Mayor Mufi Hannemann seems determined to end the long-running fight over the Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium, and it'll be one of his major accomplishments if he succeeds.

The saltwater pool next to Kaimana Beach has been closed and deteriorating since the Health Department shut it over water-quality concerns in 1979.

It hardly honors the World War I soldiers for whom the war memorial was built in 1927 to leave the natatorium sitting there as an eyesore and safety hazard while we argue endlessly about whether it should be restored to its original glory or bulldozed to reclaim the beach.

Restoration backers plan to launch a last-ditch fundraising drive at the annual Memorial Day observance at the natatorium, but it won't likely be any more fruitful than past efforts.

Nobody would take satisfaction from tearing down a war memorial, but for all practical purposes, the decision on the natatorium has been made by the lengthy neglect.

Fully restoring the pool after letting it fall apart for 30 years is prohibitively expensive and presents environmental challenges that seem insurmountable.

The only viable solution left is to find a way to maintain the facade and possibly the grandstand as a respectful war memorial while removing the troublesome pool in favor of extending the beachfront.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released several options for achieving that for a cost ranging from $1.7 million to $6.3 million, depending on the size of the reclaimed beach.

Even the high end is well under what it would cost to repair the extensive damage to the pool and bring an 80-year-old facility into compliance with modern environmental rules.

The pool was originally inspired by local swimming hero Duke Kahanamoku, and major competitions were once held there.

But standards for world-class swimming venues have changed, and it's unlikely that even a fully restored natatorium would attract serious events.

It makes little sense to maintain a high-maintenance saltwater pool for recreational use at the edge of a beach that offers better and cleaner swimming options.

Former Mayor Jeremy Harris and community groups supporting the natatorium made a noble effort to save the facility that's on national and state registers of historic places, but it's time to accept that it just didn't work out.

Harris persuaded a divided City Council to approve $11 million for full restoration in 1998 and spent $4 million to repair the facade and grandstand.

But the $6.9 million left to fix the pool and deck wasn't enough, and the project stalled in the face of lawsuits by those who want the beach restored, changing water quality regulations and continued degradation of the structure.

Today, even the parts of the natatorium that Harris fixed aren't safe to open to the public, and the pool and deck have big holes and are in danger of collapsing.

Hannemann, who has made only perfunctory repairs since taking over from Harris, gives strong hints that he favors moving the facade and demolishing the pool, although he promises to hear from all sides before deciding.

Now that the Corps of Engineers has laid out the options, the city is forming a task force that could make recommendations to Hannemann by the end of the year.

Passions on both sides run high, and the polarized positions are unlikely to change. With no solution that will satisfy everybody, there's little point in extending an argument that has already gone on too long.

Hannemann hasn't shied away from tough decisions on other thorny issues, and he's right that it's time to settle the natatorium one once and for all.