KEKAHA — Kaimana Jose’s senior projects may have taken a little longer than usual, but fulfilled a lot of dreams, Saturday. Scores of people, many volunteers, family members, and community residents joined the Waimea High School alumnus in dedicating a
KEKAHA — Kaimana Jose’s senior projects may have taken a little longer than usual, but fulfilled a lot of dreams, Saturday.
Scores of people, many volunteers, family members, and community residents joined the Waimea High School alumnus in dedicating a pair of dugouts at the Faye Ball Park in Kekaha.
Jose, now a student at the Kapiolani Community College on O‘ahu, returned home for the Thanksgiving weekend to bring closure to the project which Judge Edmund Acoba said was 10 years in the making.
“All these years of playing ball in Kekaha, no mo’ dugouts,” said Lenny Rapozo, director of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. “One day, Kaimana came into the office with a scribbled drawing and said, ‘Uncle, can do, or what?’”
Rapozo said he and Dave Caylor had to “run with it,” working to see Jose’s dream to completion.
“This is a great example to other youth on the island,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. “Kaimana had to work with the Kaua‘i County Council and the Parks and Recreation Department, enveloping memories of his friends in a positive endeavor. This speaks loudly of leadership and the dugouts are here to stay.”
Acoba, a former leader of the Kekaha Baseball Association and other community youth programs, said it was a dream of the community to develop the park.
“During the ’60s and ’70s, this park was full of youth sports,” Acoba said. “Over the years, with the decline of the sugar plantations and the destruction of the hurricanes, a lot of the facilities were taken away and the park, once filled with youth, became less and less full.”
Acoba said he worked with former Mayor Maryanne Kusaka and former Councilmen Randal Valenciano and Ron Kouchi to restore the vibrancy of the park.
“The first step was the food booth,” Acoba said. “We secured a $40,000 grant, but there were road blocks — three to four years for the permits — but thanks to the Class of 1979 we have a food booth.”
The next step was the building of a second field, one for Mustang baseball, Acoba said. But, like the food booth, there were obstacles, the County Council opposing the field because it imposed on the track and a field where football would be played.
Undaunted, the group pushed ahead, reaching a compromise where a light was placed by the county as an aid for walkers using the track. Mila Rapanot, a community resident and youth advocate, found funds so materials could be procured, and the labor was provided by the community volunteers.
But there were no funds to build dugouts and as games were played, complaints arose about the sun and the heat.
Again, Acoba took up the torch, writing a letter to the county about creating dugouts — a simple one using posts and wire — which again, found potholes in its path.
“The fight in me is over,” Acoba said. “My sons played ball on this field and who they are is a credit to the coaches and volunteers who put in their time so the kids could play. This is now a new generation with Kaimana and his class who put their stamp on the field. Thanks for making this happen.”
Jose, who said the idea for the senior project came from his mother, Brenda, a strong youth advocate and community supporter, said the dugouts would provide positive impact on users of the parks, eliminating the need for Quick Tents for shelter from the Kekaha heat.
“I spent time at Faye Park playing baseball,” Jose said during his presentation to judges at Waimea High School.
“Playing sports kept me healthy and out of trouble. I have no experience with building dugouts so taking on this project would be a great hands-on learning experience for myself as well as an opportunity to give back to the community.”
While growing up, Jose played baseball with two boys who are no longer with us. He took time to honor both fellow baseball players — Keli‘i Shigematsu and Max Agor — by “dedicating” the dugouts to their memory.
“We won’t have plaques put on because of the problem with vandalism,” Brenda said. “But the dugouts are dedicated with the Aloha spirit in memory of these two young men.”
With the help of Galen Alvarez, Jose’s community mentor, James Largo, the lead carpenter, Rapozo, Ian Costa, Dave Caylor and a page full of volunteers, the project, starting with delivery of the first materials on April 29 and the permits being cleared on May 2, was well under way in time for graduation.
“We completed the dugouts over the summer, but didn’t have a chance to dedicate or bless them until now,” Jose said.
Kaua‘i County Council Vice Chair JoAnn Yukimura, being joined by state Sen. Ron Kouchi and Rep. Dee Morikawa in presenting formal accolades, said Jose was inspired and gathered the community to do something for the community.
“I’m proud to see the young leaders on the island develop their skills,” Yukimura said. “But more importantly, they give back to the community. The tradition of giving back is what sustains communities.”
