County of Hawai‘i Completes New Parking Area at William Charles Lunalilo Playground

County of Hawai‘i Completes New Parking Area at William Charles Lunalilo Playground

The County of Hawai‘i Department of Parks and Recreation is pleased to announce the completion of a new on-site parking area at William Charles Lunalilo Playground – commonly referred to as “Blue Park” – in Kona.

The park enhancement is the realization of a collaborative vision developed by West Side Hawaii Little League and the Department of Parks and Recreation, and it was completed with support from the Department of Public Works.

The project adds 22 new parking spaces above the park’s baseball field in an area that was previously covered in naupaka bushes and unusable for any recreational purposes. With the additional parking, there are now 45 off-street stalls available at the park.

“We try to implement these low-cost, high-reward improvements as much as possible,” said County of Hawaiʻi Mayor Kimo Alameda. “We are fortunate to have such hardworking county employees that collaborate across our departments to provide this level of service to the community.”

The Department of Public Works also performed extensive weed and vegetation removal on the hillside above the field, improving visibility for spectators from adjoining sidewalks and on-street parking spots.

“Our crews are proud to work with our Parks and Recreation Department to be able to make these improvements to the park,” said Acting Director of Public Works Neil Azevedo. “Our guys even took the opportunity to clean the surrounding areas like the canal.”

Parking has been a long-standing issue at Lunalilo Playground, affecting park users as well as residents in the surrounding neighborhood.

“Mahalo to the West Side Hawaii Little League and our Public Works Department for bringing this project to fruition” said Clayton Honma, Director of Parks & Recreation. “This really was a team effort.”

Lunalilo Playground is a seven-acre park off Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway in the Pualani Estates Subdivision that includes a youth baseball field, youth soccer field, restrooms and a playground. The park is scheduled to host this year’s Little League Majors Division State Tournament, July 16-20.

The park’s playground is slated for a major overhaul, and the County of Hawai‘i continues to plan and develop the project in collaboration with community members and volunteers.

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