OHA updates stewardship plans for Pahua Heiau and Waialua Courthouse; repairs, buffers and paid parking discussed

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Committee on Investment and Land Management on Feb. 19 received an update from interim director of land assets Lori Walker on two legacy properties: Pahua Heiau and the Waialua Courthouse. Walker said the presentations were informational and did not require committee action.

The report on Pahua Heiau, a 1.15-acre parcel in a residential cul-de-sac on Oʻahu, said the site was donated to OHA by Kamehameha Schools in 1988 and is held in fee simple. “The function of this heiau is believed to be agricultural in nature, and our kuleana is to mālama the heiau,” Walker said. OHA contracts a site steward to monitor and maintain the heiau, conduct outreach and finalize a comprehensive management plan.

Walker told trustees that planned work this fiscal year includes dry-stack masonry repairs after some stones fell, and development of a public viewing area to create a physical buffer and reduce trespassing. “The public viewing area specifically is intended to mitigate that type of activity,” Walker said, describing unwanted use such as people standing on or playing atop the feature and trail-seeking through the site.

Committee members asked about stewardship oversight after a past audit flagged gaps in certificates of insurance (COIs) and contractor oversight. Walker said procurement and corporate counsel have tightened contracting procedures and that the current steward, Digital Moku (site steward Anne Marie Kirk), “have a current valid certificate of insurance” and have named OHA as an additional insured. Walker said OHA has begun formalized annual performance evaluations for stewards to support renewal decisions.

On the Waialua Courthouse, Walker said OHA is the ground lessee under a 1998 ground lease with the State Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) and does not own the site. The courthouse is used for community gatherings and programming on Oʻahu’s North Shore; OHA contracts a site steward, Ola Ka Mananui, to maintain the property and run programs. Walker identified Maka Casan Fisher and his wife Napua as principals involved with the steward organization.

Trustees and staff discussed multiple maintenance needs at the courthouse, including urgent roof repairs on a pump house and an uneven parking surface whose 2019 repair estimate was about $115,000; Walker noted that price likely has increased. Fiscal-year expenditures for the property varied: about $7,500 in FY2021, $27,000 in FY2022, roughly $7,000 in FY2023, and a larger project in the most recent year — a roof replacement that Walker said cost about $184,000.

To reduce ongoing costs, trustees discussed revenue options. Walker said the site steward has proposed a paid parking system to regulate unauthorized parking linked to nearby retail traffic; she said OHA would retain revenues from such a program. Trustees also noted film production as a potential revenue source, pointing out that past production work provided in-kind improvements to the building when OHA lacked direct funding.

Trustees raised the long-term disposition of the lease and possible negotiations with DLNR. Walker said the lease term runs through Feb. 1933 and that shared-cost agreements with DLNR do not currently exist but “may be something we could negotiate if we wanted to renew a lease.” Some trustees urged retaining the lease to preserve community access; others recommended assessing cost-benefit before pursuing more capital investment.

Walker said OHA’s land agents perform regular site monitoring; she described weekly site monitoring at Pahua and other frequencies at other properties to verify contract performance. The committee asked staff to provide follow-up information including stewardship COI records for the audit period, a compiled inventory of heiau under OHA stewardship, and a timeline or costs for the proposed parking feasibility study and due diligence.

No formal decisions were made; both briefings were informational. Trustees encouraged staff to organize site visits and to return with cost estimates and proposed next steps.

Ending — The committee moved on to other agenda items after the briefings; staff said the Pahua and Waialua updates would inform future stewardship planning and potential maintenance budgeting.