By CHELSEA JENSEN
By CHELSEA JENSEN
Stephens Media
A long-awaited community center to house public meetings and educational, cultural and recreational programs in Milolii is in the works.
Nonprofit Paa Pono Milolii has proposed to build a multipurpose community center adjacent to the shoreline in the village. It will consist of a central covered lanai, an office, a visitors reception center, library and a classroom, according to a draft environmental assessment for the proposed Milolii Community Enrichment and Historical Center. The center would include three, single-story structures totalling 4,800 square feet.
Paa Pono Milolii has proposed the community center for the village of 500 residents to provide space for public meetings and a variety of programs and activities, according to the draft. Youth, intergenerational, sports, canoe paddling, Hawaiian language and self-enterprise training programs are possible candidates to be housed at the center.
Hawaii County Planning Director Bobby Jean Leithead Todd gave the project, which will be built on four-state owned parcels totalling 40,000 square feet off Milolii Beach Road, a finding of no significant impact, according to the draft EA, filed March 6 with the state Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Quality Control.
The proposed community center is expected to cost $400,000 and will be funded by federal Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiative grants, according to the draft. It will be built to Americans with Disabilities Act standards and feature 15 parking stalls.
Construction will occur in three phases over an anticipated four years. The group still needs special management area use, building, state conservation district use and grading and grubbing permits prior to any work commencing, according to the draft.
The main 4,000-square-foot multipurpose community center, expected to take 18 months, will be built first. The second and third phases consist of restrooms and guest quarters, according to the draft.
The draft anticipates impact to any biological resources, including flora and fauna, in and next to the project site to be minor.
The Newell’s shearwater, and the federally endangered Hawaiian petrel, Hawaiian hawk and Hawaiian hoary bat have all been observed at the site. Minimizing bright outdoor lighting, shielding any necessary light sources and using motion detectors, where practical, to provide light only when necessary will be implemented to reduce any impact on the species, according to the draft.
The draft EA also noted the project site is located in an area where no archaeological resources have been previously encountered. However, if they were found, work will cease and the state Historic Preservation Division would be notified.
Other alternatives considered for the community center included a state-owned parcel currently part of a ownership dispute, building in other areas, and purchasing a site. Different building configurations were also considered.
The National Environmental Police Act draft environmental assessment can be viewed online at the state Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Quality Control website at oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/default.aspx. Comments will be accepted through April 23.