Honolulu Advertiser May 15, 2004

Maui playground finally blooms after two-year community effort

By Timothy Hurley, Staff Writer

HAIKU, Maui - One of Hawai'i's largest playground structures is being built in an extraordinary community effort involving hundreds of volunteers coming together in barn-raising style.

Two years in the making, the Kalakupua Playground is finally coming to life at 4th Marine Division Memorial Park in Ha'iku. Construction began Tuesday, with a goal of wrapping up most of the work by tomorrow.

	Volunteers from around Maui and even the Mainland are building one of the state's largest playground structures at 4th Marine Division Park in Ha'iku.

The finishing touches, including installation of mosaic and mural art pieces, are expected to be accomplished by the end of the month.

Yesterday, volunteers from around the island — and even some from the Mainland — were pitching in to construct the $240,000 specially designed, disabled-accessible, 9,000-square-foot structure that will feature a castle tower, treehouse, mazes and an elaborate "octopus" slide.

"The playground will be the result of our work, but the exciting thing is we're strengthening bonds in the community," said River Sussman, one of two general coordinators of the project. "We are building bridges in the community while building a playground."

There hasn't been this much activity at 4th Marine Division Memorial Park since the Marines set up camp here between World War II campaigns that included the battle for Iwo Jima.

Sussman said a former member of the 4th Marine Division stopped by the park Thursday. "He was in tears," she said. "He got a standing ovation from the volunteers, and he was so thankful."

The activity also has been stirring memories for 93-year-old David Cup-Choy, a lifelong neighbor of the park who remembers when it was filled with 20,000 Marines.

"This is really good," he said, snapping pictures for his scrapbook yesterday. "This group of volunteers, with their fellowship and working together, really reminds me of those days."

Karen Cooper, the other general coordinator, conceived the playground project when her children were toddlers. They're in high school now, but she never dropped the idea, forming a Friends of the Playground committee two years ago. Since then, the idea has mushroomed.

The committee hooked up with Leathers and Associates, a company that specializes in community-built architecture, then gathered input from community members — especially children, who suggested the various features.

The children even came up with the name: Kalakupua means "magical" in Hawaiian. Students at Makawao Elementary School created hundreds of ceramic tiles that will be built into the structure.

The committee began raising money, taking in tens of thousands of dollars in grants from the Upcountry Rotary Club, Maui County, the Hawai'i Community Foundation, Home Depot and other groups and organizations. Members also are selling sponsorship of playground components and pickets for a fence that will enclose the toddler area.

Between rainy weather and occasional labor shortages this past week, the effort is a day behind, Sussman said. But one way or another, she said, the project will be completed by the end of the month.

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