KAPA‘A — They come from all walks of life. A policeman, teacher, shave-ice maker, vice principal, and more. They usually play basketball in a “private-game” men’s league. But, during the Presidents’ Day weekend, these people from all walks of life
KAPA‘A — They come from all walks of life. A policeman, teacher, shave-ice maker, vice principal, and more. They usually play basketball in a “private-game” men’s league.
But, during the Presidents’ Day weekend, these people from all walks of life descended on the All Saints Episcopal Church gym in Kapa‘a with a different purpose.
Lee Gusman, whom other group members designated as “the chief,” headed a volunteer effort from the Tuesday-night basketball players to redo the gym’s floor.
“When it used to rain, and especially during the Kona weather, the floor used to get real slippery,” Gusman said. “We were thinking of doing this for a long time.”
He believes that following Hurricane ‘Iniki, the repair crews probably laminated the floor using some kind of resin which caused the slippery conditions in inclement weather.
“We thought it would only take a Saturday afternoon,” said Aaron Furugen, the appointed co-chief. “We would spend a couple of hours doing this, and then, we could go drink coffee or something.”
But, that simple task of redoing the floors ended up taking about six days, Furugen said. Gusman headed up a crew that worked on the floor, while Furugen led a crew that worked under the floor.
“This floor has tongue-and-groove planks,” Gusman explained. “Over the years, some of the tongues got broken, resulting in ‘dead’ spots. The guys who worked underneath added support and bracing material to shore up the floor.”
On the gym floor, Gusman’s crew sanded off the old coating and chipping paint to reveal the beauty of the pine wood floor underneath.
With the help of Spectra Tone, Maui, whose leaders donated most of the material used for the rehabilitation project, Gusman said he and the players applied striping for the basket-ball-court layout, followed up with a coat of sealer, and two coats of finish clear gym paint.
“This is heavy-duty stuff,” Gusman noted.
Meanwhile, Furugen added that, while working on the project, he discovered the gym was built in 1930, and when he went to price replacement lumber at a local lumber yard, they told him it would cost $17 a foot, the price tag reflecting the existing lumber’s quality.
“This is good stuff,” Furugen said of the gym construction. “It’s bigger than the lumber available today. And, while we were working underneath, you know what? There was no termites! Something this beautiful should last at least another generation.”
Furugen added that in today’s society, where “disposable” is a buzzword, “we should take care of our resources. The All Saints gym will not last forever, but it should be cared for so the future generations can see and use it. We need to keep some of the old ways.”
Another player added that he thought the church and its surroundings were added to the historical registry, since he saw pictures of when the church was first built.
Church officials noted that since the construction of the facility in 1930, the gym has been utilized by various community groups, one of the reasons for the facility’s popularity being the hardwood floor, the basket-ball hoops, and the stage area.
They noted that the men’s basketball league is just one of the facility’s user groups.
With the new flooring breathing new life under its completed coat, it squeaked from the traction of rubber soles on its glistening surface as the volunteers now turned their attention to some serious four-on-four.
“This was a way the guys could give back to the church,” Furugen said while waiting his turn to take to the courts.
Zabby Zablan, who was “invited to join the guys a few years ago,” noted, “It’s easy when there’s one chief and a lot of Indians. Lee, he was the chief. He knew what he was doing, so we just let him tell us what to do.”
Cory Nakamura, another of the players, added, “You should have seen it before, and now. It’s quite a difference!” Some of the evidence of what the floor looked like prior to the group’s endeavors could be found in the stage flooring and the areas leading to the catwalks.
According to Chris Wataya, the church’s office administrator, the gym floor had not been refinished since 1989, and the men’s group took it upon themselves to refinish and repair the floor.
“They started on February 19, and worked through February 28 to restore the floor. It looks beautiful,” she said.
“But, we gotta keep the floor good,” Zablan said. “At least for another 20 years, so we can play.”
Some of the players include Gusman, Furugen, Kirk Beasley, Derrick Gusman, Alex Pascual, Shannon Sibayan, Zablan, Jason Yoshida, Gordon Muramaru, Trent Shimabukuro, Nakamura, and Reid Tamayose. Larry Adams of Spectra-Tone, Maui, donated the major portion of the supplies used by the team. Furugen noted that all of the players just come together on Tuesday night and “spend a couple of hours playing basketball. It’s all for fun. We shake hands after the games, and it’s just fun.”
Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, 245-3681 (ext.. 253) or dfujimoto@pulitzer.net.
