KILAUEA — Say hello to Kauai’s newest nonprofit.
Anaina Hou Community Park in Kilauea attracts more than 50,000 families a year and is home to Kauai Mini Golf; Wai Koa Loop Trail; a skatepark and playground; a park and ride for the Kauai Bus; recycling facilities; and a weekly farmers’ market.
And after two years, it finally received 501(c)(3) status.
Bill and Joan Porter, the husband and wife team who founded the park in 2010, said they are excited about their new classification and are already planning future amenities.
“It gives a place for the community to come together, and we’re very glad to do that,” Bill Porter said.
Expansion plans include adding a 18,000-square-foot pavilion. Construction could begin only after they secured their nonprofit status, their organization website states. A press release announcing the project said the Anaina Hou Pavilion will include a 250-seat indoor theater, a certified community kitchen, conference rooms and an outdoor event space.
Future plans also include a new playground and paved skatepark.
The new pavilion is meant to meet a growing need on the North Shore. Bill Porter said that meeting places are sparse as it is.
“Right now there is no good place to do that, all of the community conference rooms are classrooms at schools,” he said.
He added he hopes the pavilion will be used by a variety of groups, from serving local farmers by providing a fully certified kitchen and food storage facilities to hosting various venues like movie showings, campaign meetings, concerts, and perhaps, the San Francisco Opera. Anaina Hou’s website states that, in addition to events, the pavilion and its facilities will be available for the community to rent at affordable rates for classes, meetings or personal events.
So far, about $10 million has gone into the development of the park. The pavilion is estimated to cost upwards of $11 to $12 million.
While the pavilion is not contingent upon community donations, the new playground and skatepark project has received $25,000 in donations by Bill Clifford.
The Porters said that while funds for the pavilion have not been immediately secured, they are committed to funding the construction of the pavilion and would like to provide naming opportunities for donors.
Samantha Hamilton, board secretary, says that the project is still on hold due to building permits and that the public can expect a two-year window for construction, although no dates have been confirmed yet.
The vision for the park directly ties in with its name.
“‘Anaina Hou’ means ‘a new gathering place,’ and that is exactly what we hope it will become: a new gathering place for the people of Kauai,” said Crystal Bilyeu, general manager of Kauai Mini Golf.
The 17-acre park first applied to the IRS in 2012 and selected a board of directors, including Kumu Kehaulani Kekua, Joel Guy, Parker Croft, Chick Lanphier, Anna Olvera, Gary Pacheco, Bob Doyle and Bill Porter.
Having a front row seat to the fulfillment of a vision has been quite a journey, and the Porters say that hard work and perseverance is key to success in any field.
“Take risks, and persevere,” Joan Porter said. “You can’t quit, keep going.”
Hamilton says that the hardest part was having patience during the whole process.
