the County staff members. On the days this happens, and when we
need to because County staff is busy in another area of the park, we clean the toilets, sweep,
rake and hose down food debris (or worse) and pick up trash including hundreds of cigarette
butts. What happens if we're not able to assist and there is no one to maintain the area? Is
that something we want our community and tourists to experience? If you think I'm
exaggerating, I invite you all to come spend a week or even a day at the bus terminal.
Park Maintenance staffing for the Bayfront Park should be kept at a minimum of two people
and we ask you not to cut the funding for that position. It will save the County a little more
than $26,000 next year but will cost our community and hurt our visitor industry in the long
run. It is simply not realistic to expect one person to pick up all the trash, maintain the
parking lots, cut the grass, clean the bathrooms, and keep Bayfront Park a safe, sanitary and
special community gathering place.
Thank you f your time and consideration.
lice Moon, Executive Director
Hilo Downtown Improvement Association