We have just two words to say about the near-completion of the enterprise center in Kekaha: Well done. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Homestead Community Development Corporation began construction in June and expects the 2,286-square-foot enterprise center
We have just two words to say about the near-completion of the enterprise center in Kekaha: Well done.
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the Homestead Community Development Corporation began construction in June and expects the 2,286-square-foot enterprise center to be open by the end of the year.
And that is good news.
“This is so exciting for so many reasons,” said Robin Danner, with HCDC, and the former CEO of CNHA. “We started this project under a partnership with the Kauai Community College back in 2008. We wanted to build the first and only gathering facility located on any of our Hawaiian Home Lands on the Westside of Kauai, especially in Kekaha.”
The facility is the result of a competitive grant awarded from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to KCC and CNHA. The partners planned the design, use and operational plan with Hawaiian leaders from Kekaha to Anahola.
Local leaders had a vision to make sure that West Kauai Homesteaders had a place to attend trainings and a place to think about economic development and fellowship.
“They spoke about the need to help the next generation of Hawaiians start businesses, have access to workshops on finances and have a central location to gather,” said Lilia Kapuniai, lead manager on the project.
Hawaiian leaders from Kekaha, Waimea and Hanapepe, as well as leaders still on the waiting list for Hawaiian Homes, will manage the facility.
“We really have a lot of confidence in Aunty Liberta Albao, Tano Casteneda, Kaleo Hookano, and Myrna Bucasas,” said Kapuniai. “These leaders have worked with CNHA and HCDC pretty consistently since the beginning of the project with great enthusiasm. We know they will manage the facility to benefit not just native Hawaiians in the region, but all residents in the area.”
CNHA and HCDC are already set to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Solarize Kekaha project to use the facility, led by kupuna from the larger Kekaha community.
“This is a great example of how the facility will serve everyone,” Danner said. “Solarize Kekaha will be providing assistance to homeowners to install solar power on their homes. It will be so convenient for the community if Solarize Kekaha is located at the enterprise center.”
Kudos to those who have been behind this project and saw what it could mean to Kauai. Vision, combined with action, will lead us in the right direction.
