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Sand Island Off Highway Vehicle Association held a ground breaking for
SANDBOX HAWAII. The primary visual for the ground breaking was Sandbox
BMX track in the staging area. Tentative opening is Oct 09. A
lot of work left to do to build a starting gate, fence the area in to
protect the track, and finish grooming the track itself. Any and ALL
VOLUNTEERS are welcome. Thanks so much to those who were able to make
it out to the track on Saturday and Sunday. YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!!!
A lot of Mountain Bike/Downhill rider support as well. Also thanks to
BILLY ALLEN, our professional BMX track builder on his outstanding job.
Our local dirt loading operators watched in amazement at his artistry with
the loader provided by GRACE PACIFIC. If you want to help in the
future, please email
Jim. Check out the Advertiser and
Star Bulletin stories plus Island BMX pictures of the track.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE STAR BULLETIN (AND SOME TV REPORTS) GOT IT WRONG WITH
MOTORCYCLES ON OUR BMX TRACK. PLEASE DO NOT SHOW UP WITH A MOTORCYCLE.
IF YOU SEE SOMEONE DO SO, PLEASE ASK THEIR KOKUA - NO CAN!!! IT WILL
DESTROY OUR TRACK!!!Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Off-roaders get 'sandbox' ready to roll
Waterfront park
off Sand Island will be their first legal
place to play
Advertiser Staff
A ground-breaking
ceremony was held yesterday for O'ahu's
first legal, off-road venue for everything
from remote-controlled model cars to monster
trucks.
The 32-acre,
waterfront park off of Sand Island — now
known as "Sandbox Hawaii" — will will mean
less wear and tear on the Kahuku Motocross
Park, and on hot spots for four-wheelers,
said Reid Shimabukuro, who has been
instrumental in setting up the Sand Island
park.
The effort has been
supported by the state Department of Land
and Natural Resources, which often deals
with the destruction from illegal off-road
vehicles.
Sandbox Hawaii will
evolve in phases, starting with a track for
BMX bikers, an area for remote-controlled
vehicles and a "peewee track" for kids who
ride off-road motorcycles and a track for
four-wheelers — trucks fitted with big tires
and special suspensions.
The project is a
first-of-its-kind partnership between
off-roaders of all kinds and the state
government and was supported yesterday by
Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.
It was originally
scheduled to open in fall 2007 but has been
stalled because of several permitting and
other delays.
The park will be
maintained by volunteers and users will pay
fees, which will help cover insurance costs.
Dakota
Kam, 3, puts on his helmet
before mounting his dirt bike at
"Sandbox Hawaii." When work is
completed, the Sand Island park
will include facilities for all
sorts of off-road vehicles, from
bikes to monster trucks.
RICHARD
AMBO | The Honolulu Advertiser

Off-road adventures
A park
for dirt bikes and other riding sports has been
carved out of Sand Island land
By Rosemarie Bernardo
POSTED:
01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 25, 2009
A narrow parcel once
covered with kiawe, dry brush and trash has been
transformed into a park for dirt bikes, all-terrain
vehicles and BMX riders.
About 100 people attended a
ceremony yesterday for Sandbox Hawaii, an off-road
park the size of a football field near the Marine
Education and Training Center at Sand Island. The
park is slated to open Oct. 1.
It will be the only
off-road track authorized on state land on Oahu to
be open weekdays. The other park is Kahuku
Motocross, which is only open on weekends and
federal holidays.
The park is 90 percent
complete. Still to be done are rock removal and
compacting the dirt, said Reid Shimabukuro,
president of the Sand Island Off-Highway Vehicle
Association.
Though Shimabukuro does not
ride motorcycles or motocross bikes, he recognized a
wider need for such a park for youths.
"There's a ton of kids on
bikes, but they have nowhere to ride," he said.
The groundbreaking came
after the state and association overcame hurdles
with daunting permit processes. Four years ago Curt
Cottrell, assistant administrator of the Division of
State Parks, was state trail program manager when
Shimabukuro approached him with the idea of an
off-road park near the Ewa shoreline of Sand Island
State Park.
Cottrell worked closely
with Shimabukuro and other members of the
association on the project.

