Kalaeloa Heritage Park & Townscape, Inc.

By: Gabrielle Sham, Staff PlannerTownscape, Inc. Kalaeloa Heritage ParkIn 2014, our company Townscape, Inc., a local community and environmental planning company, had the privilege to work with members of the Kalaeloa Heritage and Legacy Foundation (KHLF) and the Hawaii Community Development Authority to develop a conceptual plan for a 77-acre living historical park—now being restored and managed as the Kalaeloa Heritage Park. The heritage park contains significant cultural and natural resources unique to the Ewa plain, including the majority of undisturbed cultural sites remaining within Kalaeloa.I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit such a special place, so rich in cultural history. While working with members of the KHLF to develop this conceptual plan, one of the experiences that I will always remember is when someone shared how the moʻolelo they learned from dancing hula as a child finally made sense after visiting the heritage park—“they were no longer myths, but stories supported by evidence seen at the heritage park.” I have been fortunate enough to have visited the heritage park several times with Uncle Shad and listen to him as he shares moʻolelo associated with this place. And just as the community has shared, I have been extremely fascinated to hear those stories and to then see the physical evidence of it at the heritage park. I learn something new every time at the heritage park. It is something that you cannot experience or learn by sitting inside a classroom.Of the 77 acres, only five acres was proposed for the development of facilities to support the heritage park, as the layout focused on minimizing disturbance of the site and building on previously disturbed areas. The conceptual plan features a cultural center that will serve as the gathering place prior to visitors entering into the interpretative park area where the existing kauhale, agricultural sinkholes, temporary and permanent habitation structures and an ancient trail are located. The cultural center would provide space for a ticketing area, cultural demonstrations and entertainment, workshop rooms to support cultural and educational activities, a kitchen and dining area, and an education center for future partnerships with schools and college programs. The conceptual plan also includes a caretaker home to provide for live-in surveillance to protect the park’s resources; a greenhouse to provide space for an aquaponics system that would contribute to the proposed weekly, onsite farmers’ market; and maintenance shed with a fence-secured area to store and secure equipment used to maintain the park.Many volunteers have contributed endless hours to help restore and maintain the interpretative park area. In the long-term, future projects at the heritage park are anticipated to generate enough revenue to sustain operating costs. While some of the smaller improvements, such as the rest shelters and trail maintenance, can be completed with donated supplies, larger grants and fundraising will be needed to carry out the vision for this special place. Considering the many educational opportunities regarding stewardship and preservation of native Hawaiian cultural sites, and cultural traditions and practices that this heritage park has to offer and can provide to our youth, there is no doubt that it is worth the investment. I truly believe there is value in what this heritage park is trying to accomplish and I hope that others have the opportunity to experience this unique and special place.