Nanakuli library may be done this summer

Construction of the long-awaited Nanakuli Public Library is expected to be finished by the end of summer, state officials say.

The facility is scheduled to open early next year.

Crews broke ground on the 3-acre property next to Nanaikapono Elementary School off Farrington Highway in November 2015. Construction was supposed to start in early 2014 and take about a year to complete. But the project was delayed due to a longer-than-expected building permit process, unforeseen site conditions and other issues, the state Department of Accounting and General Services said.

The 18,000-square-foot library was allocated $16.6 million in funding, which includes design, construction, utility work and furniture costs, according to DAGS. The library site is part of a 15-acre, state-owned property that was formerly an Army recreation facility.

In 2004 Nanaikapono Elementary was built on the mauka portion of the lot after relocating from a leased site across from Farrington Highway.

Designed by architect Glenn Miura of CDS International to be reminiscent of a Hawaiian village, the library will feature meeting rooms, a business center and an outdoor program room. The library was also designed to meet LEED Silver Certification or higher and will include green design elements and technologies such as photovoltaics and energy-efficient lighting fixtures.

“We’re excited,” said state Rep. Andria Tupola (R, Kalaeloa-Ko Olina-Maili). “It’s definitely going to make our community look way different. This is going to be a super nice looking library.”

Discussions for a library in Nanakuli date back to the 1970s. Planning initiatives started in 1994 and included community outreach efforts that began in 2012.

Residents have maintained that a library would be a community resource, especially for students at two nearby schools — Nanakuli High and Intermediate and Nanaikapono Elementary. The closest libraries are about 6 miles away in Waianae and Kapolei.

“I can’t wait to have a library in our community. I’m just excited for when it opens,” said Richard Medeiros, education committee chairman for the Nanakuli/Maili Neighborhood Board. “It’s going to be more than a library. It’s going to be more like a community center.”