Kauai Council unanimously OKs lease for Filipino center

The Kauai County Council recently approved a long-term lease agreement for a Filipino community center.

On June 25, the council unanimously approved the lease for a 3.6-acre parcel in Puhi as the site for the proposed cultural center. The land is valued at $1.5 million. Under the agreement, the Kauai Philippine Cultural Center, a nonprofit organization that will manage the facility, will pay $1 a year for 99 years.

In December 2000, Grove Farm deeded about seven acres in Puhi to the county for park use and divided it into two sections. One section was used for the Kauai Ohana YMCA that opened in July 2008. The proposed cultural center is slated to be built on the adjacent section southwest of the YMCA.

Lesther Calipjo, president and board chairman of the Philippine Cultural Center, said talks of establishing a center on the Garden Island have been ongoing for 40 years.

Calipjo, former president of the Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce, said they are pleased with the council’s decision.

"Our goal was to showcase not only the Filipino community but other cultures," he said.

The proposed name for the center is a "A Place for All."

Since last year, the Philippine Cultural Center worked with the county in search of a location for the project. Calipjo said a feasibility study is under way and the goal is to build the center by 2020. Construction costs have yet to be determined.