Sewer Line A Key Step For HPU Growth
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Del.icio.usAs a 3,750-foot sewer-line project winds its way through the government permit process, Hawaii Pacific University plans to erect two modular buildings this spring on its growing Windward campus.
“The sewer connection is the key to unlock the future for us,” said Rich Stepien, vice president of administration. “We’ve got to get off of the wastewater plant that was put in for the original Hawaii Loa College.”
Without connecting to the city sewer system, Stepien said the college has been in a holding pattern at the same time its programs - especially nursing - have been “growing by leaps and bounds.”
Two modular buildings should arrive on island this month and, pending permits, be installed at the back of the campus sometime in April, he said. That $1.5 million project will provide much-needed office and lab space for the nursing staff as well as classrooms, a student activities multipurpose room and new space for the housing staff - which is being bumped out of the existing academic center by more nursing program needs.
“After the sewer line is in, we won’t have to worry about modular buildings anymore,” said Stepien, a Kailua resident who works under new senior vice president Lloyd Fujii, the point person for HPU’s master plan of the future. Much is envisioned for the 130-acre Windward campus, he said, though specific planning and designs have not yet gelled. Stepien noted that the modular structures are attractive and will not be visible from the highway.
This week, however, sewage is in the spotlight. Public comment is due by Jan. 8 for the draft environmental assessment on the college’s 8-inch-wide Hale Kou force main. (For details, call Stepien at 544-0205 or the state DLNR’s Kimberly Mills at 587-0382.)
“The federal, state and city are all working on it now,” said Stepien. “It will go under Kamehameha Highway and under H-3 to get to the city pumping station near the entrance to the Koolau Golf Course.” The $3.5 million-plus project will employ microtunneling to minimize disruption to the environment. Private property owners already have approved utility easements over their land, according to the state. HPU will also construct a new pump station on campus to connect with the city station.
Of the college’s 8,000 students, 212 live in dorms at Hawaii Loa and 2,000 to 2,500 attend classes there every day. The school’s softball and soccer teams play there, and the men’s basketball team occasionally rents the King Intermediate School gym for games.
“Eventually, Hawaii Loa will be our home court,” said Stepien. And a lot more.
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