The city will close a portion of Nanakuli Beach Park in March for repair and maintenance work and later reopen it with restricted hours.

The Zablan/Forac part of the Leeward Coast park will be closed from 10 p.m. March 15 to 3 p.m. March 20 while the work is being done. Once the park reopens, it will be added to a list of other Leeward parks that close from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Residents for years have complained about the number of homeless people who live in Zablan Park and the drug and other criminal activity that occurs there at night. The tiny Zablan Park is located east of Nanakuli Beach Park.

The nighttime closure was supported by the Nanakuli/ Ma'ili Neighborhood Board. Chairwoman Patty Teruya said Zablan Park at one time was a popular site for families and canoe clubs, but she said there are so many illegal campers now that residents don't feel safe there anymore.

"It's one of the parks that the community used a lot. It's a picnic park. It's not a camping park," Teruya said. "I adopted that park in 1999, but I quit because no sense. Every time we painted and cleaned, no sense. I gave up already. It just got out of control."

Over the past two years, the city and state have shut down overnight use at Ma'ili, Nana Kai, Surfers', Tracks, Poka'i Bay, Lualualei No. 2 and Nanakuli beach parks along the Leeward Coast following complaints from area residents. Teruya said the policy appears to be working, as families have returned to the parks.

She said most of the homeless campers who were displaced by the closures have moved into transitional shelters along the Wai'anae Coast. But some have refused to do so and continue to camp illegally, Teruya said.

She praised the city for listening to the community and agreeing to close another park at night.

"We do want our Farrington (Highway) coastline to look a lot more park friendly and safe, not only for us, but for our visitors," Teruya said.

"How can we promote economic development if we don't keep our community safe and welcome people to come and spend here? Nobody's going to come here."

The work at Zablan Park will include cleaning of the comfort stations; repairing picnic tables and benches; painting comfort stations, walls, picnic tables and the building; filling potholes and re-striping the parking lot; landscaping maintenance; and repairing irrigation and other infrastructure.