Honolulu police will begin patrols of city parks in an effort to curb lawlessness, Mayor Mufi Hannemann said yesterday during his annual State of the City speech.

The patrols will start this summer along the Leeward Coast before expanding to cover all 290 city parks. The patrols will focus on beaches and parking lots, and provide a visible deterrent.

"Our parks should be safe for our children, our kupuna, our 'ohana, and our many visitors, but sometimes they're not," said Hannemann.

The patrols are coming about two years after a concerted city initiative begun at Ala Moana Beach Park to refurbish and repair park facilities. To complete the repairs, the city closed a series of parks and moved out homeless people living there.

The proposal was among the highlights of Hannemann's fourth State of the City address, which he gave at the Hawai'i Theatre and opened with his rendition of "My Hawai'i," a ballad composed by his brother, Nephi.

In the speech, Hannemann spoke of his administration's efforts over the past three years, citing work to reduce homelessness, repair potholes, develop a waste management plan and address traffic congestion. He said the city is on pace to break ground on a mass transit system next year and continues to repair streets, improve aging infrastructure and design environmentally friendly buildings.

After the speech, Honolulu police Chief Boisse Correa said park patrols will begin by placing officers at parks most in need. He said that slowly building the program will allow it to succeed and gain community support.

"You have issues with drugs, gang activity ... you name it, we got it in our parks," said Correa. "We want to stay low key and work with the people. As soon as people see the benefit of these positions we can expand the program."

Only two police officer positions currently are budgeted for the park patrols but existing officers patrolling the districts where the parks are located will be used until the program gains funding.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Hannemann also announced his plan to build a transitional housing development on River Street.

The proposed River Street Residences will feature a minimum of 60 affordable rental units, including units designated for people dealing with disability or special needs. Hannemann hopes to partner with a nonprofit agency by offering the site and using $2 million from the city's Affordable Housing Fund, pending council approval.

"One of the root causes of homelessness is the lack of permanent affordable housing," he said.

Another proposal was the expansion of the city's recycling programs into two new O'ahu neighborhoods, although the neighborhoods have not been determined.

Mililani and Hawai'i Kai currently have curbside recycling.

The speech also included an almost street-by-street update on sewer and roadwork planned for this year and beyond.

None of the new initiatives outlined would require the raising of taxes or fees, Hannemann said after the speech.

That was a key issue for City Councilman Charles Djou.

"It's nice to ask for a lot of new programs, but I wonder how much more big government projects the people of O'ahu can afford," Djou said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who attended yesterday's speech, praised the progress highlighted, but said the city still faces significant hurdles in completing the transit plan and managing waste.

"There is no way that the city, by itself, with its tax base, can deal with the financial requirements of secondary (sewage) treatment and still be able to deal with the immediate question of sewage disposal, the rehabilitation of sewage lines and the landfill. The county doesn't have that kind of tax resource and I don't think the state does either," said Abercrombie.

The city is disputing a tentative federal decision that would require the city's largest sewage treatment plant, on Sand Island, to be upgraded to meet national standards, a move that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

IT'S 'RIGHT DIRECTION'

City Council members had mixed reactions to the mayor's speech. Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said she was encouraged by the tone of the speech and some of the mayor's plans.

"We're headed in the right direction and I'm glad he stressed co-leaders and working cooperatively," Kobayashi said.

Councilman Donovan Dela Cruz said that despite the mayor's discussion of sustainability and the need to better manage the island's trash, he heard no mention of progress on the city's 25-year solid waste management plan.

Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall said she would welcome recycling into her community if adequate environmental safeguards are put in place and if the expansion is properly handled.

"I, of course, would like my district to have curbside recycling — once we know this program works without any public health effects," Marshall said.