NEWS RELEASE

KS, DHHL fully execute lease to build community learning center in Nānākuli

Community partners involved in the Agnes Kalaniho‘okahā Cope Community Learning Center gathered this week at the Kapolei Chamber of Commerce annual holiday luncheon. Seated from left to right: Steve Kelly, Vice President, Development James Campbell Company, LLC; Stacelynn Eli, Representative Elect District 43; Nālani Beniona, Nānākuli Hawaiian Homestead Community Association; Kamaki Kanahele, Nānākuli Hawaiian Homestead Community Association; Kalei Kaʻilihiwa, Regional Director, Kamehameha Schools-Wai’anae Region; Kimmie Timson, Project Manager, Kamehameha Schools-Wai’anae Region

Site map of the future location of the Agnes Kalaniho‘okahā Cope Community Learning Center.

Nānākuli, Hawai‘i - (Dec. 6, 2018) – Kamehameha Schools (KS) and the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) have fully executed the ground lease for the land that will be the future site of the Agnes Kalaniho‘okahā Cope Community Learning Center in Nānākuli .

“Strong partnerships are a critical part of our work to reach every native Hawaiian learner. Working together with DHHL, we are making major progress toward our commitment to the Nānākuli Hawaiian homestead community and the rest of the Wai‘anae Coast,” said KS Wai‘anae Coast Regional Director Kalei Ka‘ilihiwa. “Solidifying these community partnerships means we can now move full steam ahead. E holomua kākou.”

“We are proud to work with Kamehameha Schools through this ground lease. We fully support the establishment of this learning center and hope that it serves to perpetuate the legacy of Auntie Aggie’s service to the lāhui,” said Peter “Kahana” Albinio, Acting Administrator of DHHL’s Land Management Division.

In another major milestone, KS has selected Kiewit to design and construct the Kalaniho‘okahā Community Learning Center. As part of the innovative design-build process which places the responsibility for both the design and construction of the project in the hands of one entity, providing a single source of accountability for the success of the project.

“It was important to us to find a firm that had a strong commitment to working with community members and Kamehameha Schools. After all, this is a ‘community’ learning center,” Ka‘ilihiwa said.

The Kalaniho‘okahā Community Learning Center will serve as a place for gathering and learning with an emphasis on health, education and ‘āina (land). The Wai‘anae Coast Region is home to the third-largest concentration of Native Hawaiians in the state with upwards of 28,000, including nearly 10,000 in Nānākuli alone.

KS is investing $10.9 million for the construction of the learning center at the three-acre site, with a groundbreaking scheduled for 2019. The Kalaniho‘okahā Community Learning Center is slated to open to the public by the summer of 2020.

The Center will encompass approximately 6,800 square feet with a large multi-purpose room that can divide into three smaller spaces. Covered lānai will allow for hybrid indoor/outdoor gathering areas, and ample outdoor space for outdoor learning and community māla (gardens) to be incorporated.

The learning center is named for and honors the professional legacy of Dr. Agnes Kalaniho‘okahā Cope, known fondly by many as “Aunty Aggie,” a longtime Nānākuli resident and champion for Native Hawaiian health, education, culture and the arts. Dr. Cope was a founder of community-owned and - driven Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, and also served as Board Chair for both Papa Ola Lōkahi and Ke Ola Mamo.

“With the lease secured and design-build contractor identified, we are focusing our conversations with the communities of Nānakuli and Wai‘anae on creating meaningful learning opportunities for keiki, kūpuna and everyone in between,” Ka‘ilihiwa said.

The community can connect with KS by calling the project hotline at 843-9655, visiting https://www.ksbe.edu/waianae_coast/kclc or emailing kclcinfo@ksbe.edu.