The metamorphosis of Dole Middle School in Kalihi came quickly yesterday. The sun rose on a scruffy, threadbare facility. By 12 o'clock, the place was gleaming.

Between 8 a.m. and noon, 120-plus volunteers — mostly employees of Central Pacific Bank — had carefully applied 700 gallons of sky-blue paint to 14 buildings and assorted lawn benches, saving the state Department of Education in excess of $300,000 in the process.

It was the latest initiative by Hawaii 3R's, a nonprofit and grant program that gets federal and state financing, as well as money from private organizations. Since its start in 2001, 3R's has doled out more than $10 million in school project grants.

The Rs stand for Repair, Remodel and Restore Hawai'i's Public Schools — an idea introduced in 2001 by U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, as a way to confront state's astronomical $640 million repair backlog.

Yesterday's paint-fest marked the partnership between 3R's and Central Pacific Bank. That affiliation in turn has led to an association between 3R's and the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i and the promise of more alliances to come.

"What we're going to do is give chamber businesses a way to get more involved with the community and the schools," said 3R's executive director, Ryan Shigetani. "I think a lot of businesses want to help, but they just don't know how — who to contact, how to set it up, and so on."

Shigetani said 3R's has learned through experience that volunteer workers can make a maximum impact if a few pros have paved the way. In the case of the Dole Middle School project, that meant the M. Shiroma Painting Company coming in two weeks early to do advance prepping, and painting difficult or hazardous areas.

In addition, staff workers from the Decorating Contractors Association of Hawaii gave volunteers a crash training course early yesterday, and then stayed around to monitor their work.

"Excuse me, sir, but as a safety measure we don't allow volunteers to wear ear buds on the job," Raymond Fujii, administrator of the painter's association said to Curtis Okazaki, as Okazaki delicately plied a paint brush to the edge of a school cafeteria door.

Okazaki didn't take his eyes off his task.

"You say something?" Okazaki finally replied, as if the volume on his music player was turned too high. For a moment it looked like Okazaki might have to stay after school.

The episode ended with laughter between the two men, who, it turned out, were old friends and baseball teammates from way back.

Among others using paint brushes and rollers was Clint Arnoldus, outgoing president and chief executive officer at Central Pacific Bank. Arnoldus said partnering with 3R's was in keeping with his institution's community banking policy.

He likened yesterday's project to completing a colossal paint by the numbers kit.

"They make it easy to do this — you can see they've already painted in all the borders for us," Arnoldus said as he prepared to touch up a patch of wall that had been missed. "You don't have to be a skilled painter to do this. All we do is come in and paint the big spaces."

Central Pacific volunteers were assisted by two dozen members of the Grace Bible Church, which uses the school cafeteria for meetings, and Fort Shafter's HHC 516th Signal Brigade.

School vice principal David Pila marveled as the transformation unfolded. He said the school has 14 buildings, 67 classrooms and 854 students. And, as of yesterday afternoon, he said the school had one of the sharpest-looking campuses in the state.

"I don't think we've had a paint job in maybe 20 years," he said.

Much of the student body is low income, Pila said. He said 87 percent of the students qualify for free and reduced lunches. The school is also one of the first in the state to be "restructured," under mandated federal reform and testing guidelines.

"And with this 3R's effort improving the environment of our campus, and getting it done before our testing date — which is in April — this will be a big help," Pila said. "The kids will come in and go, 'Wow! This really looks great!' "