Contributed by Kau'i Burgess
Kamehameha Schools recently cleared a significant milestone advancing the trust one step closer toward its vision to establish an educational piko (center, hub) on the former Keauhou Beach Resort property.
On May 29, the County of Hawai‘i Planning Department approved the project’s final environmental assessment and issued a finding of no significant impact (FEA-FONSI) for the project.
Before issuing a FONSI for the project, the county planning department determined that the action to remove the hotel – with its footing anchored in surrounding tide pools and the rocky shoreline – and establish an educational complex would not generate adverse socioeconomic, cultural or environmental impacts.
The decision, coming after a 30-day public commenting period and a three-month review by the department, allows Kamehameha to move another step closer to removing the seven-story hotel structure and implement its educational vision for the 22-acre site.
“Kamehameha Schools is grateful for the County of Hawai‘i Planning Department’s findings,” said Kaeo Duarte, Kamehameha Schools’ vice president of Community Engagement and Resources. “We still have a few more regulatory steps and cultural protocols to conduct, but after that we will be ready to remove the structure with utmost respect and care for the surrounding natural, cultural and community resources that are necessary for the health and well-being of the land and our people.”
In its environmental assessment, Kamehameha Schools asserts it will comply with all federal, state and county laws and policies ensuring adherence to all best management practices in a culturally appropriate manner.
Surrounded by some of Hawai‘i’s most culturally significant sites – including five historic heiau – the education complex is expected to offer a wealth of learning experiences deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture.
Construction of learning facilities for Kamehameha’s West Hawai‘i region at Kahalu’u Ma Kai and the continued restoration of the culturally significant property will support Kamehameha’s educational mission for West Hawaiʻi and steward the natural, cultural, and historical resources for future generations of learners.
The full FEA-FONSI document is available for viewing via the Office of Environmental Quality Control’s (OEQC) website.
Hawai‘i Academy of Arts and Sciences students demonstrate the plane table mapping skills learned through Hui Kaha Pōhaku, a KS educational program offered in West Hawai‘i
The educational complex will be surrounded by some of Hawai‘i’s most culturally significant sites, including five historic heiau.
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west hawaii,kahaluu ma kai
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Kaipuolono Article, Newsroom, Community Education
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