The state received a
$30,000 federal grant for the project. Cottrell
worked on the environmental assessment and the
special management area use permit, but he and his
staff faced complicated permit processes, which
prompted him to hire consultants.
About $13,500 was spent to
obtain a grubbing and grading permit and a permit
from the state Department of Health. The remaining
funds will go toward fuel for heavy equipment.
Volunteers cleared the
kiawe and trash. An expert from the American Bicycle
Association recently arrived in Hawaii, helping the
local group create the track.
Cottrell said the Sand
Island association may either obtain a lease or
revocable permit to operate and manage the park for
two years. While Cottrell said he supports the
association staying at the site after the two-year
period, it is unknown what plans the state might
later have for the parcel.
During the ceremony, John
DeSoto, known as the Flyin' Hawaiian during his
motocross days in the 1960s and 1970s, said racing
motorcycles helped him stay focused. DeSoto, who was
inducted into the American Motorcycle Heritage
Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Hawaii
Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, described the park as a
place where youths can release their energy instead
of engaging in illegal activities or drug or alcohol
abuse.
"This is awesome," said
DeSoto, a former city councilman, as he scanned the
track. "This will give them determination,
dedication, and most of all, this will give them
discipline and focus on what they want to do."
A
narrow parcel once covered with kiawe, dry brush
and trash has been transformed into a park for
dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and BMX riders.

Wayne Rhoden,
a volunteer at Sandbox Hawaii, tried
out the off-road track during
yesterday's dedication. The Sand
Island facility is scheduled to open
Oct. 1.
About
100 people attended a ceremony yesterday for
Sandbox Hawaii, an off-road park the size of a
football field near the Marine Education and
Training Center at Sand Island. The park is
slated to open Oct. 1.
It
will be the only off-road track authorized on
state land on Oahu to be open weekdays. The
other park is Kahuku Motocross, which is only
open on weekends and federal holidays.
The
park is 90 percent complete. Still to be done
are rock removal and compacting the dirt, said
Reid Shimabukuro, president of the Sand Island
Off-Highway Vehicle Association.
Though Shimabukuro does not ride motorcycles or
motocross bikes, he recognized a wider need for
such a park for youths.
"There's a ton of kids on bikes, but they have
nowhere to ride," he said.
The
groundbreaking came after the state and
association overcame hurdles with daunting
permit processes. Four years ago Curt Cottrell,
assistant administrator of the Division of State
Parks, was state trail program manager when
Shimabukuro approached him with the idea of an
off-road park near the Ewa shoreline of Sand
Island State Park.
Cottrell worked closely with Shimabukuro and
other members of the association on the project.

The
state received a $30,000 federal grant for the
project. Cottrell worked on the environmental
assessment and the special management area use
permit, but he and his staff faced complicated
permit processes, which prompted him to hire
consultants.
About
$13,500 was spent to obtain a grubbing and
grading permit and a permit from the state
Department of Health. The remaining funds will
go toward fuel for heavy equipment.
Volunteers cleared the kiawe and trash. An
expert from the American Bicycle Association
recently arrived in Hawaii, helping the local
group create the track.
Cottrell said the Sand Island association may
either obtain a lease or revocable permit to
operate and manage the park for two years. While
Cottrell said he supports the association
staying at the site after the two-year period,
it is unknown what plans the state might later
have for the parcel.
During the ceremony, John DeSoto, known as the
Flyin' Hawaiian during his motocross days in the
1960s and 1970s, said racing motorcycles helped
him stay focused. DeSoto, who was inducted into
the American Motorcycle Heritage Foundation's
Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Hawaii Sports Hall
of Fame in 2004, described the park as a place
where youths can release their energy instead of
engaging in illegal activities or drug or
alcohol abuse.
"This
is awesome," said DeSoto, a former city
councilman, as he scanned the track. "This will
give them determination, dedication, and most of
all, this will give them discipline and focus on
what they want to do."
CRAIG T.
KOJIMA /
CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM









Major
supporters of the project and in attendance at the Ground Breaking were Lt
Gov Duke Iona and Motorcycle Hall of Famer John Desoto
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