Hanapēpē Skatepark kickoff celebrates upcoming county construction start

Hanapēpē families and young skateboarders are getting their first real look at the permanent skatepark that county officials say will replace years of temporary setups and planning. The Planning Department’s PlayStreets Kaua‘i program and Kaua‘i Skate ‘Ohana are hosting a kickoff celebration at Hanapēpē Town Park on April 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., a milestone ahead of county construction that begins April 27.

The project carries a budget of about $1.56 million and is expected to be finished by fall 2026. County officials said part of Hanapēpē Town Park will close while work is underway, but the playground will remain open, preserving one of the park’s most-used family spaces even as the skate area is rebuilt.

The new park is being planned as a professionally designed concrete facility with features for different skill levels. County leaders and skate advocates say the point is not just to add recreation, but to create a place where youth can build confidence, sharpen skills, make friendships and feel a stronger sense of belonging. Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami has framed skateparks as more than amenities, saying they can become gathering places that support youth development and community connection.

The kickoff also marks the next step in a project that has been moving forward for years. In July 2024, Kaua‘i Skate ‘Ohana and Dreamland Skateparks held outreach meetings for the Hanapēpē and Nāwiliwili skatepark projects to gather community input on the designs. By late December 2024, the county had identified Hanapēpē and Nāwiliwili as the sites for new skateparks and had partnered with Oregon-based Dreamland Skateparks to build them.

Hanapēpē’s permanent park also grows out of the earlier pop-up skatepark that county officials opened in 2021 behind the fire station at Hanapēpē Town Park. That temporary setup included two halfpipes, one 3 feet tall and the other 6 feet tall, and was funded with roughly $35,000 from a State of Hawai‘i Department of Health quick-build grant. At the time, county officials said the pop-up would help test use and community impact before a permanent facility was pursued.

The push for a larger Westside skate facility was backed by years of testimony during the West Kaua‘i Community Plan process, where residents called for more skateboarding options. Kaua‘i already has established skate infrastructure in Kapa‘a and a smaller site in Līhu‘e, but the Hanapēpē project is shaping up as the Westside’s long-awaited long-term answer, a permanent space built to serve children, teens and families well beyond the kickoff celebration.