KAPA‘A — Dignitaries from the Wescon Region Pop Warner, the Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football League, Kapa‘a Eagles Pop Warner, the Junior Olympic softball team and Kalani Construction broke ground Saturday on a new storage facility for Kapa‘a Pop Warner and the softball team at Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Complex next to Radford Sam Fong pavilion.
“Together,” said Wescon Region Hawai‘i Representative Teddy Arroyo. “I told the Planning Commission this is for the community. Plans for this facility started long before the fire destroyed the Kapa‘a Pop Warner storage shed and all the equipment. We’ve been talking about this for years. The fire had a silver lining because it got us to start.”
Architectural plans for the new building, which will be located closer to the road and Kapa‘a Police Substation, were donated by Ian Costa, said event emcee Lenny Rapozo, the former Department of Parks and Recreation head and a Kaua‘i sports official.
Kalani Construction is the contractor on the project. Kahu Wayne Vidinha, of Ke Akua Mana Church, provided the blessing.
“Everyone is connected through Pop Warner,” Rapozo said. “This is how everything is together.”
Funding for the project estimated to cost about $100,000 is through a grant secured under the Bernard Carvalho administration with help and support from Senate President Ron Kouchi and the Kaua‘i legislative team.
“I hope they don’t add too many things,” Carvalho said. “There’s only so much money.”
When the May 31 fire destroyed the storage facility, about a hundred youngsters from the Kapa‘a Eagles tackle football and cheer program were impacted by destruction of equipment that was stored in the building during the offseason.
August 1 started the current year of Pop Warner football. Through cooperative fundraising efforts, the Eagles were able to take the field for training ahead of the Jamboree in September, using a shipping container to temporarily store equipment.
The junior softball program also uses a shipping container parked near the softball diamond to store its equipment for about 70 youths, said Coach Micah Furtado.
The new facility will accommodate the Kapa‘a Eagles Pop Warner program and the Junior Olympics softball team, which was recently recognized by Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami and Kaua‘i County Council for earning the state 12 and Under championship.
No brainer. Nobody cares about pop Warner. Just maybe only those who are for athletics or pop Warner.