The Kauai Philippine Cultural Center could be completed by year’s end.
“Most of the major construction work is done,” said Lesther Calipjo, KPCC president. “We’re working on some interior projects, but with this $500,000 grant-in-aid check, everything should be done by December.”
Thursday, Calipjo was joined by members of the Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce, KPCC board members and former officers in accepting the grant from Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and members of the Kauai County Council.
It has been a collaborative effort with multiple fundraisers to get to this point since the March 2016 groundbreaking.
The Kauai Philippine Cultural Center has received the backing of the Kauai County Council, the governor’s office, the state Legislature, and the Filipino Community Center on Oahu. Gov. David Ige and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard have visited.
The state appropriated $1.5 million.
The land was provided by the Kauai County Council in the form of a 99-year lease approved at $1 per year for the 3.5 acre site in Puhi, adjacent to the YMCA pool and Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.
KPCC is leasing 11 acres of land from Grove Farm for $1 a year for 100 years for a cultural park and garden.
The project is scheduled to be done in two phases.
The first will include 12,725-square-foot building that will house office spaces, a commercial kitchen and an event hall. A basketball court is part of the plan.
The second phase calls for construction of a 11,658-square-foot main hall.
The goal is to have a place in the heart of Kauai “to bring folks together for social, educational and lifestyle services, and to celebrate family and friendships.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
