Tidal Change

By Chad Blair
Published in the Honolulu Weekly, July 6, 1999

Following a June 21 ruling by Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani defining the Waikiki War Memorial and Natatorium as a swimming pool, the City & County of Honolulu has called a temporary halt to its renovation. Meanwhile, public opinion may be shifting against the ambitious plans of Mayor Jeremy Harris, Friends of the Natatorium and commercial interests.

City residents couldn’t pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV or listen to the radio over the past week without hearing strong support for keeping the Natatorium facade – the arch and wall, that is – in order to honor the World War I veterans the Natatorium was commissioned for over 70 years ago. while tearing down the long-closed saltwater pool and bleachers to replace them with sandy beach (Letters, “Natatorium lawsuit,” HW, 6/9). KHON TV-2, in its June 27 broadcast, called Kaimana Beach Coalition leader Rick Bernstein “The Man Who Fought City Hall And Won.” KCCN 105.1 FM’s Brickwood Galuteria and Frank B. Shaner took calls from the public decrying the public-health threat a renovated pool would likely pose. Even three columnists for The Honolulu Star-Bulletin knocked the project in print, bucking the paper’s editorial support for renovation.
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On Wednesday, June 30, Judge Nakatani will consider the Coalition’ s request to halt construction for another 10 days. Further delays could be expected, perhaps lasting many months, as the state Department of Health would have to revise rules for saltwater pools.

“We hope that in the meantime, people will realize that there was once a beach there, and that it can he put back,” says Coalition attorney Jim Bickerton.

Also on Wednesday, City Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim will present to the Council a petition signed by thousands, asking the Council to rescind the Shoreline Management Area permit it authorized in December. That permit was based on the assumption that the Natatorium pool was not a pool, and thus not subject to Health Department regulations.

Council support for Natatorium weakening

Honolulu Advertiser
Dingeman Robbie; Kobayashi Ken
Staff
Advertiser Final

By Robbie Dingeman and Ken Kobayashi, ADVERTISER STAFF WRITERS

Support on the Honolulu City Council for full restoration of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium appears to be ebbing, especially after a judge yesterday blocked the start of the project.

Council members were torn over the issue when they voted 6-3 last December to restore the Natatorium despite concerns by some critics that the facility’s saltwater pool could pose a health hazard. In order to revoke the permit needed to proceed, two Council members would have to change their votes.

“I think the support for the Natatorium on the Council is shifting,” Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said yesterday.

He said he believes the Council, administration and community probably will find a compromise that stops short of full restoration. Some have proposed restoring the Natatorium’s ornate memorial arch but demolishing the pool.

The pool was built in 1927 as a memorial to World War I veterans. It deteriorated over the years and was closed in 1979 because of health and safety concerns.

In the latest setback to restoration, Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani yesterday issued a restraining order preventing the city from starting renovation work until she holds another hearing in the case on July 9.

At that hearing, Nakatani is to consider a request to extend the restraining order until city officials obtains all necessary government approvals for the project.

James Bickerton, lawyer for the Kaimana Beach Coalition which challenged the project, said it may take as long as a year for city officials to get approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Health and the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

In issuing the temporary restraining order, the judge indicated she agreed with the coalition’s argument that the city is required to obtain the approvals and permits before any work can begin. The city initially was to have begun renovation work on the arch on Monday.

Since men cannot continue reading now now 5mg cialis tablets satisfy their female partners, but a few men succeed in the task. Gupta, who provides low libido, endometriosis, nightfall, pfizer viagra tablets premature ejaculation treatment in Lucknow, and Delhi NCR from Dr. The viagra no prescription http://secretworldchronicle.com/2015/03/ common methods to prevent wilting are equally effective. Yes, it is true that there are some surgical treatments like flap surgery, scalp reduction and a hair transplant, which can cheap levitra tablet treat hair loss. The coalition advocates restoring the memorial arch, but wants the seaward wall of the facility torn down to make way for a beach.

“We’re pleased that the court has recognized the need for coherent planning and has rejected the concept of planning by bulldozer,” Bickerton said.

Yoshimura, who opposed full restoration when the Council approved the project, said he thinks a majority of the community has always opposed repairing the pool. “I think the numbers have grown because of the public’s growing frustration with the economy,” he said.

