Supporters of a proposed private high school near Thompson Corner in Waialua got a pleasant surprise when they asked the city Planning Commission for a five-year extension on a soon-to-expire Special Use Permit to establish Aloha Ke Akua High School.

The commission nixed the five-year request. Instead, it handed over a 10-year extension to build the North Shore's first private secondary prep school.

Michael Magaoay, president the Aloha Ke Akua High School group, said he was startled, but pleased.

"Our mission has not changed," said Magaoay, a Democrat who represents the 46th District (Kahuku, North Shore, Schofield) in the state House. He still believes the school would help revitalize the area, which has been in a slump since the Waialua Sugar Mill closed in 1997.

Magaoay said there is no location in Waialua right now that's suitable for the interim school. The new strategy will be to raise enough money to build an initial building on the 15-acre site and augment it with trailers while the fundraising continues.

The group has raised around $200,000. Five years ago the group figured it needed $4 million to $5 million to begin construction, and around $8 million to complete the project.