Students' trek into 'Iao site made safer

By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor

WAILUKU, Maui — Newly repaired guardrails and gates were welcome safety improvements yesterday as Kahului Elementary School first-graders in bright yellow and blue rain slickers explored the wet and slippery terrain at the Hawai'i Nature Center in 'Iao Valley.

Six Tesoro Hawai'i welders had spent the week working on the project, their labor, tools and materials donated by their employer and several other companies.

Tesoro shop planner Raymond Arizo of Ma'ili said the welders enjoyed the job because of the lush scenery and because the work was less complicated than their usual duties at the Tesoro oil refinery in Campbell Industrial Park on O'ahu. "You just take it apart and put it together," he said of the project.

Plus, "a lot of us have kids," said Arizo, watching another group of students walk by on their way to learn about Hawai'i's natural environment.

The nonprofit Hawai'i Nature Center welcomes more than 5,000 Maui schoolchildren for environmental education field trips annually and is open to the public.

The welders replaced deteriorating guardrails and fabricated and installed new gates on an elevated walkway spanning '?ao Stream that leads to a forest trail. Arizo said it was the first time the company sent a welding team to a Neighbor Island for charity work.

In addition to Tesoro Hawai'i's contributions, Air Liquide donated welding goods, machines, safety equipment and other resources for the project. Ferguson/Familian Northwest, which has a national contract with Tesoro and a Maui office, donated pipe for the guardrails. Hawaiian Airlines provided roundtrip fares for the crew, and the nature center offered on-site housing.

The project was worth more than $100,000.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.