By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

When the $4 million Imaginarium and $18.1 million Hale Palanakila Center for the Arts — which includes a brand-new theater — opened at Windward Community College in the past two years, there was rejoicing.

But, until recently, those facilities have largely been operating without paid technical support staff because of state budget problems. Creative maneuvering by campus officials has been required to meet their most basic needs.

"We used internal reorganization to create a theater manager and a half-time theater technician because that's the only choice we had," said WCC provost Angela Meixell.

The theater manager started full-time just last week. He had been hired on a casual basis before that.

Negotiations are ongoing to hire the half-time technician.

"We just finally hired someone to weed," Meixell said. "I was afraid we were about to lose the landscaping and that would be criminal. We have all this beautiful landscaping with the new facilities and the groundskeeper has been weeding full-time."

In the past, Meixell said, WCC has had only lawns, so all that was needed for groundskeeping was a lawn mower. With the new landscaping, more care is required.

Although WCC had asked for two technicians for the two new buildings in the current budget, those won't be financed this year, she said. For now, minimal staffing is being paid for out of supplemental money from the previous Cayetano administration. It paid for some of the electronics for the Imaginarium, Meixell said, some janitors and the groundskeeper.

The janitors were considered priority, so they were hired first.

"We have one media technician to fix anything on campus," Meixell said. "He's been drawing up the specifications to order the new equipment (for the 'Ako'akoa conference center). While he was doing that, everything else has to wait because he doesn't have time to fix anything."

Meanwhile, the Imaginarium is operating with one volunteer and an academic support assistant being paid with NASA money.

There's no technician for the Imaginarium, and even astronomy professor Joe Ciotti is on sabbatical this semester, working on new shows and coordinating work to build a solar observatory.

"If something broke they'd probably have to call Joe," Meixell said.

State Rep. Melodie Aduja, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku), has been concerned about money for the new facilities, especially because of all the high-tech needs. Both are state-of-the-art facilities, said her assistant, and both have technical systems that require significant care.

Aduja wants more technical support for the new buildings, with full-time technical positions devoted to the theater and Imaginarium.

But with the ongoing budget crunch, Meixell is trying to take a philosophical view and doing what she can by juggling positions.

"Our legislators are doing the best they can. If there's money there," she said hopefully, "they'll give it to us. And the same with the governor."

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.