Kea'au Middle School among nine campuses to get grants for repairs
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Staff Writer
Nine schools statewide will share $213,000 in the most recent round of grants from the Hawaii 3R's program to repair, remodel and restore public schools in the islands.
School, project, grant received and DAGS' estimate to do the same work. • Aliamanu Middle School: music and band rooms, replace tile and carpet, repaint, $22,000, $50,000. • Baldwin High School: library, paint interior, $14,000, $40,000. • Holomua Elementary School: E Building, replace carpets, paint interior and hallways, $27,600, $56,000. • Kahuku High School: gymnasium, replace tile in foyer and office, paint interior, $20,000, $85,000. • Kea'au Middle School: renovate locker room, $34,300, $220,000. • Mililani Middle School: tint all windows, $25,000, $75,000. • Radford High School: install retaining wall on football field, $11,000, $95,000. • Webling Elementary School: install concrete pad and ADA walkway to playground, $24,850, $52,000. • Wilson Elementary School: Buildings C, D and F, install security screens, $35,000, $80,000.
The grants combined with volunteer labor and donations from businesses will be used to complete more than $750,000 in repairs, including a $220,000 gymnasium renovation at Kea'au Middle School on the Big Island.
The projects
The Kea'au school gymnasium has been in desperate need of repair, said Ann-Maile Yamasaki, with the 3R's program. The school requested $34,300 to tackle the project estimated to cost more than $200,000 by the state Department of Accounting and General Services.
"The community decided to accept the challenge," Yamasaki said.
The grant will be used to renovate the gymnasium showers and lockers, said school principal Jamil Ahmadia. The showers have been used for storage for about eight years. The money will pay for the material, and professionals have volunteered to install the new showers. The work on the projects will be done during spring and summer breaks.
Before applying for the grant, volunteers, including parents, teachers, students and administrators, painted the gymnasium's exterior and shower locker area, using paint donated by Keaau New Hope Christian Fellowship and equipment donated by W.H. Shipman Ltd., Ahmadia said.
"A lot of the kids helped even though they put more paint on themselves than on the wall," he said. "It was nice to see them take ownership of the school."
Both the community and the school families are taking ownership of the school and that shows in the improvements, including a project with the Army to build an outdoor basketball court within the next month, he said.
"That was the bottom-line goal — to have the community take ownership of the school," Ahmadia said.
Hawaii 3R's was initiated by U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye in 2001. The program works with state agencies, trade unions, businesses, military, community leaders, parents, teachers and students to match state, federal and private money with volunteer sweat equity, both skilled and unskilled, to reduce an estimated $560 million backlog in school repairs and at a significantly lower cost.
A total of $2.5 million in grants has been distributed.
Hawaii 3R's receives money from the state and federal government. Other contributors are the Hawaii Community Foundation, The Estate of James Campbell, the AT&T Foundation and the Campbell Foundation. Additional money is being sought and donations will be accepted.
For more information or to donate to the program visit its Web site at www.hawaii3rs.com.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com or 234-5266.
