KAHULUI — Lights that will be installed at Central Maui Regional Park in the upcoming months will be on fields farthest away from the Maui Lani subdivision and near the park’s parking lots, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, which coordinates the planning and construction for the park.

Construction was authorized to begin earlier this month on field lighting at the park, which is bordered to the north by Maui Lani residences, to the east by Kuihelani Highway, vacant land on the south and the park’s access road and a few homes near to Pomaikai Elementary School to the west.

The park consists of four baseball fields and four softball fields along with unmarked open grass areas that can be used as soccer playing fields, said DLNR Senior Communications Manager Dan Dennison.

The unmarked fields also are used for flag football.

The Maui County Parks and Recreation Department manages the facilities and daily operations.

Prior to the building of the park, around four years ago, some neighbors and residents raised concerns and even mounted a failed legal challenge to the park over increased traffic, lighting, noise and possible lowering of property values. A 2nd Circuit Court judge in late 2014 rejected most of the major claims in the lawsuit, saying the time had passed for homeowners to pursue their claims. 

The environmental assessment for the project said that all fields would be lighted but that number has decreased to three fields in response to comments obtained by the DLNR as it sought a county special use permit for the project years ago, Dennison said.

And in fact, there currently only is funding to light two fields and to install safety netting, he said. Brianne Zanin, Maui County Parks and Recreation deputy director, said the nearly $700,000 project involves six light poles each on softball field No. 4 and baseball field No. 5.

The DLNR specified that the fields with lights be the ones farthest away from the subdivisions, according to a letter from the state to the Maui Planning Commission in 2014.

The department also conducted a lighting study to determine the impact of lighting only three fields and found there would be minimal to no impact to the Maui Lani residents, Dennison said. 

Efforts to reach those who represented residents opposed to the project were unsuccessful this week.

The lighting  project is expected to last through December, according to Zanin. The fields affected by the work will be available for use in the afternoons after daily work is completed by the contractor.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.