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Over the past six years, the cost of vandalism in city parks has risen, fallen slightly, and is rising again.
In fiscal year 2017, the Department of Parks and Recreation provided $201,584 to address vandalism in city parks and gardens. That number grew until it peaked in 2020 at $351,840, more than $124,000 more than the previous year.
This number dropped in 2021 to $315,042, but rose again in 2022 to $339,393.
“Truly, vandalism is a constant problem for our department, which results in a variety of senseless acts: graffiti, clogged plumbing, damaged/broken toilets, injured/destroyed trees, rupture of irrigation lines or burning installations (fire criminal) to name a few of the more common cases,” DPR spokesman Nate Serota said in an email.
“We have dedicated maintenance staff who can resolve most of these issues quickly, but this takes them away from other scheduled maintenance work and requires the closure of a public, community-owned resource until it is resolved. can be repaired.”
The amount of money the city said it spent to repair vandalism damage does not include major projects that require capital improvement plan funds. For example, the city paid more than $337,000 to replace a toilet block at Kaiaka Bay Beach Park in Haleiwa after arsonists set it on fire in 2014. The toilet block was not reopened until 2017.
A recent case of vandalism that would be included in the city’s vandalism repair count is the destruction of nine saplings in Mililani that occurred on September 23. DPR estimated it would cost $1,750 per tree to replant, including labor and maintenance costs, which comes out to $15,750 for all nine trees. The city prefers to replant trees due to the large amount of work involved in deciding where would be the most optimal area to plant the trees in the first place.
Urban Forestry Division arborists consider existing infrastructure, weather conditions, the plant life already existing in the area, and the type of foliage falling from the tree, when deciding where a tree should go.
“All of this is to help ensure that the tree has the best chance of thriving, and also that the community will appreciate the tree’s presence,” Serota said.
Honolulu Councilman Augie Tulba, chair of the parks and community services committee, said he wants to see more positive activity in parks to combat vandalism.
“For the past two years, our parks have been underutilized due to COVID restrictions. When park facilities are closed, it starts to attract unwanted squatters and illegal activities,” Tulba said in an email.
“I think it’s time to start opening our park facilities and activating these spaces with programs and events. The more we use our parks and bring positive activities into them, the less we will attract those who do bad things to our parks.
The city is currently using different methods to combat vandalism, such as surveillance cameras, coating anti-graffiti paint, and locking some bathrooms and parking lots at night. However, Serota added that DPR employees need the help of the community.
“Ultimately, we need the help of the community to keep a watchful eye on our parks,” he wrote.
“These facilities belong to all of us, so when a facility is unavailable due to disrespectful treatment by a few, we all lose.”
In Downtown/Chinatown, APB Skateshop and American Savings Bank have both taken over management of Aala Park.
APB Skateshop owner Chad Hiyakumoto has been working to improve the Aala Park skate park area since 2002. He watched the graffiti at the skate park get worse and worse, until he decides he had to do something about it.
“I just got sick of seeing the graffiti. It basically became covered in graffiti,” he said.
“I just thought it would be nice to reset this park and repaint it, but it’s a big undertaking.”
After some effort, the city provided him with the paint, and he began to cover graffiti periodically, not only in the skate park area, but also in the bathrooms.
“I had been doing this for several years, and…it always came back, there was always something. But the more I did, the longer it would take to come back,” Hiyakumoto said.
“Then very quickly it seemed to me that the more diligent I was, the quicker I was to paint over it, the less likely it was to happen again.”
Hiyakumoto organized volunteers from the skate community to also do graffiti.
As Aala Park is one of the few skateparks in town with lights, Hiyakumoto said it attracts a robust and positive skate community. However, drug dealing and crime in the park have deterred some people from coming.
The American Savings Bank, whose campus is across from Aala Park, carried out its first cleanup of the park in 2015 and has stepped up its involvement over the years. Since 2019, it has organized more free activities like fitness classes, dog training and sports clinics.
It is also in partnership with APB Skateshop for some skate workshops.
The American Savings Bank campus also has 24-hour security, which the company says also helps monitor Aala Park.
“Aala Park has always been a place synonymous with high rates of homelessness and illegal activity,” Beth Whitehead, American Savings Bank’s executive vice president, chief administrative officer, said in an email.
“We have been happy to see more children returning to the skate park, the basketball court and the playground. The neighbors are enjoying the dog park and there has been a lot more positive activity and interest in hosting events there. … Neighbors and our city partners tell us that vandalism has decreased considerably at Aala Park.
Hiyakumoto pushes the city to repair the cracks in the skate park that have occurred due to wear and tear from the aging area. However, he said the city can sometimes be hesitant to provide this type of maintenance. According to who is in charge of the city park, Hiyakumoto had to re-explain the importance and benefits of skating at Aala Park.
“I think things like self-policing need to be a little more respected when it comes to skateparks, because we care about that thing. This is our passion,” he said.
“We do this for the good of the skate community, and it’s really frustrating when they’re slow to respond or hesitant and we end up…receiving some kind of…negative feedback from them.”
Hiyakumoto hopes the city will consider expanding the skate park area, adding that he has never seen anyone use the baseball field for an actual baseball game.
“I think skateboarding is the one thing the city should recognize a little better, put a little more trust in the skate community, and push for more skate parks,” he said.
“I think more stuff like this in Oahu parks would be a good thing.”
PRICE OF VANDALISM
The cost to the city’s parks department to repair vandalism is on the rise.
FISCAL YEAR COST
2017 $201,584
2018 $234,680
2019 $227,175
2020 $351,840
2021 $315,042
2022 $339,393
Source: Honolulu Parks and Recreation Department