After numerous upgrades, survey seeks feedback from public about Kalena Park

Kalena Park has welcomed kids of all ages to downtown Līhuʻe for about 4 decades.

“A wide range of people come to the park every day, from kids to tenagers to adults,” says the Līhuʻe Loop downtown walking audio tour about the park. “Many of these people participate in activities to keep them outside and fit.”

The 1.33 acres that would become the park was purchased by Kauaʻi County in the early 1970s.

Bounded by Rice Street to the northeast, Kalena Street to the northwest, Malama Street to the southwest and adjacent to the Līhuʻe Fire Station on its southeast side, the neighborhood park boasts a combination basketball/pickleball court, comfort station, newly upgraded playground and pavilions.

“The park is a great place to bring family, kids and friends to relax and have some fun and exercise in the nice weather,” says the audio tour.

Kalena Park has seen some transformation during the past few years, having undergone numerous improvements since 2019 with the help of grant funding and Kaua’i County backing along with support from nonprofit organizations, local business owners as well as hundreds of community members and volunteers.

The improvement efforts are aimed at creating a central community gathering place — one that serves the needs of everyone, no matter their age — and part of the continued revitalization of downtown Līhuʻe, the county seat and heart of Kaua’i.

Now, the county and those who worked so hard to improve Kalena Park so far want to hear what the community thinks and help shaping the neighborhood park’s future.

Kaua’i County Department of Parks and Recreation in partnership with Get Fit Kaua‘i invite community members to take a quick, 3-minute online survey to provide their feedback about the state of Kalena Park and what future projects they would like to see at the park.

The survey is open through April 30.

Participants also will be entered into weekly prize drawings as a show of appreciation for their participation.

Nonprofit Get Fit Kaua‘i has been developing a master plan for Kalena Park improvements since being awarded an $80,000 grant to do so in 2019.

Public feedback is important to that process.

Kalena Park has been in desperate need of some tender loving care and a redesign for several years.

By 2019, the fence surrounding the park was uninviting, with no real sense of where to enter. Playground equipment and bathrooms were in need of improvements.

Undesirable behavior happening at Kalena Park was causing an uneasy feeling and creating a perception it was unsafe.

Get Fit Kaua‘i’s Kalena Park Community Action Group along with representatives from Līhuʻe businesses, Kaua‘i County Parks and Recreation, Kaua‘i County Planning Department and Līhuʻe Boys and Girls Club hosted a community workday to implement a modified park plan prepared in 2019 by an outside parks and recreation planning, design and facilitation firm.

More than 100 volunteers showed up to install rubber tiles, plant tree and help with a general cleanup of the park. At the same time, paid artists painted murals on the restroom and concrete contractors stained the park’s sphere features and aloha sign.

A grant of $218,000 was used the same year to refurbish the park’s court. Basketball — and now pickleball — practices, games and tournaments are often hosted by youth and adults alike at the Kalena Park court.

Just last year, more than $259,000 was awarded to nonprofit Nā Lei Wili Area Health Education Center in a community development block grant that was used to replace the playground at the park.

Those funds also paid for replacing the chain-link fence around the park with concrete ball barriers and adding parking stops.

Let the county, Get Fit Kaua‘i and everyone else who stepped up during the past 6 years or more to help keep Kalena Park — the heart of Līhuʻe — a place for everyone to enjoy safely what you think of the park now, what you want to see in the future and maybe even how you can help by taking the online survey today.

Contact Bev Brody at bev@getfitkauai.com or by calling 808-212-4765 for more information or with any questions.

News reporter Nathan Christophel contributed to this story.