Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
By COLIN M. STEWART
Tribune-Herald staff writer
Plans for a new gymnasium at Hilo High School have literally returned to the drawing board.
Kober/Hanssen/Mitchell Architects Inc., the consulting firm for the project, is working to redesign portions of the building after experiencing trouble obtaining a Hawaii County building permit, according to Department of Education Assistant Superintendent for School Facilities and Support Services Randy Moore.
In a briefing provided Wednesday to Big Island legislative delegates, Moore explained the county is requiring that the gym — which is expected to also serve as an emergency and hurricane shelter — withstand high winds of up to 155 mph. The building’s current design can only handle winds up to 115 mph.
When the design phase of the project first began, Moore said, the county required the ability to withstand winds of up to 80 mph.
“Before the design was finished, it went to 115 mph, and then to 155,” he said. “The wind requirements have increased dramatically.”
The DOE says it submitted the gym’s building permit application prior to adoption of the new rules, but the county interprets the submittal date to be after the documents had been routed and approved by all other agencies, said state Rep. Jerry Chang, D-South Hilo, Waiakea Kai, Kaumana, Keaukaha.
“We are disappointed in the delays,” he said. “We hope that the DOE and the consultant can work out a solution with the county that will save as much time and money as possible. A new gymnasium is sorely needed in our community; the community has waited patiently, and we wanted to make sure that they knew the reasons for the delay.”
Moore said he anticipates a solution from the project consultant next week. Any redesign could affect the cost of the project, he added.
The prospect of delays and cost increases is nothing new in the effort to replace Hilo High’s 80-year-old gym. Administrators have been lobbying for a new facility since at least 1998, when then-Principal John Masuhara wrote to a state senator seeking help.
Former Gov. Linda Lingle released $12 million for the design and construction of the gym in 2008, and a final environmental assessment was released in 2010. F&H Construction won in 2010 the $9.5 million contract for construction of the building, but has waited since then for the state to issue notice to proceed, and that has, in turn, been waiting on a county-issued building permit.
F&H Construction Hawaii Division Manager Dan Blackburn said he was “taken aback” by the latest developments.
“I just don’t see why it (the building design) would have to meet the new codes,” he said. “We thought we were about ready to go. Two weeks ago we were expecting word from the state. … I gotta get with my attorneys and see what’s going on.”
Blackburn has said that the delays on the project have reduced his company’s ability to guarantee bonds for other projects. They have also raised the estimated price tag for the building by $700,000, he said. Now, he added, that price tag could see even more inflation.
“I wouldn’t be able to say how much more it will cost until we hear from the architects. I’d only be guessing,” he said. “But … millions, I can tell you that. Probably millions.”
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.