PUHI — The Reverend Wayne Vidinha of Ke Akua Mana Church had a special interest in the blessing he performed Wednesday. “Our daughter is graduating from Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama and will be coming home in the fall,” Vidinha said following the
PUHI — The Reverend Wayne Vidinha of Ke Akua Mana Church had a special interest in the blessing he performed Wednesday.
“Our daughter is graduating from Kamehameha Schools-Kapalama and will be coming home in the fall,” Vidinha said following the blessing of the campus center at the Kauai Community College. “This is where she’s going to school so we’re interested to see what she’s going to be experiencing.”
Vidinha presided over the blessing and open house of the newly-renovated campus center coordinated by the Associated Students of the University of Hawaii-Kauai Community College and the Student Activities Council who have a new collaboration area in the renovated facility.
“I remember as a student of wanting a place like this where students can simply hang out,” said John Constantino, a Kauai CC counselor and student activities coordinator.
Additionally, the new space includes offices for several instructional lecturers.
“This marks another milestone in creating a campus environment which invites students to participate in their education outside of the classroom as well as inside,” Helen Cox, Kauai CC chancellor, said in a release.
The new facility, with design work done by Paul Noborikawa of Noborikawa & Associates of Oahu and Layton Construction, will house the ASUH-KCC Student Government, Kauai CC Board of Publications, publishers of the Ka Leo O KCC student newspaper, the Student Activities Council, Kauai CC Radio, International Education, with space being allocated to veterans studying at the college.
Splashed with bright contemporary colors, new flooring, lighter in color to separate the “new” construction area from the established areas, creates inviting meeting spaces with glassed walls allowing natural light to illuminate the interior while allowing views of the natural beauty of the land surrounding the campus.
“Kauai is so beautiful,” Noborikawa said. “I wanted everyone to see that through this new space.”
Dave Whitaker, project superintendent for Layton Construction, said they worked closely with Kauai CC faculty, staff and students during the renovation project.
“Now that construction is complete, the Kauai CC ohana still makes me feel at home among the team, and I look forward to being a part of the Kauai Community College community when Layton Construction starts work on a similar renovation project of the Social Sciences building,” he said.
• Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
