It seemed an elegant solution to a knotty political problem at the time. Kahana Valley State Park, once the site of land disputes and threatened evictions of largely Native Hawaiian residents, became a place where tenants could remain and continue traditional practices on the land.

Nearly 50 years ago, the pact was seen as a win-win for the long-term residents and for the larger community, who could benefit from this laboratory for sharing Native Hawaiian culture.

The Windward Oahu valley is an “ahupua‘a” stretching from the mountains to the sea. That’s itself a native cultural practice of land management, which is why the “living park” is also known as the Ahupua‘a ‘O Kahana State Park.

It was a costly experiment — in 1970 the state paid $5 million to acquire 5,000-plus acres — and now, many are saying it’s a failed experiment.

Compliance by lessees on their commitments, including logging 25 hours a month in interpretive programs for park visitors, has been appallingly spotty, and the beautiful valley has been marred by junked cars, tear-down structures and other eyesores.

For its part, the overseer, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), has lapsed on some of its responsibilities, including the preparation of a master plan.

It would take much effort from all involved — but the concept can and should be salvaged. There have been some tenants who have been true to their part of the bargain, and there are long-term leases involved, which could be difficult to unwind.

A report commissioned on the enterprise has come to the conclusion that the “living park” concept is not viable. However, an effort to restructure how the park is run, and by whom, could succeed and should be considered.

The state was never known to be a successful landlord. In fairness, managing a hybrid park-residential- agricultural complex is not within the wheelhouse of DLNR. And unfortunately, state lawmakers also have meddled by intervening in earlier efforts to have lessees comply with lease terms.

But the agency could get back on track by working with a private partner — Kamehameha Schools comes to mind as a candidate — that has a record of property management and an interest in fostering the Hawaiian culture.

The dire conclusion of the consultant hired to analyze the problem, Townscape Inc., is that “the ‘living park’ concept is no longer a valid overall concept for Ahupua‘a ‘O Kahana State Park.” Its proposals:

>> Attempt to revalidate and reinvigorate the living-park concept by evicting families that are in violation of the terms of their leases and bringing in new families “who will make a firm commitment to fulfilling the ‘cultural hours requirement’ of the 65-year leases.”

>> Rescind the concept but allow families to continue living in Kahana under modified leases requiring nominal lease rents of no more than $400 annually, with flexibility to sell food products and crafts that they make.

Option A deserves at least a chance. Current lessees could be given a set period and opportunity to negotiate and fulfill their lease terms. But if they’re unwilling to do so, there surely are others willing and able to take over the leases and provide the cultural demonstrations. These were supposed to have been the public benefit for the state buying the park in the first place.

As for the nominal lease rents suggested in the second option: These are excessively lax, making this plan unfair to those on the waiting list, eager to do what’s required for a successful park.

There are tasks that await DLNR, such as completing a master plan and redesignating the land for agricultural use, a classification that accommodates residences.

This is a “make it work” moment for the living park — a concept tough to implement, but not yet ripe for abandonment.