HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

292

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE TRANSFER OF THE HAPUNA BEACH STATE RECREATION AREA FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO THE COUNTY OF HAWAII.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area is an approximately 500-acre area including Hapuna and Wailea beach parks, picnic and shelter lodging opportunities, hiking along a coastal trail, and areas of undeveloped land; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area is an active state park, with approximately 514,300 total users in 2008; and

 

     WHEREAS, state parks are generally areas defined by historic significance, cultural resources, or natural resources, and county parks are generally areas defined by the recreational benefit to the community; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (dlnr) is facing increased fiscal constraints that have resulted in deferred maintenance and infrastructure improvements; and

 

     WHEREAS, with the economic downturn, the State and counties are interested in finding ways to optimize use of limited financial resources to cooperatively manage recreation sites used by the general public; and

 

     WHEREAS, presently DLNR pays approximately $700,000 to the County of Hawaii for lifeguard services at Hapuna Beach, and a shift of financial responsibilities would allow DLNR to use these funds for other necessary state services; and

 

     WHEREAS, a cooperative relationship may also result in less deferred maintenance, thus preventing major repairs or replacement in the future; and

 

     WHEREAS, DLNR and the County of Hawaii have expressed a mutual interest in transferring the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area to the County of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, this transfer would allow DLNR to use its limited resources on other parks, and this transfer may be a model for other state parks to shift financial and administrative responsibilities to the counties; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the County of Hawaii, in consultation with DLNR, is requested to develop and submit a management plan for the transfer of title and responsibility for the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area from DLNR to the County of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County of Hawaii is requested to include in the management plan the financial and administrative resources the County will provide for the operation and management of the recreation area and:

 

     (1)  The metes and bounds of Hapuna Beach State Recreational Area;

 

     (2)  An identification of any ceded lands in the Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area, and a plan concerning the potential need for compliance with section 171-64.7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which requires legislative approval for any transfer, and the distribution of twenty per cent of all funds derived from those lands, in conformance with section 10-13.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

 

     (3)  The proposed uses of the area, including the undeveloped areas;

 

     (4)  The administration and management plan for the concessions and cabin areas;

 

     (5)  A review of any improvements required or anticipated in the near future; and

 

     (6)  A timeframe for the implementation of the County of Hawaii's plan; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County of Hawaii is requested to complete and submit the management plan prior to the execution of the transfer from DLNR to the County of Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County of Hawaii is requested to provide the management plan to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the Mayor of the County of Hawaii.

Report Title: 

Mauna Kea State Recreation Area; Hapuna Beach State Recreation Area; Transfer; DLNR; County of Hawaii