Caldwell Pulls Plug On Sherwood Forest Project
Community members protested the project for several months in 2019.
The fight over a controversial construction project in Waimanalo is over.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell announced Thursday that the city will not proceed with construction of a field at Waimanalo Bay Beach Park — or larger redevelopment plans for the area known as Sherwood Forest.
“I’ve made the decision that this administration is pau with the field and master plan,” Caldwell said in a press release. “I am pau with the field and master plan. The next steps are up to this community to determine, but it is time for the land and our community to heal.”
The project came as a surprise to many in the community when construction started in 2019. The Waimanalo Bay Beach Park Master Plan, as it was referred to by city officials, would have included a regional ballpark field and a parking lot. Preliminary work last year involved the removal of trees.Â
Opponents of the project protested in Waimanalo for six months in 2019, a demonstration that culminated in the arrest of 28 people in September.
The city announced earlier this year that, after discussions with the group Save Our Sherwoods, they would move forward with the restoration of the grassy field and halt all other aspects of the project.
Now, the city has announced that plans for restoration and any further construction have ceased altogether.
