A pair of Hilo high schools together will receive about $10 million in state funds to improve their facilities.
Hilo High School will get $4.5 million in capital improvement funding for track and field improvements, and Waiakea High School will receive $5 million for the design and construction of a new girls’ athletic locker room.
“This was supposed to start years ago,” Hilo High School Principal Jasmine Urasaki said last week. “I’ve been at the school for over three years now, and this has been in the works since before I started.”
Hilo Rep. Chris Todd, also the Hilo High School football coach, said the school’s track and field is “undoubtedly the worst in the state,” saying that the cinder track, which was built in the 1940s, has long since outlived its usefulness and is now a health hazard for students.
“It’s not flat, for one thing,” Todd said. “You can’t play on it when it’s raining. It gets washed out for days at a time. There are rocks sticking out that kids can injure themselves on. There’s only one goalpost.”
The improvements, Todd explained, will be made in two phases.
The first phase will shift the track and field further away from Waianuenue Avenue and build a retaining wall between the school gymnasium and the field. The track will also be narrower and longer and more in-line with athletic standards, Todd said, but he added that, with six lanes, it may not have enough capacity for certain events.
The second phase will include new bleachers and a new press box, Todd said.
Todd estimated that, if the bid process goes according to plan, the first phase of construction could begin by winter of 2023 and be completed by the fall semester of 2024.
“So, students might lose access to it for the spring semester and the summer, but that’s something we can work out during the bid process,” Todd said.
Todd added that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the track and field were accessible to the general public, which he hopes will be possible again after construction.
“There are some concerns, since we’re spending $4.5 million on it, that we make sure it stays in good condition for the kids,” Todd said. “So, we’ll have to find a good balance between public use and maintaining its condition.”
Meanwhile, the new locker room facility at Waiakea High School also has been in the works since 2019, when the state Legislature named the school as one of 10 in the state to receive funding for girls’ locker rooms.
“I’m thrilled that (the state) is committed to funding design and construction plans for a girls’ athletic locker room at Waiakea High School,” said Hilo Sen. Lorraine Inouye in a statement. “It’s imperative that Hawaii’s student athletes have adequate facilities to enable their extracurricular growth.”
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.