Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation Crews are scheduled to work extended day shifts six days a week to return the Koko Head Shooting Complex to public use.

What You Need To Know

  • At a news conference on Monday, DPR director Laura Thielen said renovations, repairs and upgrades to the complex are continuing, with the archery range on schedule to reopen in March, followed by public pistol and rifle ranges in April

  • As part of the berm/backstop renovation, DPR heavy machinery operators will begin moving 3,000 cubic yards of dirt along the pistol and rifle ranges this week

  • Workers will also be roofing, painting, removing damaged sections of the wall separating the two ranges, and doing basic landscaping around the shooting complex

  • In consultation with Kramer One, an architecture firm that specializes in shooting ranges, DPR is also working on installing interior and perimeter signage and updating operational procedures

At a news conference on Monday, DPR director Laura Thielen said renovations, repairs and upgrades to the complex are continuing, with the archery range on schedule to reopen in March, followed by public pistol and rifle ranges in April.

As part of the berm/backstop renovation, DPR heavy machinery operators will begin moving 3,000 cubic yards of dirt along the pistol and rifle ranges this week. Workers will also be roofing, painting, removing damaged sections of the wall separating the two ranges, and doing basic landscaping around the shooting complex.

“We are very much looking forward to allowing the public back into this unique shooting facility, and greatly thank the community for their patience during its closure,” Thielen said. “Because of the issues we encountered when the facility was closed, shooters will notice some significant changes to how the ranges will look and operate—changes such as limiting where food and drinks can be consumed, requiring the pistol and rifle range to operate as one firing line (due to the damaged wall), and the overall look of the improved facilities. Planning ahead, we hope to make range improvements while maintaining some semblance of public shooting access.”

DPR staff have already completed deep cleaning along the firing lines and carpentry work on the eyebrows overhanging the shooting galleries.

In consultation with Kramer One, an architecture firm that specializes in shooting ranges, DPR is also working on installing interior and perimeter signage and updating operational procedures.

The range was originally scheduled to close for renovation in October 2022 but was shut down weeks earlier due to what was initially attributed to “staffing issues.”

The city later revealed that nine workers had tested positive for elevated levels of lead. While the test results indicated levels that are not considered dangerous, the staff members were relocated “out of an abundance of caution,” DPR noted.

Environmental air monitoring was conducted in the initial phases of the renovation, and no lead was detected in any of the samples.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email him at michael.tsai@charter.com