Yoshimura said he thinks many taxpayers see spending millions of dollars on the pool as a prime example of government waste.

Earlier this year, there were questions when Council members discovered the estimate for renovations could exceed the amount initially approved. The restoration was to cost $11.5 million.

Corporation Counsel David Arakawa said the city administration is disappointed by the judge’s action and will challenge it. “Full restoration is the right thing to do, and Mayor (Jeremy) Harris is committed to that,” he said.

Councilman Duke Bainum, who represents Waikiki, also maintains full restoration “is the right thing to do.” But Bainum said he will change his position on the project if either of two things happen: if health and safety issues aren’t addressed or if the cost soars beyond the allocated $11.5 million.

“My concern is the possibility of cost overruns with a prolonged court battle,” he said.

Yesterday, Gov. Ben Cayetano said he thinks it’s becoming obvious that there should be a compromise on restoration, which he once supported.

“The pool, more and more, does not seem like a good idea,” Cayetano said. “If you’re going to make it a pool, then I think it should be a freshwater pool because – a saltwater pool – I think you’ll have all kinds of problems.”

In other Council action yesterday, members Donna Mercado Kim and Mufi Hannemann introduced a resolution to request the mayor to modify the permit for the project to allow restoration of the arch but not the pool.

“Clearly, it’s in the mayor’s court now,” Hannemann said. “I believe the majority of the Council is ready and they were ready (Wednesday) to call for a scaled-down version of the Natatorium.”

Hannemann was the first of the six who supported the project in December to publicly change his mind in recent weeks.

Judge blocks work on Natatorium

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

The mayor wanted work to proceed even though not all permits are in hand

A 10-day restraining order blocking work at the Waikiki War Memorial and Natatorium was imposed on the city by Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani today.

Work was scheduled to begin this week on Mayor Jeremy Harris’ $11.5 million plan to restore the 70-year-old structure.

City Council members are looking at a new compromise plan that might significantly reduce the scope of the natatorium project.

Attorney Jim Bickerton, representing the Kaimana Beach Coalition, argued that a special management area use permit issued by the Council requires the city to obtain all construction-related permits prior to start of work.

The city still needs a water certification from the state Health Department and a permit for underwater construction from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for two underwater groins.

Nakatani said Harris’ plan to proceed only with the land-based portion of the project “is unlawful in light of the fact that the SMA permit expressly provides that approval of all government agencies must be obtained prior to implementation.”

City attorney Tedson Koja countered that because the outstanding permits pertained to underwater construction, the city could proceed with construction of the facade and bleachers.

Bickerton said the temporary restraining order needs to be in place immediately because work on the project is imminent. Nakatani agreed with Bickerton on that point.

“Restored bleachers looking out into the open ocean for no apparent purpose conjures up a pretty odd and strange vision,” Nakatani said.

The restraining order against the city is good until July 10. On July 9, Nakatani will hear arguments on a preliminary injunction that would halt construction at least until the end of trial.

Nakatani said it is up to the Council to decide if partial construction complies with the permit, not Harris.
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Bickerton echoed Nakatani’s comments. The TRO “puts the ball squarely in the City Council’s lap.”

Corporation Counsel David Arakawa, reacting to the decision, called it disappointing and noted that even opponents have no problem with construction of the arch, facade and public restrooms.

As for Nakatani’s opinion that the Council should look into the issue of partial construction, Arakawa said: “The Council has not revoked the permit so it stands. The Council, the majority of the Council is not objecting to restoration of the land-side park features.

At Honolulu Hale yesterday, the Council decided not to discuss a resolution seeking to revoke the special management area use permit for the natatorium.

City Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said there is no urgency since Harris has promised to put off work on the pool until the Health Department comes up with rules governing saltwater pools.

Yoshimura — long an opponent of full restoration — said late yesterday that he is “trying to find a way to stop the (natatorium) pool from happening.”

Yoshimura added: “We’re working on something. But will it happen? I hope so.”

To date, only three of Yoshimura’s nine Council colleagues — Steve Holmes, Kim and Mufi Hannemann — have opposed full restoration. But that might change.

