MEDIA RELEASE

Gov Linda Lingle has released $1 million in planning, design and construction funds for comfort station, entry road, parking lot, landscaping, pavilion and picnic area improvements at Manuka State Wayside.

This project is part of the $1.8 billion public infrastructure construction plan unveiled by Lingle in December 2008 to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Progress of the more than 1,500 projects included in the plan can be tracked on the Governor’s Web site at www.hawaii.gov/cip.

“Project improvements will increase access to the natural and cultural resources at Manuka State Wayside and build on ongoing efforts by the Department of Land and Natural Resources to upgrade state parks, trails and small boat harbors statewide,” Lingle said.

Manuka State Wayside provides a rest stop for commuters between East Hawaii and West Hawaii and offers unique environmental and recreational resources, including the Manuka Natural Area Reserve and the two-mile Manuka Nature Trail, where hikers can view old lava flows, a pit crater and cultural sites. The park also possesses a historic water catchment system comprised of a series of redwood tanks.

Design is scheduled to begin in August 2009 and be completed in August 2010. Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2010 and be completed in October 2011.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing comprehensive improvements to Hawaii’s state parks, small boat harbors, trails and other outdoor recreational facilities as part of its Recreational Renaissance plan introduced in the 2009 legislative session.

The plan provides a strategy to immediately improve recreational facilities across the state and provide regular and cost-effective maintenance, and to fund this effort through a combination of new non-tax revenues and limited modest fees. Included in the plan are 238 capital improvement projects worth $240 million at recreational facilities statewide.

Information on the initiative is available at www.hawaii.gov/gov/initiatives/2009/recreation.