The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $57.3 million contract to a Native Hawaiian organization based in Waiʻanae to rapidly build a temporary school in West Maui.
Pono Aina Management is tasked with constructing the mixed-use Pulelehua project to replace King Kamehameha III Elementary, which was damaged beyond repair by the Aug. 8 wildfires.
Following the blaze that destroyed the Front Street school, students have been sharing campus facilities with Princess Nāhiʻenaʻena Elementary since October.
Enrollment on the first day back for King Kamehameha III Elementary students was 380 — a roughly 40% decrease from 624 students before the fire.
The company was selected from a pool of five applicants, according to Col. Jesse Curry. He said construction may begin in two weeks, with completion expected in 95 days.
"We feel challenged, of course, this is a big task," he said. "But I would also say I feel very happy and hopeful that we're going to be able to deliver this quickly."
He noted that concerns were raised that there wouldn't be contractors able to complete construction in their given timeline.
But company officials say they're up for the task, according to Mark Baines, the chief operating officer at Hui Hulia, which is the parent company of Pono Aina Management.
"We have some folks that have been on the ground already and have been operating in Maui for a long time," Baines said. "So we're very confident that we can get this done."
The nonprofit Hui Hulia is the umbrella company of at least six subsidiaries, including Pono Aina Management, International Construction, Technology Services, Advanced C4 Solutions, Cedar Intentional Services, and Defense Systems. They also subcontract with companies like Goodfellow Bros.
The Pulelehua project — located off Honoapiʻilani Highway between Kā‘anapali and Napili — will have multi-use spaces such as classrooms, open areas, athletics and other student spaces, Curry said.
