FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                         June 9, 2006   Release M-60-06

CITY MAKES NIGHTLY CLOSURE OF ALA MOANA PARK PERMANENT  

            Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann today announced that the nightly closure of Ala Moana Regional Park will be made permanent, in response to an outpouring of support.

            “Since our Department of Parks and Recreation began the nighttime closures in March, we’ve had tremendous public support for them,” said Hannemann. “The Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board and the City Board of Parks and Recreation agreed, so the temporary nighttime closures, which had been extended through June, will now be made permanent.”

            Lester Chang, director of Parks and Recrecation, said the 119-acre park and the park road will be off limits to the public from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. every day. Those hours will also apply to the Magic Island parking lot, which police for years have routinely closed at 8 p.m.

              Chang said there will be one exception to the nightly closure of Ala Moana: July 3.

Recognizing that thousands of people traditionally stake out a space for the Fourth of July fireworks show from the night before, Chang said the park will not be closed on July 3, 2006.

            He added, “We want to remind the public that camping is not authorized at Ala Moana, and that alcoholic beverages and fireworks are prohibited from it and all other City parks.”

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Contact:

Lester Chang, Director of Parks and Recreation, 692-5585

Bill Brennan, 527-6928