Mililani wants arts center
By James Gonser
Advertiser Central Bureau
Mililani residents are leading a grassroots effort to build a performing arts center in Mililani Mauka, but land, money and city approvals are still needed to make the dream a reality.
Mililani Mauka/Launani Valley Neighborhood Board member Jeanette Nekota is part of the group and said an arts center would bring much needed educational and cultural opportunities to children and adults living in the community.
"We are looking for alternatives and for intergenerational activities — plays, music, art," Nekota said. "People in Mililani have this stereotype that all our kids play sports, when really only about a third do."
Nekota said the concept of an arts center has been discussed for more than a year and last week her board voted to support the proposal.
Architect Paul Louie has drawn preliminary sketches of the center and residents are now hoping to secure money from the Mililani Vision Team.
"We are looking for seed money," Nekota said. "Then we can go after grants."
The project would be built in three phases at an estimated cost of $14 million. It would sit on about 2.5 acres of city property at the Mililani Mauka park-and-ride and an additional 2.5 acres of adjacent land owned by Mililani developer Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii Inc.
"We are looking at the park-and-ride site because they have undeveloped areas and parking that we could use," Nekota said. "We would not compete for parking because we would use the facility at night and on weekends."
Along with a performance theater, the project envisions dance and music practice rooms as well as gallery space for art exhibits.
Alan Arakawa, vice president for development and construction at Castle & Cooke, said the company has been talking with residents about the project and is very interested.
"It's an exciting concept we are going to stay close to," Arakawa said. "We've indicated to them that we may be interested in working with them. But it is difficult at this point to really talk about transfer of land because it is a group of very community minded people, but there is no actual entity to actually take it."
Nekota said residents are looking at forming a board to run the facility or possibly make it an extension of the University of Hawai'i.
"We've looked at all the angles including operating costs and we want to be self-sustaining," she said. "We would rent the space for classes, performances or shows. It would not be free like the parks."
Rep. Marilyn Lee, D-38th (Waipi'o, Mililani), said it has been a long-standing dream for the people of Central O'ahu to have a facility for performing arts.
"If we can do it, it is going to be wonderful," Lee said. "Studies show the arts can be an economic driver and children exposed to the arts do better on SATs."
Nekota plans to meet with city officials next week to discuss the legalities of using the park-and-ride site and vision team money for the project. The vision team is expected to vote at its Oct. 3 meeting to decide what project gets money allotted for the area.
"We want to bring in coffee shops and entertainment, have family gatherings and become a more thoughtful, artistic community," Nekota said. "(The center) will start setting the tone for the community. All Mililani is known for is it's a planned community and has lots of soccer teams. Other than that, we have no identity or presence. I think this will start bringing out our vision for Mililani."
