Long-awaited park improvement projects in Haleiwa and Ewa Beach are moving forward thanks to two public-private partnerships.

The basketball and volleyball court at Pupukea Beach Park will reopen today after the facility was closed more than five years ago. City officials, including Councilman Ernie Martin and Parks and Recreation Director Michele Nekota, and residents plan to hold a blessing ceremony at the 9,500-square-foot court at the beach park off Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa at 10:20 a.m.

Residents said the court was in disrepair for several years, describing it as an eyesore where grass and weeds had grown through the cracked pavement, the fence was rusted and the basketball hoop was missing.

Community members launched a fundraising campaign last year to improve the court and raised $142,300, surpassing their initial $125,000 goal. Work to replace the asphalt surface, chain link fence, poles and gate; repair the stone retaining walls; seal and stripe the courts; install basketball backboards; and construct a handicap ramp began at the end of September and was completed last week.

The funds collected were donated to the city through the nonprofit Malama Pupukea-Waimea as a gift via a resolution that the City Council adopted Wednesday. Bill Quinlan, who serves on the advisory council of the nonprofit, which seeks to sustain the natural and cultural resources of the area through stewardship and education, said volunteers and residents worked with the city to get the project done for the community.

“It’s very rewarding for the community to come together the way they did to raise the money,” said Quinlan, a Haleiwa resident, adding that he expects many residents to use the court. “It’s a place where the community gets together.”

Martin, who represents the area, agreed.

“Because it’s by the shoreline, it was subject to conditions that a normal urban park wouldn’t normally be subjected to,” said Martin, who helped to collect donations. “With similar public projects, we didn’t do the proper maintenance. Fortunately, we had a willing nonprofit from the community that knew it was a shame that this beautiful facility could not be utilized by the children in the district. I think everybody’s very excited.”

In West Oahu, community members plan to start work next month to improve the skateboarding area at Ewa Beach Community Park and expect to finish in March. Students at nearby Campbell High School and other skateboarders made a plea to the Ewa Neighborhood Board last year for improvements at the facility.

They said the cracks in the ramps, the unsteady surface and the loose pebbles and rocks made it difficult and unsafe to use the facility, which was built in 1992 and has not been refurbished.

The Association of Skateboarders in Hawaii stepped in to help collect donations for improvements to the facility and plans to install two concrete skateboarding obstacles for users at a cost of $37,000. Those funds were also donated to the city via a resolution that the Council adopted Wednesday.

Chuck Mitsui, the association’s founder, said they are still seeking donations, building materials and skilled volunteers to help.

“I think it’s really good for these kids who started at the ground level. … They started learning about the whole process,” Mitsui said. “Now that they’re going through this process, I think they have a greater respect for the parks.”

Once the obstacles are installed, the city plans to resurface the skateboarding area’s asphalt surface with concrete for $185,000. Due to the amount of space the obstacles will occupy, less concrete will be needed for resurfacing, and the city said that could lower the final cost. The city plans to issue a bid for the resurfacing work by June.

“The improvements to the park will promote the safety of the skateboarders as well as address recreational needs of many residents, especially young people throughout Ewa and West Oahu,” said Council Chairman Ron Menor, who represents the area. “This project is also an example of the kinds of public-private partnerships that we need to rehabilitate parks throughout the island.”

Both Quinlan and Mitsui said their groups plan to pursue similar community projects in the future.

For more information, visit pupukeawaimea.org for the Haleiwa park initiative and skatehawaii.org for the Ewa Beach skateboarding project.