The members of Kawaiaha'o Church have approved spending $17.6 million on its multipurpose building, senior kahu Curt Kekuna said this week.

"They went back to the drawing board and we had a new presentation yesterday" with contractor Hawaiian Dredging, he said Monday.

"Value engineering" got the price down to "a good number," said Kekuna, noting that the cost had, at one point, grown to $21 million, a number that was rejected at last month's meeting.

Including renovations already undertaken — a new wedding center and retooling of the basement of the sanctuary — the full cost is expected to be $19 million.

Kekuna said he hopes the entire project will be completed by 2010.