Kalaheo Neighborhood Center gym open

KALAHEO — After being closed for several months for various repairs including

repainting of the floor and fixing the roof, the gym at the Kalaheo

Neighborhood Center is once again open for the business of fun.

And

literally shortly after the paint was allowed to dry and cure, the gym is again

a hub of community basketball activity, from open gym for adults and children

to a planned girls’ league for wahine 17 and under to start this month.

The

gym is the only county gym on the South Shore, and one of only two the county

operates, so naturally it gets a lot of activity, both for basketball and

volleyball players.

The repairs took longer than expected because a

decision was made to improve the roof and ceiling for the facility as well as

paint the floor, reported Tommy Nakamura, center director.

Like all the

other neighborhood centers, the Kalaheo facility, on the corner of Kaumuali’i

Highway and Papalina Road next to the Kalaheo Fire Station, was recently

outfitted with energy-saving lights.

On order is safety padding for walls

around three sides of the basketball court, to prevent injuries from people

crashing into those concrete walls.

The floor has epoxy paint from wall to

wall, including the volleyball and basketball court markings.

The new

paint job, the second for the floor since Hurricane ‘Iniki, is expected to last

several years, Nakamura said.

Normally, such a paint job requires 48 hours

to cure, but because of the wet, humid conditions in Kalaheo, the floor was

given more time to dry and cure before people were allowed to resume playing on

it, he added.

Besides the wahine 17 and under league beginning this month,

the community basketball league for young children and a men’s basketball

league are expected to start play next month. For more information, please call

the center, 332-9770.