Opponents claiming a state-level agency intends to end free recreational parking at the popular, state-controlled Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor hoped to make their voices heard at an official meeting today.

But the state’s Board of Land and Natural Resources’ scheduled review of a Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation recommendation to see the existing vehicle parking concession and accompanying revocable monthly permit be renewed and awarded to Secure Parking Hawaii LLC was canceled.

Instead, following a resident’s complaint lodged over the lack of notice or details regarding DOBOR’s recommended parking contract at Ala Wai harbor, the BLNR meeting was rescheduled for Dec. 8.

Officials say moving ahead with today’s meeting could have entangled the state in unwanted legal challenges.

“The Office of Information Practices recommended that the meeting be postponed,” said Ryan Aguilar, a Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesperson. “And the issue had to do with the way the livestreaming was noticed on the agenda.”

Kate Thompson, a leader with Save Surf Parking Coalition Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, confirmed that on behalf of her group she emailed OIP over the harbor parking issue, noticed as item J-7 on the BLNR agenda.

“DOBOR/DLNR did not give adequate notice of the parking plan, and the recommended elimination of free parking stalls,” the group’s Nov. 5 email reads. “The J-7 agenda does not give adequate notice of the topic to be discussed.”

As a result of that email, OIP staff attorney Lori Kato recommended that BLNR Chairperson Dawn Chang delay this week’s meeting.

“The Sunshine Law requires the agenda to list all of the items the board intends to consider at the meeting and the failure to do so may result in a challenge based on improper notice,” Kato said in her Nov. 6 email to Chang.

In addition, she noted there were “no remote meeting link(s) allowing the public to contemporaneously view and hear the meeting and provide remote oral testimony.”

“The Sunshine Law requires such information to be included in meeting notices,” Kato said.

On Wednesday afternoon, DLNR issued a news release shedding more light on plans for Ala Wai harbor and its 900 assigned parking stalls — ones the agency says are split evenly between permitted, paid and free recreational parking stalls.

“The boating program is currently subsidizing free parking in the facility which is not fair to those who are paying the fees,” DOBOR Administrator Ed Underwood said in a written statement. “Everyone using the facility should share in the costs of maintaining it.”

He added “the majority of permit-based parking spaces sit open many days, all day. Contractors and hotel workers often utilize the free recreational parking stalls and simply move their cars throughout the day to avoid getting a ticket.”

In response, DOBOR says it’s proposing two options:

>> Eliminate permit-based and free recreational parking stalls. All stalls would become paid stalls.

>> Eliminate permit parking stalls and restrict free recreational parking to the area fronting the Hilton Lagoon, resulting in approximately 125 free parking stalls.

According to Underwood, either alternative, if approved by BLNR, will address the issue of people using Ala Wai boat harbor for “non-harbor-related activities.”

“And should provide additional parking options,” he said. “People with valid parking permits will be allowed to park in any available stall unless the area has signs posted and is closed during specific time periods.”

Besides parking stalls, DOBOR says it’s also seeking to raise hourly parking rates from $1 to $2, which it says is consistent with public parking charges at many state-run facilities.

Moreover, DOBOR staffers are recommending that parking time for free spots be reduced to three hours from six.

“Recognizing the importance of community engagement, the current parking vendor, Secure Parking Hawaii LLC is tasked with managing outreach with stakeholders and harbor users,” DLNR states. “If DOBOR converts all permit- based stalls to paid parking, Secure Parking will also be responsible for creating specialized outreach to impacted stakeholders, such as harbor tenants.”

Noting that today’s BLNR meeting was postponed, the state agency says it is “working to determine when the Ala Wai parking proposal will come to the board for decision-making.”

Honolulu-based Secure Parking was last awarded the parking contract for the Ala Wai harbor in September 2021.

If it had been approved at today’s meeting, Secure Parking’s new month-to-month permit to operate on state lands was to commence Friday.

Meanwhile, Thompson told the Honolulu Star- Advertiser on Wednesday morning that she was encouraged OIP reviewed her group’s request, then took action on it.

“I’m glad that they canceled the part about amending the parking plan,” she said by phone. “But I’m not happy that they canceled the whole meeting day; that was pretty extreme.”

But Thompson stressed that her group — which held a rally at the boat harbor on Tuesday in protest to potential parking changes — wants to see greater public transparency with regard to DOBOR.

She said that includes obtaining a copy of DOBOR’s parking contract with Secure Parking as well as a related “memorandum of agreement” with the harbor’s tow company, Mr. Tow LLC, and the agency’s overall plans with regard to facility maintenance and operations at Ala Wai boat harbor.

“Just basically, we’re demanding that the Division of Boating come to the public and have a public forum, like at an elementary school,” she added. “A town hall meeting, that’s what we want.”