Waimea High School campus gets new look

WAIMEA — When the doors to the Waimea High School carnival open, visitors will be greeted by a new campus look.

“The courtyard fronting the school’s Administration Building has always been the focal point and gathering place of the school and the community,” states an application to the Hawai‘i 3R’s program.

Renovation work, which started during the winter break, will be done in three phases, said Nathan Kawaguchi, Department of Education Kaua‘i District – West Kaua‘i Complex facilities specialist.

The first phase involves replacing the aging and deteriorating sidewalk in the area. The familiar wooden bleachers will be replaced with new aluminum low-rise bleachers with increased capacity. The existing inadequate courtyard lighting system will be replaced with energy efficient, seabird-friendly lighting, Kawaguchi said.

In scoping out the work, the renovation project totaled $231,000 ($86,000 sidewalk, $70,000 bleachers, $75,000 lighting).

This project has been on the list of things needing work, but with the state’s budget crunch, the work was put on the waiting list, Kawaguchi said.

Being backlogged qualified it for consideration by the Hawai‘i 3R’s program which approved granting so the work could proceed.

“They don’t pay for the entire project,” Kawaguchi said. “There is a certain amount of sweat equity involved. But, after reviewing the participation from various community organizations and volunteers, they felt it was money well spent.”

Concrete for the new sidewalk being poured Wednesday was split between Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Syngenta Seeds, Kawaguchi said. Work for the removal of the old sidewalk and framing for the new one was done with help from the school’s custodial staff and the Kikiaola Construction Co.

During the process of digging up the old sidewalk which took place on the first day of winter break, Kawaguchi said the old wooden bleachers were relocated to an area on the school’s athletic field in preparation for the new aluminum bleachers which had already been ordered.

“This is awesome,” said Nely Caberto, Waimea High School principal, who was surveying the new sidewalk, Wednesday. “What makes this so special is there are Waimea High School alumni involved in a lot of the volunteering organizations.”

The Class of 1960 with Basilio “Bunga” Fuertes is at the head of the lighting phase, Kawaguchi said.

“Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative is donating the five 30-foot wooden poles as well as manpower to help with the installation,” he said.

Kawaguchi is no stranger to the Hawai‘i 3R’s program, the Waimea High School courtyard renovation being the sixth such project completed on the Westside.

Kalaheo School had its cafeteria repainted and new curtains acquired for its stage, ‘Ele‘ele School had its library’s interior repainted and the upper campus playground installed as part of Hawai‘i 3R’s, Kawaguchi said. Kekaha School had a perimeter sprinkler system installed and its new playground done as part of the program.

Cooperating community organizations in the Waimea High School project include the WHS Class of 1960, Waimea High School, KIUC, Goodfellow Brothers, Kikiaola Construction Co., Pacific Blue Construction, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Syngenta Seeds, No Ka Oi Landscape Services, Ron’s Electric and Pacific Concrete Cutting & Coring.

Caberto said the new bleachers should be arriving the week of Jan. 11, and once everything is firmed up, the courtyard will have a new look when the carnival opens on the heels of the annual Waimea Town Celebration.

The Hawai‘i 3R’s, denoting “Repair, Remodel and Restore Hawai‘i’s public schools,” was formed in 2001 when U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye started a new initiative to bring outside financial and human resources together to tackle the approximate $640 million repair and maintenance backlog.

“The best part of this project is that it does not cost the taxpayers anything,” Kawaguchi said.