LIHUE, Hawaii — A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Tuesday for the renovation of the 25,000-square-foot former Big Save space at Lihue Civic Center.
The vision for the space that has been dormant for over 10 years is to provide a dedicated place for child care and early childhood education along with youth programs, including the Kauai Police Activities League.
“Throughout our administration, we have embraced the concept of taking underutilized property and transforming it to serve the critical needs of our community,” said Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami in a news release.
“Mahalo to our federal delegation for securing the ARPA funds for this renovation, to the County Council for approving this project, and to our wonderful team for their hard work. Once construction is complete, our hope is to utilize this space to help shape the future of our island – our keiki,” said Kawakami.
Construction for the $7.1 million ARPA-funded project will begin July 9 and is estimated to reach completion in summer 2025. Shioi Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the project.
During construction, a portion of the Lihue Civic Center parking lot and the skatepark facing Eiwa Street will be closed.
Contact Jacquelyn Contrades with Shioi Construction at 808-245-3975 or jkc@shioi.com for project information.
Sarah Yamanaka covers news and events for Spectrum News Hawaii. She can be reached at sarah.yamanaka@charter.com.
