What would the completion of the new Hilo High School gymnasium be without another delay?
What would the completion of the new Hilo High School gymnasium be without another delay?
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the school community was set to recognize the grand opening of the long-anticipated facility. But with five days to go, those plans were put on hold.
Principal Robert Dircks asked media representatives Tuesday, Sept. 9, to delay announcing the opening event after he learned of an unanticipated delay.
In an email sent Monday, Dircks explained the opening was delayed because of “a scheduling conflict between contractors” regarding the paving of the gym’s driveway fronting Waianuenue Avenue. General contractor F&H Construction and subcontractor Yamada and Sons Inc. were delayed in completing the driveway because of malfunctioning equipment, he said.
The driveway work was completed Friday, Dircks added, but “the dedication of the gymnasium will be rescheduled once the gymnasium is completed. This date has not yet been set, but we expect it to be no later than Nov. 26,” he wrote.
It was unclear what specific work remains to be done on the property. In his email, Dircks said the state, contractor and the architect have begun a process to draw up a “punchlist” with final touches to be performed on the building.
“When the punchlist is completed to the satisfaction of all involved, the building will be turned over to the school,” he said.
The $11.2 million gymnasium has met with a number of delays since its earliest inception, and officials say much of the delay can be traced to a requirement that the building serve double duty.
“The new gymnasium serves not only as an athletic facility but also as a Civil Defense shelter and staging area. As a result of the latter, the architectural design requirements were reviewed and subsequently adjusted to meet stringent criteria,” Dircks said.
Meanwhile, he added, structural issues within the steelwork of the building further helped push back the completion date.
In a phone interview earlier this month, Hilo’s former athletic director, Roy Kobayashi, said plans have been underway for the grand opening to feature a shootout competition between the school’s three state champion basketball teams from 1964, 1991 and 2000.
“One of the teams, they were saying, ‘Hey coach, we would have won (against the other champion teams).’ I’m always telling them, ‘You were both good.’ The fun thing is, now we’ve decided to settle it on the court,” Kobayashi said.
With members of the ’64 team approaching their 70s, organizers decided a shootout would help even the odds with the two younger teams.
“They said they were willing to do that, and so we’re going to have a shooting contest,” he said.
There also will be plenty of food, music and entertainment, he added.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.