Ask the Mayor: Hāliʻimaile Tennis Court in State of Disrepair

Hāliʻimaile Park and Tennis courts. Photo courtesy County of Maui.

The mayor answers questions from the public in this series.

By Mayor Alan Arakawa

Q: Why is the Hāliʻimaile Tennis Court the “stepchild”? About a year ago I wrote a letter regarding the bad condition of the tennis court in Hāliʻimaile.

I was very happy to see that the there was some progress in maintaining the grass around the court. Also, the doors and the net were repaired, and I did send a thank you letter.

Unfortunately, the part that desperately needs repair or replacement is the court surface. It’s almost dangerous to play there. All other County courts look nice… why not this one? Mahalo.

A: Actually, the County has several outdoor courts in similar condition to the Hāliʻimaile tennis court.

The current location of the Hāliʻimaile court is not an ideal site, as the trees adjacent to the court have grown over the years and are very large. They leave a lot of rubbish on the playing surface, and the trees’ roots uplift and crack the asphalt (and will continue to do so), creating a safety hazard.

Even under ideal conditions, outdoor courts (tennis and basketball) have a certain number of years of useful service.

In order to get the most years of service, these courts require regular and periodic maintenance, including acrylic re-surfacing every five to seven years.

As funding has not historically been provided to maintain all of our courts, thus extending their useful lifespan, some have fallen into a state of disrepair such that they will require a complete rebuilding. This is the case for the Hāliʻimaile tennis court.

Prior to the County spending hundreds of thousands of dollars per court to replace existing facilities, the Parks Department will soon be conducting a County-wide needs assessment to, in part, help determine the most suitable locations for tennis and basketball courts.

This could be at the same site as existing locations, or it could possibly be building multiple courts in areas centralized to community population bases.

Thank you for inquiring about the Hāliʻimaile tennis court—your participation in the upcoming needs assessment would be greatly valued and appreciated.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email: [email protected], phone: 270-7855 or mail: 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.