Diamond Parking has been awarded a state contract to manage the public, permit and metered parking areas at Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor beginning Saturday.

As the vendor, Diamond Parking will provide 24-hour surveillance, collect fees, pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades related to vehicle parking (signs and striping) and pay a flat fee percentage of gross receipts to Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation for deposit into the boating special fund which will be used to improve harbor facilities, it was announced today by the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

In May 2008 the Land Board approved a public parking plan for the Ala Wai harbor and helipad area that sets aside a minimum of 300 free public parking stalls at the helipad area, along the Hilton Lagoon and in select areas along the 660/700 row. The parking plan was developed via a lengthy public consultation process involving a series of meetings in 2007 and 2008 to seek input from Ala Wai users and the general public.

Other changes that will occur at Ala Wai include closed hours for free public parking areas and towing of unauthorized vehicles.

"A plan to manage the parking lot at Ala Wai, along with all of its issues, has been many, many years in the making," said Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman. "The elements of the parking plan we are now implementing may not be the final solution, however, to all of the challenges at Ala Wai. The department will be open-minded to changes to make operations at the harbor run smoothly, more efficiently and fairly for all parties."