Councilman Duke Bainum, a key supporter of full restoration, said he’s taking a second look. “It’s clear to me that there are a lot of people who think full restoration of the pool is a mistake,” he said.

“I’m re-evaluating my position in light of the fact that this thing is being drawn out in the court system.”

The longer the project is hung up in the courts, Bainum said, the more likely the project will go over budget.

And Bainum has long stated he won’t support additional funding for full restoration.

Petition opposes plans for pool

Honolulu Advertiser
Dingeman Robbie
Staff
Advertiser Final

Natatorium fix debated

By Robbie Dingeman, ADVERTISER CITY HALL WRITER

Honolulu City Council member Donna Mercado Kim said more than 1,000 people signed a petition over the weekend urging the city to revoke or modify a permit for the controversial restoration of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium.

Kim and a handful of staff members collected signatures Saturday and Sunday at Ala Moana Shopping Center, Kapolei, Manoa Marketplace and 99 Ranch Market in Mapunapuna.

Kim said she was surprised by the number of people who were adamant in their opposition to restoring the saltwater pool and just as adamant that the city should simply save the memorial arch.
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“The overwhelming majority want the arch restored and the overwhelming majority want a beach,” Kim said.

The waterfront swimming pool, built as a monument to World War I veterans, has been closed since 1979 because it is a safety hazard.

Kim is trying to get the permit issue on the Council agenda for tomorrow’s meeting, even though Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura has said he doesn’t want to take up the issue.

Yoshimura has said he remains opposed to the restoration of the Natatorium pool, but is awaiting a state judge’s decision on a temporary restraining order to block the project before he hears a resolution on the permit.

Kim said it’s irresponsible for the city to move forward with any part of the restoration not knowing the outcome.

City spokeswoman Carol Costa said the city will not begin work on the restoration until after the judge’s ruling, which is now expected tomorrow.

New suit filed to halt Natatorium restoration

Honolulu Advertiser
Kobayashi Ken
Staff
Advertiser Final

By Ken Kobayashi, ADVERTISER COURTS WRITER

A group opposing the proposed restoration of the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium returned to court yesterday to challenge Mayor Jeremy Harris’ decision this week to proceed with construction that doesn’t involve the facility’s saltwater pool.

The Kaimana Beach Coalition filed a new lawsuit citing Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani’s decision Monday that the pool is under the Department of Health’s jurisdiction and needs a permit.

The group also contends that the city must first obtain additional permits before beginning work on any phase of the $11 million project.

It asked for a court order halting any construction.

After the judge’s ruling, Harris announced that construction work on the facade, bleachers and restrooms would begin. He said he would wait for the Health Department’s new rules for saltwater pools before deciding if the swimming area would be restored.

Always and in every case need of alcohol rehabilitation is not needed, as for the viagra cheap prices check these guys out people who have not much strong heart, have faced irregular heartbeat and palpitations. Men of all ages will probably have a different degree of issue. levitra 40mg mastercard The Sildamax also helps in expansion of arteries buy tadalafil canada and makes the possible for voluminous entry of blood in various region of body. These foods specifically discount online viagra target bone strength. But coalition attorney James Bickerton yesterday questioned why the city would want to proceed before obtaining the permits. “Why do we need bleachers if we don’t have a pool?” he said.

“We believe the bleachers are what Mayor Harris really wants because they will pave the way for the commercial use for the Natatorium, which is his long-term goal,” he said.

The construction was to begin this month.

Harris was not available for comment yesterday, but city Corporation Counsel David Arakawa said his office will oppose the coalition’s request.

Arakawa said the administration is “really puzzled” by the latest challenge because the coalition itself never opposed the restoration of the arch or restrooms, which would be open to the public in the surrounding areas, including Kaimana Beach.

“It’s pretty apparent they just don’t want the Natatorium restored,” he said.

Arakawa said he’s never heard the mayor say that his long-term goal is to commercialize the facility. “To me, it’s getting a little tiring that every time we make a reasonable move, they come up with a new motive,” he said.

The Natatorium was built in 1927 as a memorial to World War I veterans but shut down in 1979 for safety reasons. The city Council last year approved by a 6-3 vote a special management permit paving the way for the project.

The coalition has said it favors the restoration of the arch and bathrooms, but wants the bleachers and ocean wall eliminated to make way for a one-acre beach.

