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Friday, September 12, 2014 Contact: Mayor Caldwell's Press Office, 768-5768 Jesse Broder Van Dyke cell, 489-0341   Mayor Kirk Caldwell re-opens renovated Mother Waldron Park       An additional basketball court was installed as part of the restoration.   Kaka'ako – Mayor Kirk Caldwell, City Councilmembers Carol Fukunaga and Joey Manahan, Senator Brickwood Galuteria, developer Stanford Carr, and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Michele Nekota held a press conference today to unveil restoration work performed at Mother Waldron Park.  They were joined by area schoolchildren and residents of the neighboring Halekauwila Place affordable housing development in celebrating the park improvements.    The restoration project is the result of a public-private partnership with local developer Stanford Carr.  Utilizing remaining funds from the neighboring Halekauwila Place development, Stanford Carr has provided a new basketball court and playground, as well as new landscaping and trees.   City employees collaborated with Stanford Carr staff to restore the comfort station and pavilion.   Developer Stanford Carr funded the restoration of the park as a gift to the city. At an estimated cost between $550,000 and $600,000.   "We'd like to thank Stanford Carr for this lasting contribution to the Kaka'ako neighborhood," said Michele Nekota, DPR Director. "This beautiful park will provide a great space for families to recreate for many years to come."   Mother Waldron Park is a site of historical significance in the Kaka'ako community. According to No Mo'olelo Hawaii, "One time [Mother Waldron] wanted to clean the school playground of rocks and needed the help of some of the children. WWI was raging at the time, so she put a picture of the Kaiser in a vacant lot across the park. The kids threw rocks at the Kaiser and thus cleared the park. Margaret Waldron died on May 8, 1936. The following year, when a new 1.76-acre playground was constructed across Coral Street from Pohukaina School, the Honolulu Board of Supervisors authorized the park's designation as "Mother Waldron Playground." The playground, designed by Harry Sims Bent, was opened in September 20, 1937 on the site of the former County stables." (Source: http://nohawaii.weebly.com/ho699omana699o/mother-waldron)   The park closed in May of this year and will re-open to the public this Monday, September 15.   -END-