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William P. Kenoi
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DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 6 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720
(808) 961-8311 • Fax (808) 961-8411
http://www.hawaiicounty.aov/parks-and-recreation/
NEWS RELEASE
July 7, 2015
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Clayton S. Houma
Director
Kenneth J. Van Bergen
Deputy Director
Ground Broken for Hilo Bayfront Trails Project
A public groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday, July 7, for Phase 1 of the Hilo
Bayfront Trails Project.
The Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation has partnered with the
nonprofit Hilo Bayfront Trails Inc. to deliver nearly a mile of paved, 12 -foot -wide trails
that will support walking, running, bicycling and other non -motorized transportation
modes.
Two interconnected sections will extend from Mo`oheau Park Bandstand to the canoe -
storage area at Hilo Bayfront Beach Park. A third segment will start at the terminus of
Kumu Street, run though the soccer fields mauka of Kamehameha Avenue, and end at
Pauahi Street.
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Hilo Bayfront Trails groundbreaking
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The Department of Parks and Recreation has obtained a $345,743 grant from the
National Park Service's Land and Water Conservation Fund's State and Local
Assistance Program and has committed $25,000 from its own budget to subside the
purchase of materials. Hilo Bayfront Trails' members will build the trail utilizing volunteer
labor.
Total estimated cost is $750,000, and construction is expected to be finished by
December 2016.
Mayor Billy Kenoi, state Sens. Gilbert Kahele and Lorraine Inouye, and Hilo Councilman
Dennis "Fresh" Onishi were among the dignitaries who praised the project's benefits
during the groundbreaking ceremony. Pastor Evan Carmichael of the Church on a Sure
Foundation delivered the prayer.
The ceremony culminated a 10 -year County and community effort to develop a walking
and bicycling path that showcases Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea, while also meeting the
diverse recreational needs of a growing population. Trail development was listed as a
top priority by 56 percent of the people who participated in a 2008 public recreation user
survey.
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For more information, please contact Jason Armstrong, Public Information Officer, at
961-8311 or iarmstrong(a)-hawaiicounty.gov.
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County of Hawaii is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.