Harris pledges work at Natatorium to go on

Honolulu Advertiser
Masuoka Brandon
Staff
Advertiser Final

Pool restoration to await new rules

By Brandon Masuoka, ADVERTISER STAFF WRITER

Despite growing opposition to renovation of the Waikiki Natatorium, Mayor Jeremy Harris said yesterday that work on the facade, bleachers and restrooms would proceed, but he would await state Health Department rules for salt-water pools before deciding if the swimming area would be restored.

No part of the restoration will be done, however, if enough members of the Honolulu City Council agree to revoke a special shoreline management area permit for the project.

Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim has introduced a resolution directing the Department of Planning and Permitting to investigate and hold a hearing on revocation of the permit.

The permit was approved in a 6-3 vote, but Councilman Mufi Hannemann, who voted for it, now says he is opposed to the restoration. Only one more vote would have to be changed from “yes” to “no,” to revoke the permit.

Natatorium restoration hit a major snag this week when Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani declared the facility a swimming pool that must adhere to state pool regulations. Other concerns focused on the clarity of the water and bacteria levels in the pool.
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Harris said yesterday the because there are now no salt-water pool regulations, he will wait to proceed with fixing the Natatorium pool until the state Department of Health devises rules.

Harris said it would be reasonable to require the water quality around the Natatorium to match water quality inside the pool.

“We can do that,” Harris said.

But if the regulations enforce “non-sensible” regulations, such as forcing water quality inside the pool to be twice as clean as the outside water, “then we won’t do the pool,” Harris said.

Harris said work on the other areas would start in two weeks and construction would take about four to six months.

The partial restoration is a “conservative and responsible approach” for the city to work only on the facade of the facility until the rules are in place, he said.

The Natatorium was closed in 1979. Harris called conditions there “a disgrace.”

There are signs to warn people to keep out and to watch for falling debris. A headless stone eagle, a victim of wear and tear, is perched on top the archway. A dangerous-looking hole on the ewa-side pool deck is fenced off.

Ruling jeopardizes Natatorium plans

Honolulu Advertiser
Kobayashi Ken
Staff
Advertiser Final

By Ken Kobayashi, ADVERTISER STAFF WRITER

A state judge delivered a potentially crippling blow yesterday to the city’s plan to renovate the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium by declaring that the facility falls under regulations governing swimming pools and must obtain a state permit.

City and state lawyers had argued that the regulations covering freshwater pools were never intended to cover the Natatorium, which is designed to allow ocean water to flow through its pool.

But Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani ruled that the facility will be a public swimming pool and falls under the regulations governing pool health and safety.

“The Department of Health should and must be the designated watch guard over the health and safety of pools in this state for all of our protection,” the judge said.

The decision is the latest snarl in the long-standing controversy over whether the city should spend $10.8 million to renovate the shoreline facility. But it won’t be the final word.

Mayor Jeremy Harris and city lawyers said they would appeal the decision. They said construction will begin this month as scheduled on nonpool renovations, such as restoring bleachers and the memorial arch and installing restrooms.
Harris called the decision “ludicrous.” “It makes no sense,” he said. “We’ll have to chlorinate the whole ocean.”

But James Bickerton, lawyer for the Kaimana Beach Coalition, which filed the lawsuit challenging the renovations, said he would ask for a court order to halt renovation work.

He said the city obtained a shoreline permit that says the renovations comply with all state regulations. Until they get the pool permit, the city won’t be able to work on any part of the project, he said.

“We’re really hoping the city will see the light and turn it into a beach.”
The Natatorium was built in 1927 as a memorial to World War I veterans, but was closed in 1979 for safety reasons. In a 6-3 vote, the City Council last year approved the plans to renovate it.

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All sides agreed that the Natatorium wouldn’t be able to meet the requirements for a pool permit. Those include a limit to the level of staph bacteria and water clear enough so that an 8-inch black disc at the bottom of the pool is visible from the surface. The requirement for water clarity is so lifeguards could see a swimmer under the water.

But the city proceeded without a pool permit by relying on an opinion from the attorney general’s office last year that the Natatorium doesn’t fall under state pool regulations.

