User:Alllllbertt/sandbox

= Kawananakoa Playground =

Kawananakoa Playground, also known as “Kawananakoa Neighborhood Park ''and “Lower Courts” is a free public park located on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawai' i in Honolulu. It resides between Nuuanu Avenue and South Kuakini Street and is right next to Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School. Kawananakoa Playground is made up of 2.4 acres (.0097 km2 ) of land that is part concrete and part field.

The concrete portion is made up of a green concrete floor with white lines painted on. The white lines indicate 2 full court basketball courts and 2 full court volleyball courts. Implanted into the concrete are the posts for volleyball nets and posts for the basketball backboards and rims. Surrounding the concrete portion is a cage that separates that park from the streets and roads. There are two doors, one for each court, to allow public access into the playground.

The field portion is partly surrounded by a three foot concrete wall surrounds the playground with benches built into the wall. This wall runs where the outside street would be. The rest of the field is connected to Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School and the concrete portion. There is also a concrete comfort station, or a bathroom, for both men and women which is located near the basketball court closest to Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School. Other important elements are the baseball field, a Blasingame Fountain, and a terrace wall made from lava rock.

History:
Kawananakoa Playground was created in 1937 by Honolulu Park Architect, Harry Sims Bent. Bent also was the architect of Ala Moana Park, Mother Waldron Playground, Haleiwa Beach Park, and Ala Wai Park.

Vandalism:
Like most public parks in Honolulu, there are instances of vandalism all over the playground.

Kawananakoa Playground and Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School were both vandalized at night on Tuesday, January 19 2016. The vandalism was found by staff the following Wednesday morning. The vandalism included spray painted crude words and inappropriate images on eight buildings, walls, and on the backboard of a basketball rim. Staff and student volunteers were able to paint over the vandalism by 10:30 that morning.

Honolulu Police were notified and started a felony, criminal property damage investigation. No security cameras were available during the vandalism but with the help of staff, students, and social media posts, those responsible for the vandalism were found.

Improvements:
The Department of Parks and Recreation were able to renovate parts of Kawananakoa Playground. Both the concrete comfort station and the basketball and volleyball courts were renovated.

The concrete bathrooms were renovated and finished in May of 2015. Renovations removed vandalism located on the outside and inside of the comfort station. The floors of the inside of the comfort station were also renovated as new tile floors were added.

The basketball and volleyball courts were renovated and finished in May of 2016. The renovation included a removal of vandalism that was present all over the courts. Then, the courts were resurfaced which replaced the previous asphalt ground with a new concrete ground. The ground was a bright green and new lines were painted for basketball and volleyball games.