Hawaii County has hired a design consultant and is working on a contract to begin work on the new Papa‘aloa gym.
The original decades-old gym was officially torn down in May 2022 after it was deemed unsalvageable due to extensive termite damage.
Hawaii County on March 1 received a letter from Gov. Josh Green saying the state would provide $5 million for the new Papa‘aloa Community Center Gym.
The county will be matching that with another $5 million, bringing the total for plans, design and construction to $10 million.
Initially, county officials said the gym would not be rebuilt due to cost concerns. But the county sought funding after the community banded together to lobby for a new gym at the site, which was used for decades as a main gathering place for the Hamakua community.
County Parks and Recreation officials are eager to get the plans moving for the gym, especially because kupuna and keiki in Hamakua have few other options for recreational sites.
“The (design consultant) has accepted the project, and we’ve given them a contract deadline of August 30 for us to have the contract set up,” Parks and Rec Director Maurice Messina said. “Our first community meetings out here are going to be in November and December, with the community to have input on the design.”
After the first design is finished, the community will then have another chance to give input and suggest changes to the design in February and March of 2024.
According to Messina, the county will begin the environmental assessment next year and later start the process of building a new structure, which also will serve as a hurricane shelter.
“When we’re doing the community meetings, we hope as many people come out as possible, so that (they) understand everything we’re doing with the project,” Messina said.
For more information, call Parks and Recreation at (808) 961-8311.
Email Kelsey Walling at kwalling@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
