MANA — A group of 25 sailors from the Pacific Missile Range Facility lent their muscle to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands development in Kekaha recently, putting in a day’s work for the housing project that will provide affordable housing for Native Hawaiians on the Westside.
The sailors were divided into teams working on exterior painting, fabrication of exterior wood railings, hanging dry wall and assembling cabinetry. Their work pushed several homes closer to the goal of completion by the middle of this summer.
“We are trying to have them done by the end of June,” Doug Kennedy, a project manager with Kikiaola Construction Inc., said. “All the houses must be done before anyone can move in.”
Trying to time the simultaneous completion of 19 homes can be challenging, however, especially when the bulk of the work is completed by the families themselves.
“It’s a mutual self-help, so everyone works on everyone else’s house. You don’t build your own house, you build everyone else’s,” Kennedy said.
The project calls for the families to do the work, and Kikiaola manages the construction process.
“We supply the equipment, organize the materials, help show the families the construction process and basically that’s the TA contract,” Kennedy said. “We provide tools that they aren’t required to bring themselves.”
In addition, subcontractors are assigned to complete specialized tasks including septic, electric, plumbing and tape and texturing. Each family is responsible for hiring these subcontractors as part of the completion process.
Besides the representatives from Kikiaola, the subcontractors and the homeowners themselves, the project depends on volunteers to fill in the gaps.
“These families have a year to get their homes ready, so they do need help. They are moving along but there is still a lot to do,” said DHHL Homestead Development Coordinator Kamuela Cobb-Adams.
For the sailors involved, this was an opportunity to help the beneficiaries achieve their dream of owning a home.
“I was excited to work hand-in-hand with the families building their homes,” said Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class Jessica Truax. “This project is something I want to be part of on a regular basis.”
Spread out over 20 acres, the project calls for 20 homes using the self-help model as well as 29 houses to be built by contractors. Those interested in volunteering at the Kekaha site can contact Kikiaola Construction at 338-0021 for more information.