City Corporation Counsel David Arakawa said the city will work with the Department of Health in developing new rules for a salt-water facility. He said he believes the city will be able to obtain a permit.

The renovations were scheduled to be completed within 16 months, city officials said. But it may take a year to come up with new rules for the city to obtain a permit.

Health Department director Bruce Anderson said he’ll appoint an advisory committee of water-quality experts to recommend rules governing salt-water facilities. The new rules would have to go through public hearings, and it could take six months to a year before they are adopted, he said.

Anderson had maintained that the Natatorium fell under the pool regulations, but deferred to the attorney general’s opinion.

“We’re pleased the judge has recognized the need to protect the health and safety of the public in this decision,” he said. “It’s unfortunate we don’t have rules in place today that govern the quality of water in a salt-water pool.”

Nancy Bannick, vice president of the Friends of the Natatorium, said she was disappointed by the judge’s ruling. The nonprofit Friends group was formed in 1986 to preserve and restore the Natatorium.

“I’m convinced that it’s going to be perfectly safe. People swam there for years even when it was in bad shape and didn’t have good water quality, and most people didn’t get hurt by it at all,” Bannick said.

Photo caption:
Above: Construction is scheduled to start this month at the Natatorium, including restoration of the bleachers.

Photo caption:
Below: The Natatorium was built in 1927 in honor of World War l veterans. It was closed in 1979 for safety reasons, and last year the City Council voted to reopen it.

Photos by JEFF WIDENER THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER

City pushes ahead on Natatorium plan

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Construction fences will go up tomorrow, but a citizens’ group says it will challenge the city with a new lawsuit

Star-Bulletin file photo
Mayor Jeremy Harris says construction will begin
as scheduled this month on the restoration of the
Waikiki War Memorial and Natatorium, despite a
judge’s decision that could prevent the pool
from reopening.

Mayor Jeremy Harris is pressing ahead with an $11.5 million renovation of the Waikiki War Memorial and Natatorium despite a blow dealt by a Circuit Court judge.

Judge Gail Nakatani’s decision yesterday defined the natatorium as a swimming pool. That could stop the facility’s opening by requiring the city to obtain a permit from the state Health Department.

Health Director Bruce Anderson questions whether the city can meet even a new set of rules his department must now create governing operation of saltwater pools.

Nakatani’s decision also has given opponents hope that the uncertainty will spill over to the City Council, where several members want to discuss the possibility of revoking a shoreline management permit for the project.

Construction fences will go up tomorrow around the natatorium, mayoral spokesman Jerry Silva said. Work on the facade could begin as early as next week.

The city still needs approval from the Health Department and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct underwater groins, stretching toward the ocean, designed to improve circulation of the water in the pool.

Those approvals aren’t considered major obstacles.

But the attorney for Kaimana Beach Coalition, which brought the lawsuit against the city, said the city should not begin the project until it receives all permits.

Jim Bickerton said his clients will likely take the city back to court when the city does begin construction because the shoreline management permit for the project requires all government permits must first be obtained.

“If they go ahead and start any kind of construction, we will block them,” Bickerton said.

Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim, who opposes full restoration, said “it’s irresponsible and highly arrogant of them to proceed, even with the facade portion.”

The Health Department will form an advisory committee to come up with recommendations for rules governing saltwater pools, Anderson said. He doesn’t expect the rules to be completed for “at least six months and more likely a year or more.”

There also aren’t other saltwater pools in the country that the city can look to for guidance on the rules, Anderson said. “We’re forging new ground here.”

The key change will involve bacterial levels. Rules for freshwater pools require chlorination, an impossibility in the open-ended natatorium.

His main concern continues to be turbidity, or clarity of water. Health inspectors will have to be able to see a round, black, 8-inch disc at the bottom of the 7-foot pool or the pool won’t open, he said.

City officials insist that they will be able to meet both acceptable bacterial levels and the clarity test with their new technology. “It would be foolhardy to get into this (construction) unless they have reasonable assurances (the concerns) can be addressed,” Anderson said.

