The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) announced

today that on April 27, 2010, Kama'aina Kids will begin management
of He'eia State Park, located on the shore of Kane'ohe Bay.

"He'eia State Park, also known as Lae O Ke Alohi, is a unique and

valuable public asset that serves the windward community as a social,
educational, and cultural gathering place," said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR
chairperson. "We look forward to Kama'aina Kids applying its expertise
to improve management of the park, while also conducting new and
enriching environmental programs for children, adults, and Hawai'i's
visitors."

Under a lease of up to 25 years, Kama'aina Kids will manage and

operate the park for the Division of State Parks, including rental of the
banquet hall for public functions such as baby luaus, graduation
celebrations, and wedding receptions.

All current reservations for the park banquet hall will be honored.
Anyone holding an existing reservation should call Kama'aina Kids at
262-4538 to confirm the date. New reservations will be taken once all
the current reservations have been determined.

Kama'aina Kids will also be responsible for the cleaning, repairs and
maintenance of the park grounds, buildings and facilities, and future
construction and renovations, as well as covering the cost of all
utilities. Permanent staff will be assigned to the park during park hours
and for events, seven days a week.

"DLNR is proud to enter into a public-nonprofit partnership with

Kama'aina Kids that will bring much needed re-investment in the
management and operation of the facilities and grounds at He'eia
State Park," said Dan Quinn, state parks administrator.

"The community can look forward to the open, continued public use of
the park grounds and the continued rental of the banquet hall for
family and community functions. There will also be improved
maintenance and security of the grounds and facilities with full time
staff on site," said Curt Cottrell, State Parks assistant administrator,
who is overseeing the management transition.
Friends of He'eia State Park previously held a lease to manage,
schedule events and collect fees for frequent public events in the
banquet hall and to utilize the education building. The organization
also conducted an array of quality environmental programs and hosted
a variety of events for the windward community.

Upon the ending of the lease with the Friends of He'eia, and at the
request of other community representatives interested in the
sustainable management of He'eia, the Department in 2008 invited
proposals from entities interested in managing the park. The
successful proposal submitted by Kama'aina Kids reflected that it has
the background, capital resources and staffing to accomplish these
objectives. Kama'aina Kids will pay DLNR rent based on a percentage
of the income generated at the park.

DLNR has been working towards reaching a collaborative transition

with both the Friends of He'eia and Kama'aina Kids to ensure a smooth
transfer of knowledge and management.

Kama'aina Kids has expressed an interest in collaboration with the

board members of the Friends of He'eia and many other members of
the community on new and future program development – as they also
strive to generate income to improve the aging and unsightly
conditions of this historical park.

"We value the contributions of the Friends of He'eia State Park and
hope they will continue to support the park and lend their support and
expertise to Kama'aina Kids in this new chapter of He'eia
management," said Thielen.