Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

HAWAIIAN HOMES BREAKS GROUND FOR SECOND PHASE
OF HOMESTEAD SUBDIVISION IN ANAHOLA, KAUA‘I

Pi’ilani Mai Ke Kai Subdivision, Phase II, Future Home to 51 Hawaiian ‘Ohana

ANAHOLA, KAUA‘I – Governor Neil Abercrombie, Kaua‘i County Mayor Bernard Carvalho, community leaders, government officials, and future homesteaders joined Chairman-designate Jobie Masagatani, Hawaiian Homes Commissioners and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands in a groundbreaking ceremony today to begin construction on what will become the future home for 51 Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiaries and their families in the second phase of the Pi‘ilani Mai Ke Kai subdivision in Anahola, Kaua‘i.

Phase II of Pi‘ilani Mai Ke Kai is located on 14 acres of former sugar cane land, approximately 13 miles north of the Līhu‘e Airport, makai of Kūhiō Highway.

“Today’s ceremony reminds us of the commitment we’ve made to the native people of this ‘āina, a commitment to work toward the betterment of the native Hawaiian people,” said Gov. Abercrombie, “Prince Kūhiō, a native of Kaua‘i, had the foresight to know Hawaiians would thrive if given an opportunity to return to the land. This vision is realized here today.”

Future Pi‘ilani Mai Ke Kai homeowners were awarded an Undivided Interest lease for a 10,000-square-foot residential lot in this subdivision in April 2006. The undivided interest lease program was designed to provide lessees the time to prepare for homeownership while the subdivision was developed.

Mayor Carvalho congratulated Kaua‘i’s newest homesteaders, saying, “I am proud to see the Anahola Hawaiian homestead community growing and thriving. This is a significant milestone on the road to a vibrant Kaua‘i.”

“These homes not only represent an incredible opportunity for 51 families, but also the result of a successful collaboration among state, federal, and private partners,” said Chair Masagatani.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency awarded a grant to the non-profit organization Nā Kūpa‘a O Kūhiō for work on the potable water system. The telecommunications infrastructure is being financed by Sandwich Isles Communications, Inc., and the remaining infrastructure work is funded with Hawaiian Home Lands trust funds, along with Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act funds under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Total infrastructure cost for the second phase of Pi‘ilani Mai Ke Kai is $4.68 million. Infrastructure work includes mass grading, roadway construction, drainage system installation, and utilities construction. The project also includes the construction of an offsite water distribution line and improvements to Anahola’s existing water distribution system.

Construction is expected to begin in November 2012, and be completed by July 2013, with home construction to follow. Earthworks Pacific, Inc., is the contractor with SSFM International, Inc., providing construction management services, and Esaki Surveying & Mapping, Inc., providing design consultation services.

Phase I of the Pi‘ilani Mai Ke Kai subdivision became home to the first of 36 native Hawaiian ‘ohana in November 2009. Another four homes are currently under construction in that subdivision.

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MEDIA CONTACT
Blaine Fergerstrom
Information & Community Relations
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
808.620.9512 | 808.497.9463 c
[email protected]