Flags and Chinese Social Hall at Hawaii's Plantation Village
We all know how rough the economy is and Hawaii has been hurt as much or in some areas more than the rest of the country. The state's homeless population is a serious problem and while recent "sweeps" in more popular tourist locations have taken place, the homeless have just been forced to move elsewhere. One area where the homeless population has increased on Oahu is at Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, just west of Pearl Harbor.
The homeless situation on Oahu is complex. Many of the homeless have jobs and families, but can simply not afford the high cost of housing on Oahu where the median cost for a single family home was, as of November 2011, $580,000. Of course, a significant number of the homeless have personal issues such as drug and alcohol problems.
An offshoot of large homeless camps, such as currently exists at Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, is that many locals and visitors tend to shy away from these areas. This has a negative impact on businesses and, in the case of Waipahu Cultural Garden Park, Hawaii's Plantation Village (HPV), a non-profit living history museum which is located within the park.
Hawaii's Plantation Village is one of the hidden gems on Oahu, but one, where even in good times, very few visitors (or local residents) ever take the chance to experience. I have visited the Village and it is well worth the effort to drive to this off the beaten track location.
Like most non-profits, 2011 was a very hard year for Hawaii's Plantation Village. Donations were down and harder to come by than in prior years, and grants promised to HPV in early in 2011 were reduced by 50% by the time the grant contracts had been signed later in the year. In addition, visitor arrivals to Hawaii's Plantation Village last summer did not meet their projected numbers and the organization was surviving on a month-to-month basis. December 2011 was finally showing promise when for the second time in two year, a break-in and burglary happened during the early morning hours of December 31.
Thieves made off with over $2,500 in valuable goods and merchandise, an expensive Husqvarna lawn mower, a Shindaiwa professional grade line trimmer (weed whacker) and a full set of tools and wrenches. The thieves tried, unsuccessfully, to steal the Village's electric and gas golf carts. Thieves dragged the lawn mower through the kalo lo'i (taro fields) on their way out.
Taro Field at Hawaii's Plantation Village
Jeff Higa, HPV Executive Director, as would be expected, was angered by this second break-in within two years. "Non-profits exist to serve the community, so it makes me angry when individuals steal from non-profits like us," stated Higa. "A for-profit enterprise can buy new equipment, purchase state-of-the-art security systems and make their work spaces more comfortable. Since we do not operate to make money, most of our income is returned into the programs we offer that serve the community. When a crime like this happens, our mission becomes compromised; the level of service drops off and we have to scramble to find additional funds to cover these losses."
Okinawan House
In operation since 1992, Hawaii's Plantation Village has historically accurate structures replicating life on the sugar plantation in the early 1900's. Therefore, most of the historic buildings do not have electricity or plumbing which came much later in the Plantation era. The building which the thieves broke in to does not have electricity. Security for these structures consists of heavy duty locks and chains - all of which were breached during the theft. Increasingly, the choice for HPV is whether electronic security measures for these historic structures should be installed, resulting in control panels, warning signs, etc.
"But how historically accurate is a plantation house with alarm stickers, monitoring devices, movements detectors, and keypads?" lamented Higa. "One of our most important missions is to educate Hawaii's school children about how their immigrant ancestors lived and what their lives were like. We provide a physical environment for discussion and learning to take place. Do we now bring the children in and say, 'This is how the early plantation workers lived, but ignore the motion detectors, the sensors on the windows and doors, and the flashing control panel?' By compromising the total immersion experience of Hawaii's Plantation Village, we lose so much in the telling and teaching."
The equipment that was stolen will have to be replaced immediately. Hawaii's Plantation Village is set in a 50 acre park but can only afford one groundskeeper to manage all of the grounds. Higa remarked, "If our groundskeeper is without the equipment the grounds will get out of control in no time. At this point, I honestly do not know if we will be able to replace the equipment we lost with comparable replacements. The funds for that are just not there."
Needless to say, in order to insure its future for Hawaii visitors and local residents alike, Hawaii Plantation Village needs our help. Donations of any size can be sent to:
Hawaii's Plantation Village
94-695 Waipahu Street
Waipahu, HI 96797
For more information visit their website or call 808-677-0110.
For information on Hawaii packages and deals, check our frequently updated Hawaii Deal Sheet.