It would also help in some prescription order viagra without way to reduce the risks by choosing the meditative practice. The most common cause of this physical pressure is a difficult clinical finding for a healthcare provider to address. viagra cheapest price Some of the important tips while using Eriacta are the following:1.Those willing to use the drug should be stored in a cool and dry place away from heat, light and moisture. viagra ordination The most prescribed dose and an ideal dose prescribed for woman with intense sexual dysfunction but it http://www.midwayfire.com/apparatus.asp order discount viagra is advised to start with lower dose. “It’s ridiculous for them to go forward with construction when there are no rules that can be made applicable to this saltwater swimming pool that would make it safe,” said Rick Bernstein, spokesman for Kaimana Beach Coalition.

City Corporation Counsel David Arakawa said that won’t be a problem. “The water quality inside the natatorium is supposed to be the same as the water quality outside the natatorium,” he said. “If they aren’t going to comply, they’d have to close down the whole beach at Waikiki.”

The city will appeal Nakatani’s decision. “The ruling is ludicrous,” Harris said. “We have always had the highest concern for public health and safety. The restored natatorium has been designed by experts to do that and will be operated in the same way.”

Arakawa said the city hired University of Hawaii professor Roger Fujioka to come up with recommended operating rules for the pool to help satisfy public concerns.

Back to top

Frequently asked questions about Natatorium

Question: When was the Natatorium first built and why?
Answer: It was open in 1927 as a memorial to Americans who fought and died in World War I. Swim meets and demonstrations were held.

Q: Why was it closed down?
A: It was shut down in 1979 following health concerns.

Q: What does Mayor Jeremy Harris’ plan entail?
A: Harris wants full restoration of the pool. He believes new technology will eliminate the water circulation problems of the past.

Q: What is the Kaimana Beach Coalition and why does it oppose full restoration?
A: The core members of the group are frequent visitors to Kaimana Beach, the area just Diamond Head of the Natatorium. They say the pool cannot be made safe and restoration is a waste of money. They also fear full restoration would harm Kaimana and that the city will put up a tourist show stadium.

Q: What is the alternative to spending $11.5 million for full restoration and why doesn’t the mayor like that plan?
A: Kaimana Beach Coalition wants the city to just keep the facade and tear down the rest of the site, then put in a sand beach with volleyball courts. It estimates the plan would cost $6 million. The administration says leaving just the facade would cost just as much as full restoration. It also points out that the Natatorium is on the state and federal registers of historic places.

Q: Which Council members voted to approve the project?
A: John Henry Felix and Duke Bainum were the earliest and most vocal supporters. Others voting for a shoreline management permit for the project were John DeSoto, Mufi Hannemann Rene Mansho and Andy Mirikitani. Hannemann says new information might change his mind.

Q: Which Council members oppose the project?
A: Steve Holmes, Donna Mercado Kim and Jon Yoshimura have consistently opposed the project.

Q: What was the lawsuit about?
A: The attorney general’s office issued an opinion that the Health Department had no jurisdiction because the Natatorium falls outside the definition of a swimming pool. Kaimana Beach Coalition challenged and won.

Q: What do Council members opposed to the project intend to do now?
A: Kim and Hannemann have persuaded Yoshimura, the Council chairman, to place on the June 30 Council agenda a resolution revoking the shoreline management permit granted last year.

By Gordon Y.K. Pang, Star-Bulletin

Judge to decide Natatorium’s fate

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

Defining it as a pool may jeopardize the restoration due to health standards

Star-Bulletin file photo
The city doesn’t want the Waikiki War Memorial and
Natatorium declared a pool since health officials say it
might have to be closed to swimming because it is
doubtful it meets pool health standards.

Is it a pool or isn’t it?

The fate of the city’s $11.5 million restoration of the Waikiki War Memorial and Natatorium may rest on Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani’s response to the question.

Nakatani said she will rule Monday.

The city doesn’t want it declared a pool since health officials say it might be closed to swimming because it is doubtful it meets pool standards.

The Kaimana Beach Coalition doesn’t want the natatorium open, citing health questions, cost and possible ruin of neighboring Kaimana Beach.

James Bickerton, attorney for the coalition, argued yesterday that the facility is clearly a swimming pool.

“It has clearly defined boundaries,” he said, noting that the natatorium is separated from the ocean on three sides by a 10-foot thick wall.

Bickerton added that a saltwater pool at a Kona resort, fed by the open ocean, has followed state regulations since the 1970s.

