������Ƶ

We have an update on one of our Fix It! case studies — and it isn’t quite the one we were expecting.

To recap: Civil Beat is asking readers to submit tips on broken, missing or neglected public amenities for our Fix It! project.

We have received nearly 40 so far and our reporters are looking into them. Keep ’em coming.  

Anthony Chang reported that the lights at the Kauluwela Community Park in Honolulu have been out for several years and that park and court users faced hazards from the poor visibility in the evenings.

“Sometimes these park users bring their own portable lighting to make up for the lack of proper park lighting,” Chang said.

So we reached out to the Honolulu for an update on the lighting there. That’s where the case took an interesting twist. 

City: Safer When Lights Went Out

“We have heard from nearby residents, park users, and nearby school officials a desire to keep the lights off,” parks spokesman Nathan Serota wrote in a detailed response to Civil Beatʻs questions.

There had been lots of complaints after hours of “vandalism, littering, trespassing, people climbing onto the roof of the recreational building and school buildings, prohibited alcohol consumption, and illegal parking,” and they dropped off after the lights were turned off, he said.

To fact check that statement, we pulled data from Beat 150 of Honolulu Police Department Patrol District 1, which includes the park.

Fix It!

Fix It! is a reader-driven column focused on solving everyday obstacles — the inoperable and the inefficient amenity, the mundane and major facility fail that escapes the attention of government agencies, but affects our quality of life.

Read More

HPD’s shows 187 property offenses and 41 violent crimes in 2021 — the year the lights were removed. So far in 2024, there were 164 property crimes and 21 violent crimes. The numbers are not statistically different, and are affected by changes to policing in the Downtown/Chinatown district, which is also in Beat 150, and to social services.

Maybe the same anti-social behavior is happening but it’s not so obvious because there’s no lighting? I shared the department’s response with our reader Anthony Chang.

Chang said he’s lived in the area since 2018 and has noticed a change in the type of activities taking place in the park, especially since a 2021 Community Development Block Grant. The park is now used primarily by families and sports groups, and not others up to no good, he said.

That’s what prompted his initial concern about the lack of lighting.

What Do Park Users Want?

Serota said the lights at Kauluwela were taken out in March 2021 after one fell over and it was assessed that the poles were all rusting at their bases. Coincidentally, the park was closed for other work.

Nine new poles and additional wiring and hardware would now be needed to illuminate the courts as before, Serota said, and that would take several years for budgeting, planning, permitting and construction.

There are no current plans to repair the lights at Kauluwela Community Park, Serota said.

He pointed to the “excellent park facilities” at , less than a 10-minute walk away, which has several lit courts.

But before signing off, Serota also diplomatically left the door open, saying “we certainly would like to hear from the community-at-large if their desire to fix the lights at Kauluwela Community Park has changed.”

Do you want the lights back, yay or nay? Chang suggests some middle ground where lights that operate on timers could be installed.

You can chime in through comments or fill out the quick survey below. We’ll share the results with you and the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation.