Hawaii Yacht Club renovations begin
By James Gonser
Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer
The Hawaii Yacht Club at Ala Wai Boat Harbor is undergoing a $500,000, three-phase renovation that will include new electrical and sewer systems, improvements to the restrooms and building an elevator to make the nonprofit club's second-floor restaurant accessible to people with disabilities.
The club, which has 28 private slips in the state boat harbor, has filed an environmental assessment with the state Office of Environmental Quality Control for the second and third phases of the work.
Yacht Club Commodore Al Bento said the club was founded in 1901, and the clubhouse at the end of the "500 row" of boat slips was built in 1957. Bento said the repair work has been needed for more than a decade and money has been raised for the project, but members opted to wait until a lease for the property was renewed before moving forward.
A 35-year lease with the state was signed two years ago and the group has been working to secure building and other necessary permits ever since.
"In 1988 we didn't know if we would get a new lease or not, so we started a renovation-or-relocation fund," Bento said. "When we got the lease, we started renovations."
Public comments on the Hawaii Yacht Club's renovation project are being accepted until March 25. Send comments to Hawaii Yacht Club, 1739 C Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96815. Include copies for the city Department of Planning & Permitting, consultant URS Corp. and the state Office of Environmental Quality Control.
The first phase is under way, with workers installing a new electrical transformer, sewer lines and piers. That phase is expected to be completed in a few weeks.
To comment
Steve Thompson, boating manager for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, said making the building comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act is a requirement of the new lease.
Because the yacht club is within the Waikiki Special District and the shoreline Special Management Area, an environmental review is required by law.
Bento said making the ground-floor restrooms and shower facilities ADA-compliant and installing an elevator is good for the club's 700 members.
"A lot of our members are elderly and have been with the club for 20, 30 and 40 years," Bento said. "Many of our guests are disabled and we do want to see that they have the same amount of service as any other members."
Work on the second and third phases is expected to begin this year and will take about a year to complete.
The yacht club has a restaurant, lounge and restrooms upstairs, and downstairs a lounge used for Friday night post-race gatherings, a retail store and a galley. The Hawaii Yacht Club is the host for the biennial California-to-Honolulu Transpacific Yacht Race and sponsors youth fishing and marine events. The clubhouse is also used for harbor-wide meetings.
