Parents in Mililani say the playground at Makaʻunulau Community Park, known locally as 16 Acres, is riddled with jagged, rusted holes and a broken railing, with parts of the equipment roped off in caution tape. Locals say children have continued to play nearby even as maintenance crews put in temporary patches.
As reported by Civil Beat, a viral Instagram reel from @hawaiinewsreport shows a videographer probing the playground and warning, "You can, like, cut yourself on these." The clip helped draw wider attention to the site and the city's response.
On site, a parks maintenance worker repurposed six old metal signs and used zip ties as a stopgap to cover the holes, while caution tape and a spray‑painted "STAY OFF" board warned people away. In a statement to Civil Beat, Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation spokesperson Nate Serota said, "We do plan on fixing the playground, but are currently limited by unexpected staffing issues; as a result, we do not currently have a timeline for repairs." City records list Makaʻunulau Community Park at about 16 acres; see City documents that show the park in the Central Oʻahu inventory.
Why repairs are taking longer
The parks department says some parts must be shipped from the mainland and that limited maintenance capacity has slowed fixes. The city has recruited seasonal and maintenance staff in recent years; as Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported, DPR has advertised for hundreds of seasonal roles to keep programs and facilities running.
Neighbors and the neighborhood board
Neighborhood board members have flagged the problem and expect it to come up at an upcoming meeting. The Mililani Town Association lists Danielle Bass as chair of the Mililani‑Waipiʻo‑Melemanu Neighborhood Board, and board materials show regular agenda items on park maintenance; see Mililani Town Association documents for contacts and agendas.
Who to contact
Parents and caregivers who see dangerous equipment should contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation; the department lists Laura H. Thielen as director and a main office phone of (808) 768‑3003 on its site. The department also accepts emails at [email protected] and posts updates and contact options on its website: Department of Parks and Recreation.
