Wai'anae school given room to grow
By James Gonser
Advertiser Leeward Bureau
WAI'ANAE — In anticipation of continued growth on the Leeward Coast, the state Department of Education is making long-range plans to expand Kamaile Elementary School.
The DOE filed a draft environmental assessment this week with the Office of Environmental Quality Control to expand the Ala Akau Street campus from 7 acres to 12 acres, add an eight-classroom building, put in additional parking and make space for two portable classrooms if needed.
The population of the Wai'anae Coast has grown in the past 10 years from 37,411 to 42,259, according to the 2000 Census.
With this plan in place, if the population continues to grow, "we are ready for it," said DOE facilities director Ray Minami.
He said the school needs more room anyway, and the state has been talking with a private landowner about buying five acres of land adjacent to the school.
"The amount of acreage they have right now is below the standard," Minami said. "We want to increase the amount of land, basically for a playground area and possible future classroom buildings."
The average elementary school sits on about 12 acres, he said.
The first phase of the project would include only the playground and more parking.
According to the environmental assessment, the new playground will be used by children in the third to sixth grades while the existing field will be designated for kindergartners through second-graders.
Other improvements would include reconfiguration of the parking area to provide an improved pickup and drop-off zone for students and about 100 more stalls.
"We want to provide more play area, which right now is really small for the number of students they have," Minami said.
Kamaile Elementary principal Glen Kila said the added playground and parking areas would be welcome, but he would be surprised if enrollment grows.
"Most elementary schools are limited to a small enrollment — about 550 is what they call best for a typical elementary size," Kila said. "To expand it from 750, which we have now, it is very difficult to see where they are coming from."
Kamaile opened in 1989, and enrollment has fluctuated from 792 students in 1998, up to 845 in 1999 and down to 755 in 2000.
Minami said the project is part of the department's long-range planning, and the classroom building will be built only if needed. No money has been appropriated for the project at this point, he said.
"We do plan ahead, contrary to what the public may think," Minami said. "We have a biannual budget, a six-year plan, a 10-year plan and a 20-year plan."
Send comments on the Kamaile Elementary expansion plan to the state Department of Education, Facilities and Support Section, 809 Eighth Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816, with copies for the approving agency, the consultant and Office of Environmental Quality Control.
The public has until Nov. 23 to comment on the first phase of the project.
Reach James Gonser at jgonser@honoluluadvertiser.com or 988-1383.
