KAILUA, Oahu (KHON2) — For years now, Henson Thomas has been helping athletes improve their batting from the comfort of his Kailua backyard.
He’s been a staple in the softball community and has helped a number of athletes go on to play softball collegiately.
“He’s done so much for the girls. There’s so many girls that have come here and have gone to big-time colleges and have got it all paid for,” said Liliana Thomas, Henson’s daughter.
But now, Henson’s batting lessons have stopped, after the city issued him an order to shut down his cage and the lessons in July.
“A couple of years ago, we started getting noise complaints and stuff, and I get it,” said Henson, “But I did take a lot of precautions to try and cut down on the noise.”
“We don’t play music, we don’t really have parties here,” said Liliana. “It’s all for the kids, it’s all for him to give back.”
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Following some neighbors’ noise complaints, Henson began to make more efforts to keep the noise to a minimum, including reducing the number of people in the yard, exclusively using wooden bats, and switching from hitting traditional softballs to lighter dimple balls.
However, the Department of Planning and Permitting still found that the use of the cage was wrong.
In a statement, the department said: “The batting cage was being used as a permanent outdoor sports and recreation site where a coach provided batting lessons to individuals who do not reside at the property. This use violated local zoning regulations.”
Moving forward, Henson hopes to continue teaching, but isn’t sure how to proceed without the cage.
“I really have no idea what’s the next step right now,” said Henson. “I don’t wanna give up, I mean, I love working with the kids. I’ve been doing it for a long time.”
Henson was told to correct the violation by Aug. 6. He has since ceased operations completely.