$16.4M Waianae police substation is 4 times the size of its predecessor

Waianae residents are hoping the Honolulu Police Department’s newest substation will discourage crime and bring a larger police presence to the Leeward Coast.

“It’s amazing,” said Waianae resident Rochelle Kawelo on Monday before a tour of the facility on Farrington Highway between Bayview Street and Waianae Valley Road. “It’s nice to see a nice new building like this.

“I just hope they get more manpower,” Kawelo added. “For a building like this, I hope they fill it up with more manpower. We really need it out here.”

On Monday police and other city officials unveiled the $16.4 million substation, which will be open for business in May.

The two-story, 25,172-square-foot building is almost four times the size of the previous substation, a 53-year-old single-story structure with coral walls several feet thick. Demolished in 2014, it was recalled Monday by its nicknames, like the “bunker” or the “Alamo.”

Planning for the new building began in 2006 under former Police Chief Boisse Correa. Officials said it has some bulletproof windows and 14 holding cells, up from three in the old substation, and has separate areas for men, women, adults and juveniles.

In addition to administrative offices and an operations room, it also has a gym for officers and more than 5,000 square feet of unfinished space for expansion on the upper floor. It’s also equipped with an emergency generator and a 90-foot radio tower, more than twice the height of the previous tower.

Mark Wong, director of the Honolulu Department of Information Technology, said the new tower can withstand a Category 4 hurricane and will be compatible with the P25 radio system the city will upgrade to in about a year, which will provide police with fully digital radio communications. Police are currently using a radio system based on digital and analog technology.

The building, which also has a public restroom and 22 parking stalls for Pokai Bay Beach Park users, received a silver certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program and has a tile roof and rock wainscoting to lend it some island character.

It was designed by Architects Hawaii, which also designed the state Capitol, the Ronald T.Y. Moon Judiciary Complex and the Walgreens on Keeaumoku Street.

A central piece of the building, however, is still missing. In May the city will select one of three finalists for an artwork that will cover a 65-foot-long space on the front of the building, at a cost of $80,000. The piece, required under city rules for new construction, will be installed about a year later.

The three submissions are a metal relief sculpture by former Oahu resident Martin Charlot, a ceramic mural by Waianae artist Mark Kadota and a glass mural by Makaha artist Solomon Enos.

“It’s a beautiful building,” said Makaha resident Emily Auwae, 72, who added that the community has grown, but police presence hasn’t kept up with it.

Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the 2017 fiscal year budget includes a request for eight more officers on the Waianae Coast.

Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who represents the Leeward Coast, said residents have been asking for more officers for some time, and the new facility shows “the entire island cares about the Waianae Coast.”

Officials said the station will enable faster police response times and better service for residents, who no longer have to go almost 12 miles away to the Kapolei police station for assistance.

“This is really not just about the police,” said Maj. Kurt Kendro, commander of the Kapolei/Waianae District. “This is all about the community and our ability to serve the community better.”