Progress update: 17 of 30 classrooms in place at temporary campus for King Kamehameha III elementary

US Army Corps of Engineers is reporting steady progress on construction of the temporary campus for students of King Kamehameha III Elementary School who were displaced by the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires that destroyed the school.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency allocated $53 million in federal funding to build the temporary school, which is located on 10.2 acres in Honokōwai at the Pulelehua development site below Kapalua Airport.

The site will provide students and staff with additional space and facilities to continue instruction as a permanent structure is designed and rebuilt. Students are currently sharing campus facilities with Princess Nāhi‘ena‘ena Elementary School until the temporary site is ready.

USACE is supporting the State of Hawaiʻi and the state Department of Education by providing technical assistance, engineering expertise and construction management for the temporary school.

USACE Mission Manager Elizabeth McCarty provided and overview and update of the site progress saying 17 of 30 planned modular classrooms and two restrooms are already in place as of Christmas Day. Contract and safety teams spent the holiday on site to ensure progress toward completion.

Access to the campus is from the Honoapiʻilani Highway onto Akahele Street. The site features a paved ring road around the perimeter of the site, which leads to an asphalt parking lot with 100-110 stalls and a walkway for student drop-off that will be covered by a canopy.

The site features 30 planned classrooms, 20 of which are in 960 square foot modular buildings. The other buildings are for kindergarten and special education students, and all are ADA ramp accessible. Each 8-foot by 20-foot modular building comes with air conditioning units and is hardwired for internet, according to the latest update.

In addition to the classroom buildings, the campus also has: a maintenance building; a learning resources building that will house a health clinic, library and offices; an administrative building which will house office space and a work room for teachers; a community space with attached adult bathrooms; a covered open space with a metal roof and stage for outdoor assemblies; a kindergarten playground and a play area for older students; and a dining room and food services area with additional attached bathrooms.

“We will be preparing the food off site and brining it to the school, but we are able to store and prepare the food for students to come and eat,” said McCarty in the update, noting that about 200 students will be served at a time.

The temporary campus is fenced in with four fire standpipes located around the school to make it easier for fire trucks to access water in the case of an emergency. According to McCarty, there are also gates at those sites for egress and emergency student evacuations.

McCarty notes that the school is designed for approximately 600 students and has the ability to accommodate up to 700 students when complete.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Education will be suppling the furnishings to include desks and whiteboards, as well as play equipment, kitchen equipment, and tables and chairs to the dining facility.

The US Army Corps of Engineers explained in earlier communication with Maui Now that there are additional options including an option for the state Department of Education to renew its lease on the modular buildings in six-month increments for the maximum of five years.  If all the options are exercised along with the costs of returning the land to its original state once King Kamehameha III students return to a permanent facility, the contract will total $99.9 million, according to earlier reports.

When state and federal officials announced the project in late September, plans called for a 95-day build period.