Leeward center proposed
By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
The Salvation Army in Hawai'i is vying for a $60-million grant to build and operate a state-of-the-art community center, preferably in Leeward O'ahu.
"I feel confident that we have the ability to put together a good proposal," said Maj. David Hudson, The Salvation Army's Hawaiian and Pacific Islands Division commander. "I'd like to see Hawai'i not miss out on this opportunity. I want the best for Hawai'i and this is something that will be the best."
Kelvin Taketa, president/CEO of Hawai'i Community Foundation, an organization that gave out $26.6 million in local grants last year, believes the $60 million grant would be the largest ever awarded to a non-profit in Hawai'i.
The grant money is from a $1.5 billion gift to The Salvation Army from philanthropist Joan B. Kroc, who died Oct. 12, 2003. In her will, the widow of McDonald's Corp. founder Ray A. Kroc stated the money must be used solely to construct and endow up to 50 neighborhood community centers nationwide. None of it can be used for other Salvation Army programs.
The Salvation Army is divided into four territories in the United States and each territory received an equal share of the gift — $375 million — to build quality facilities like the $57 million Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Center in San Diego's East County. The designs of the new facilities are required to be a reflection of the communities where they are built, said Hudson.
"Her dream was to see these centers across the country," said Hudson, a former Salvation Army operations officer who was assigned to the San Diego area during the 2000-2002 construction of the Kroc Center.
Hawai'i will be applying for a construction grant of about $30 million, said Hudson. If the proposal is accepted, Hawai'i also will receive a matching operating endowment grant.
The Salvation Army in Hawai'i would be responsible for generating one-half of the operating revenues annually, which Hudson estimates to be $2 million, from membership fees, rentals and other avenues, and is also required to partner with one or more local agencies to operate the facility.
"The endowment is not intended to cover all operational costs," Hudson said. "One of the requirements is the center has to be financially sustainable. The Salvation Army does not want to build one of these centers and not be able to run it."
Grant applications are due in March 2005.
The 12-acre Kroc Center in San Diego houses centers for performing arts, fitness and education, an ice arena, gymnasium, two swimming pools and two charter schools. It has 280 full/part-time employees, which increases to 350 in the summer; 6,000-plus members and averages 2,800 visitors daily.
"(Joan Kroc) did not say what it has to house," Hudson said of the community centers to be built, "but none of them will be larger than the one in San Diego. She envisioned campus-style facilities with numerous components like swimming pools, gymnasiums, day-care centers, performing arts and computer labs. If this comes to fruition, it will be like nothing else Hawai'i has ever had on one site."
In Hawai'i, planners are looking for a 10-acre site.
"Everything has to be on one site and, according to one criteria, it has to be in an underserved area," Hudson said. "But it does not define underserved area. We're on an island where pockets of poverty, pockets of affluence and mountains and water could be three miles apart. Land has to be available and another requirement is The Salvation Army has to have site control."
Hudson said four sites are under consideration and he plans to have a choice "clearly identified" by the end of this month. Hudson declined to name the locations under consideration but said a Leeward O'ahu site is preferred.
"The challenge is to find areas where there's enough land to build a center people can get to," Hudson said.
Hudson said The Salvation Army is working with various business leaders and government agencies.
The City Council on Dec. 1 passed a resolution urging the mayor to support The Salvation Army's effort to qualify Honolulu as a recipient of a Ray and Joan Kroc community center, citing the opportunity to "bring into the state tens of millions of dollars to build and operate a family support, education and recreation facility on O'ahu."
The council also asked the mayor to appoint staff to an advisory committee to review and advise the applicants on necessary permit requirements and procedures to locate the center and to make city funds available to contribute toward operations of the facility.
Based on the amount of grant money available in the West, Hudson estimated that as many as seven centers could be awarded. He said Denver, Salem (Ore.), Anchorage, Tacoma, Oakland, Santa Clara, Phoenix and Los Angeles will be among the cities competing with Hawai'i for a Kroc Center.
Hudson, assigned to Hawai'i in June, has an understanding of what Joan Kroc's vision for the centers represents from his San Diego experience.
She was driven by three Cs — children, community and class, Hudson said.
He recalled that Joan Kroc donated a piece by British sculptor Henry Moore, known for his large semiabstract sculptures of the human figure, to the San Diego center. "One day, she saw a child climbing on the (Moore) sculpture," Hudson said. "She was so pleased by that.
"She saw these centers as beacons on a hill and wanted them to have a significant impact on communities," Hudson added. "I know the impact it can have, and the opportunities and challenges it can provide to a community. I saw it in San Diego."
Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com
