THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

125

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

encouraging the Department of land and natural resources to APPROVE THE REQUEST TO REOPEN paradise park as a hawaiian cultural center.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Paradise Park, open to the public from 1968 to 1994, was an attraction located in Manoa Valley that featured an exotic bird exhibit and botanical garden; and

 

     WHEREAS, Paradise Park, Inc., has held a seventy-five year lease to the property since 1966; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1966, the Board of Land and Natural Resources approved Conservation District Use Permit No. OA-30 for approximately 47 acres for recreational purposes by establishment of zoological and botanical gardens, with specified ancillary uses; and

 

     WHEREAS, since closing its operations in 1994 due to the downturn in the economy, use of Paradise Park has consisted of Treetops Restaurant, parking for Manoa Falls Trail, a snack shop and gift shop, hula halau, administrative offices, and occasional film production; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Paradise Park property is located beside the Manoa Falls Trail; and

 

     WHEREAS, Manoa Falls Trail is one of the most popular destinations for Hawaii tourists; and

 

     WHEREAS, Paradise Park, Inc., seeks to provide visitors with a more fulfilling experience of Hawaii by reopening Paradise Park as a Hawaiian Cultural Center; and

 

     WHEREAS, educational projects such as hula workshops, lectures on Hawaiian culture, musical performances, and specialized botanical gardens will bring people to the area and, in turn, provide jobs and opportunities for all parties involved; and

 

     WHEREAS, Paradise Park, Inc.'s vision is to reopen Paradise Park as a gathering place in the rainforest of Manoa Valley to foster public and private partnerships that promote education, preservation, and stewardship of the land, expressing the Hawaiian cultural traditions and practices that make Hawaii unique, thereby supporting the growth of economic and cultural assets of all Hawaiians; and

 

     WHEREAS, on February 27, 2013, Paradise Park, Inc., submitted to the Department of Land and Natural Resources a formal request for approval to reopen Paradise Park as a Hawaiian Cultural Center, consisting of a zoological and botanical garden with a special emphasis on a unique arrangement of gardens that celebrate the traditional dance of Hawaii, the hula; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Land and Natural Resources has requested additional information, which Paradise Park, Inc., is preparing in addition to themes and concepts for the proposed Hawaiian Cultural Center; and

 

     WHEREAS, Paradise Park, Inc., has prepared a three-phase plan to utilize existing buildings and work from the original master plan from 1966 to reopen Paradise Park as a Hawaiian Cultural Center, with the first phase to be completed within twelve months of approval from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the second and third phases to be completed within two to three years; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body supports the plan for the proposed Hawaiian Cultural Center to promote Hawaiian culture, dance, and arts by establishing a center of learning where the arts and culture of Hawaii can prosper in a natural setting; and

 

     WHEREAS, this body believes that the proposed Hawaiian Cultural Center should strive to be the first of its kind dedicated to Hawaiian culture, with an emphasis on the art of hula and highlighting the flora and fauna that the dance describes, and should provide space for resident artists and cultural practitioners to create, showcase, and expand their work; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Land and Natural Resources is encouraged to approve the request to reopen Paradise Park as a Hawaiian Cultural Center; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources and Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Paradise Park; Hawaiian Cultural Center