Council committee moves dozens of donated benches, small gifts for city parks toward adoption

The City and County of Honolulu Committee on Housing, Homelessness and Parks on Aug. 19 recommended adoption of a series of resolutions accepting donated benches and a $3,000 cash gift for park programming. The measures, each described on the agenda as a gift to the city for installation and site preparation, would place memorial high‑back benches and a bronze plaque at neighborhood parks including Pearl City District Park, Makapu'u Beach Park, Leahi (Diamond Head) Beach Park, Sandy Beach Park, Makalei Beach Park, Kapiʻolani Regional Park, Kailua Beach Park and others. The committee also recommended accepting $3,000 from Friends of Honolulu Parks and Recreation to support community benefit projects, program supplies and related items. Why it matters: The donations add small capital pieces and discretionary program funds to the parks system without city procurement of the items. Chair recommendations to report each resolution out for adoption were unopposed, and some resolutions were amended to CD1 where minor administrative clarifications were posted before the vote. Most significant details: Laura Thielen, director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, told the committee the department “fully support[s] the resolution” renaming the Pearl City District Park pool for Ken Suenaga and thanked donors for bench gifts in multiple neighborhoods. Thielen described likely siting for several benches (for example, Makapu'u’s bench “on the grassy area up above overlooking the surf area” and a Sandy Beach bench “on the Hawaiʻi Kai side of the parking lot, makai of the road facing the beach”) and noted price differences often reflect ADA concrete pads or alternate bench types. The Friends of Honolulu Parks and Recreation donation was presented by Thielen as unrestricted support for multiple events and small program costs; she said the funds helped the department, for example, host award ceremonies for youth art contests. What the committee did: For the bench donations, the chair repeatedly recommended reporting each resolution “out for adoption”; members raised no objections. One Sandy Beach bench resolution was amended on the floor to the posted CD1 and then reported out for adoption as CD1. The Friends of Honolulu Parks donation was reported out for adoption. Context and limitations: The resolutions accept gifts and specify installation locations; the committee did not approve capital improvements beyond site preparation described in the resolutions. Thielen flagged that permanent or larger improvements (for example, restroom/wastewater upgrades or full park master plan projects) require separate CIP funding and planning. She also noted that some parcels are under the Hawaii Community Development Authority or include historic/cultural site considerations, which affects future planning. Next steps: The committee reported the resolutions to the next stage for adoption as recommended; posted CD1 language (where noted) will appear in committee records. The department will coordinate with donating families on exact bench siting and handle installation logistics and any required ADA work.