The three-day government shutdown was long enough to delay maintenance projects at Haleakalā National Park, including intended to make it safer for visitors to hike to the Pools of`Ohe`o/ NPS

Though just three days long in duration, the government shutdown was long enough to slightly delay three maintenance projects at Haleakalā National Park in Hawaii.

Polly Angelakis, the park's chief of Interpretation and education, said Tuesday that uncertainty over how long the shutdown might last prompted the interruption.

"The contracted projects were stopped because the government had no money during the lapse. We couldn't pay the contractors and we didn't know how long the shutdown would last," she said. "We are now re-evaluating and re-adjusting the projects' schedules as needed. We don't anticipate much adjustment since we were only shut down for one business day."

The projects are being paid for with visitor entrance fees. Once the work begins, some projects will last several days; others are expected to take several months. Because schedules may change due to weather or site conditions, updates will be posted at visitor centers, on the park website, via press releases, and on the park’s Facebook page.

The planned maintenance work includes:

Summit District Headquarters Visitor Center, at 7,000 feet of elevation, will undergo repairs and improvements to its HVAC and hot water systems. Its outdoor lighting system will be replaced and upgraded to be “dark skies compliant.”

Haleakalā is considered to be one of the best places on Earth for night sky viewing. In addition, the endangered `ua`u (Hawaiian petrel), which navigates by the stars, is affected by light pollution. The visitor center and restrooms are to remain open during this project, which is expected to take approximately four weeks. The contract was awarded to Narito Sheetmetal for $213,983.67.

Additionally, the two sets of automatic sliding doors at Haleakalā Visitor Center, at 9,741 feet of elevation, will be replaced. The visitor center will be closed for approximately seven days during the work, which was to start late this month.

The rest rooms, which are in a separate building, will remain open. The contract was awarded to Stilten Ltd., Co for $47,271.

Kīpahulu District Scaling work on the Pools of `Ohe`o was to begin in mid-January and be wrapped up in April. Scaling involves removal of vegetation, loose debris, and rocks likely to fall. Follow-up maintenance is to include on-going monitoring of site conditions and clearing of new vegetation, debris, and rocks as needed.

The pools have been closed to the public since January 2017, when a visitor received minor injuries from a rockslide attributed to saturated soils.

The scaling contract was awarded to Maris Inc., for $98,634. The pools will remain closed during this scaling project.

Hazard Tree Removal on Pīpīwai Trail. Scheduled to run from January 29-February 2, the last mile of the Pīpīwai Trail was to be closed for hazard tree removal. Closures were to occur from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. each weekday. Once work begins, visitors should be able to walk the first mile of the two-mile trail, from the trailhead to the footbridge before the Bamboo Forest. This section includes the Makahiku Falls Overlook, located a half-mile from the trailhead.

Visitors will not be able to access the Bamboo Forest or the Waimoku Falls viewpoint at the end of the trail. 

Hikers will also be able to access the entire half-mile Kūloa Point Loop Trail, which leads to the Pools of `Ohe`o. The pools, however, remain closed. 

The hazard trees are non-native African Tulip Trees (Spathodea campanulata), with brilliant orange flowers and fruits that produce thousands of seeds. Brought to the state for landscaping, the trees have spread to Hawaiian forests and pose serious threats to native biodiversity. Removal is expected to improve visitor safety along the Pīpīwai Trail. The work is to be done by park staff.