New Tents On The Pier!

Aloha Friends!

I would like to announce the new Green Tents have been installed! We have 3 professional grade 20X30 foot tents on the Kailua Kona pier. Two are outside the wrought iron fence and one is inside it. They are semi-permanent with a high SPF factor to shade folks from the sun. I have attached a few pictures I took after things calmed down last Wednesday – our first cruise ship using the tents. FYI: Our Info Booth plans to stay right where it is – across the pier from these tents. We are lucky to have the best view of them. (Sharing info needs an area a bit quieter to chat with our visitors.)

This project has been jointly sponsored by two locally focused nonprofit organizations – KVBID (Kailua Village Business Improvement District) and DKC (Destination Kona Coast). Both contributed the grant monies to fund these long-lasting shade structures. Thank you to you and your team, Ross Wilson, Director of KVBID and also Executive Director of Current Events. And Thank you to Jeannie Jewell, President, DKC and Marie Aguilar, Vice President, DKC for doing a lot of the research and other background work to get the right tents ordered and delivered.

We also need to give a big mahalo to Jerome Nickerson, DLNR/DOBOR Hawaii District Manager and his DLNR maintenance team for stepping up and performing the installation of these heavy Tents. This was not a job to be done by the general public (many of us are retired seniors). They prepped the pier area to ensure the structure will withstand reasonable winds so everyone who is under the tents will be safe and secure.

These tents will not only shade our cruise ship visitors but also be there for local events such as fishing tournaments and canoe races based at the pier.

This was a job that couldn’t have been done without the teamwork exhibited by a lot of folks representing several organizations. A huge Mahalo to all!

Mary Beth Witzel, DKC Board Secretary and Pier Coordinator