LIHU‘E — Keith Perry of the Office of the Mayor said the event on Tuesday should’ve been a “brick breaking” instead of a “groundbreaking” at the back end of the building that formerly housed the Lihu‘e Big Save.
“After you take out the merchandise and all the marketing, it’s not that big of a space,” said Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami. “This is where I got my first real job.”
The county, led by the mayor’s office, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony officiated by Kahu Sean Chun for the renovation of the former Big Save space at the Lihu‘e Civic Center before an audience of more than four dozen people. Among the attendees were a lot of representatives from the different county departments and agencies, as well as members of the County Council.
Construction to the space starts on July 9 with the scope of work of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy-funded project (ARPA), including renovating the 25,000 square-foot area that has sat dormant for more than a decade following the close of Big Save after the Times Supermarket chain acquired the store.
The vision for the space is to provide child care and early childhood education along with youth programs, including the Kaua‘i Police Activities League.
“Throughout our administration, we have embraced the concept of taking underutilized property and transforming it to serve the critical needs of our community,” Kawakami said. “Mahalo to our federal delegation for securing the ARPA funds for this renovation, to the County Council for approving the project, and to our wonderful team for their hard work. Once construction is complete, our hope is to utilize this space to help shape the future of our island — our keiki.”
Shioi Construction has been selected as the general contractor for the $7.1 million project that is estimated to be complete in the summer of 2025.
During construction, a portion of the Lihu‘e Civic Center parking lot and the skatepark facing ‘Eiwa Street will be closed.
For more information on the project, people can contact Jacqueline Contrades with Shioi Construction via email jkc@shioi.com or phone 808-245-3975.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
