Within 24-hours of going online, a petition to stop the construction of a boat shed at Pago Park had collected more than 300 signatures.
The “Cease Boathouse Construction in Pago Park” petition on change.org is initiated by Trude Ledoux-Sunia, who is also the founder of the Foeoletini Foundation—which works with youth to stop drug use, suicide and other social problems facing young people.
She told KHJ News the petition is not directed against any village wanting to build a fautasi or a boat house. Rather, it’s about saving Pago Pago Park as a lifeline for village youth and the need to preserve park space for recreational activities.
Sunia-Ledoux started the online petition after construction of a boat shed for Iliili started behind the play-courts, and piles of dirt intended as fill material blocked off any use of the basketball courts.
Director of Parks and Recreation Ken Tupua has clarified that this is temporary and Public Works will remove the soil as soon as it can.
Sunia-Ledoux said, “We’re not against Iliili building their fautasi and boat shed. We commend and support villages that are using fautasi as an activity to occupy their youth.
But what she’s seeing is a key recreational area for youth of her village slowing diminishing, bit by bit.
She lamented that Pago Pago needs the play-courts to engage young people and keep them away from drugs, suicide and other problems.
“How many times have our government leaders talked about the drug problem, about suicide. A park is a direct solution to these problems,” she stated.
Ledoux-Sunia also decried the lack of playing fields on the east side of the island and felt that allowing part of Pago Park to be used to store all fautasi will mean even less space for the youth.
She’s aware the area belongs to the government and ASG’s plans to develop the park. But, she says, they need the space now for the village youth and with construction of the new boat shed, bit by bit, the park area is getting smaller. She’s also skeptical about when the plans for the park will eventuate.
“As a person born and raised in Pago Pago and now working with our youth daily, it’s heartbreaking to see these structures being built before we give our youth a surviving chance through sports and development at a safe and clean park,” she said. “Pago Park and any local park is a lifeline for all youth. For every inch of the park that’s taken away, that is an inch of our lifeline gone.”
Ledoux-Sunia hopes that government leaders will heed their call and reminded that the biggest block of voters are young people.
If the petition doesn’t stop the current project, she’s hopeful that it stops future fautasi sheds from being built in Pago Park and/or speed up the renovations and upgrades to the park.
As of this morning, the petition have collected 400 signatures.