Deputy City Corporation Counsel Tedson Koja argued that the natatorium is similar to other partially enclosed facilities such as Magic Island, the Wall in Waikiki and Ko Olina.
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None of those fall under pool regulations, Koja said. Those rules, he said, “were never intended to apply to a swimming venue such as the Natatorium.”

Koja added, “The water quality inside of the Natatorium will be the same quality as the water outside.”

Bickerton countered that Koja’s comparisons were improper. “Nobody operates and maintains Magic Island; nobody goes in there to scrub the rocks.”

Nakatani questioned how Koja could make that comparison when the city intends to implement restrictions recommended by paid consultant Roger Fujioka.

Those recommendations, made public on Monday, included barring people under 4 and those with liver diseases, AIDS or skin infections from entering the pool.

But Corporation Counsel David Arakawa said after yesterday’s hearings that the city never intended to incorporate all of Fujioka’s recommendations — despite reports that led to cries of discrimination from the ACLU.

People with open sores and wounds likely won’t be allowed, Arakawa said, but other restrictions have not been finalized.

“We’re not going to discriminate against people,” Deputy Corporation Counsel Gary Takeuchi said.

The city will sit down with the state Health Department and Fujioka to discuss which of the recommendations will be implemented, Takeuchi said.

Health Director Bruce Anderson said his agency has no grounds to regulate the natatorium if Nakatani rules it is not a swimming pool.

For instance, he said, it would be impractical, if not impossible, for the city to apply chlorine to the salt water. If Nakatani rules that it is a pool, however, the department will come up with new requirements involving saltwater pools.

Honolulu Lite: Drain the Natatorium idea now

Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu Lite
by Charles Memminger

LET’S stop this Natatorium foolishness before this albatross permanently affixes itself around our tax-paying necks.

A saltwater pool is a concept whose time has come and gone. Back in the days before environmental impact studies and when our basic understanding of bacteria and microbes was in its infancy, having a saltwater pool on the ocean’s edge was a grand idea.

Back then, people weren’t so hung up about germs and health hazards. In restaurants, dishes were washed by hand and not always thoroughly. Smoking was allowed everywhere, including on airplanes and in office buildings. There were no paper toilet seat covers or garbage disposals in kitchen sinks.

We’ve come a long way, baby. We’re not as paranoid about germs as Howard Hughes was, but we’re getting there. Did you ever think you’d see your neighborhood sandwich-maker wearing rubber surgical gloves? And let’s not even talk about sex. With AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases rampaging through the land, it behooves participants in the love game to shellac themselves with a construction-grade sealant before jumping in the sack.

Nevertheless, the city is pushing forward with its plan to rebuild the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, even though experts concede this relic of the past will be something akin to an enormous petri dish in which all manner of germs and diseases will percolate.

AND if you don’t believe that is true, just look at the proposed regulations regarding use of the pool: A huge number of people will be banned from using the pool, even though they pay the taxes being used to refurbish the facility.

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I’m not sure how the great minds behind this white elephant plan to identify AIDS sufferers who attempt to use the pool. Will everyone have to present a note from a doctor certifying they don’t have AIDS or HIV? I know a few lawyers in town who will have a ball with these regulations.

Last time I checked, I think people had a right to privacy about their personal medical history. And Attorney Lunsford Phillips in particular has developed a pretty healthy law practice suing people, businesses and the government over the accessibility rights of the disabled.

If the natatorium is ever rebuilt, it is going to be one high maintenance bugger, what with the water testers, lifeguards, scab screeners and health document processors.

I just don’t get it. Why do we need to go through all this humbug simply for a swimming pool? Hawaii’s World War I veterans would be suitably honored and remembered if the distinctive arch simply is restored. The money that will be poured down this rat hole (and, believe me, the $11 million is just a beginning) could be used to build parks that would be open to everyone.

It just makes no sense to build a salt-water swimming pool on the most famous beach in the world.

Besides, Honolulu already has a huge saltwater pool. It’s called Hanauma Bay.

Charles Memminger, winner of National Society of Newspaper Columnists awards in 1994 and 1992, writes “Honolulu Lite” Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Write to him at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, 96802 or send E-mail to charley@nomayo.com or 71224.113@compuserve.com.

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