Groundbreaking Nears For Second Wailuku Elementary School

By Wendy Osher

Pu'u Kukui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

Maui breaks ground on a new elementary school in Central Maui next month.  When complete, the Pu’u Kukui school will become the second public elementary school in Wailuku.

The project, referred to in its infancy as Wailuku II Elementary, will be situated in the 2,000-home Kehalani subdivision and will accommodate an estimated 550 students.

State lawmakers on Maui lobbied for the project to help address the island’s rapidly growing population.  Sen. President Shan Tsutsui, along with Representatives Kyle Yamashita and the late Bob Nakasone successfully secured a $14 million appropriation during the 2007 legislative session to plan, design and construct the new school.

Now, four years later, the project is ready break ground, with completion expected in two years.

The new name of the school, Pu’u Kukui, was selected earlier this year during a naming contest held at Wailuku Elementary.  Meaning hill of enlightenment, “not only is the translation appropriate, it also reflects the summit name of the West Maui Mountains on which the school is to be built,” an announcement said.

The groundbreaking event is slated for Wednesday, September 7, 2011.  Among those in attendance will be Sen. President Tsutsui, Governor Neil Abercrombie, and members of the State Board of Education.

***Check back for full coverage of the upcoming event.