Memorial high priority

The city is considering spending $10.8 million to renovate the old Waikiki Natatorium.

The Natatorium, built in 1927, was once a saltwater swimming pool and World War I memorial. It is now a pile of ruins on the beaches of Waikiki, serving as little more than a dilapidated seawall.

It is a shame to leave it in the condition it is in. The Natatorium is so run down that people barely bother to look past it to the WWI memorial -- a post located in the ocean just a short distance from the walls of the Natatorium.

However, it seems hardly worth it to renovate the Natatorium. The city does not have $10.8 million to simply throw around. There are schools to be improved, services to be updated, and important community projects to be funded. To spend this money renovating an old swimming pool is a waste.

This is especially true, considering the fact that swimming in the Natatorium would be a health hazard; stagnant sea water cannot be properly maintained.

The Natatorium itself should be torn down for the sake of its own dignity, and the WWI memorial post should be cleaned and restored.