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New Lookout Defines Collaboration 

 

 

Known as ‘Kupuna Terrace’ the lookout just south of Waimanalo Beach Park features a concrete walkway for those confined to wheelchairs as well as picnic tables and stools.

The lookout was the brainchild of Waimanalo Neighborhood Board member Andy Jamila and OCCC work line supervisor Bolo Kahawai, who provided about a dozen inmates for the project.

Kahawai got the idea for the lookout about five years ago when his crew of inmates began clearing out brush in the area.  He saw the need for a location where seniors in Waimanalo could gather near the ocean, hence the name “Kupuna Terrace.”

“We started cutting the grass and all the people…they start passing by, popping the horn and said, 'Eh, magnificent, magnificent,’” said Kahawai.  “I wanted to build something for the kupuna or the visitors from the mainland.”

Jamila quickly got involved by rounding up companies willing to donate material.  He said the project shows how much can be done with little to no cost to taxpayers if people are willing to get involved.

“With this project I guess we have to define the word collaboration, because that's what it is,” said Jamila.  “It was a collaborative effort.”

The Department of Hawaiian Homelands gave its blessing to use the land next to the highway, while Ameron Hawaii donated concrete and Pacific Aggregate provided crushed coral as a base.

The cement tables and stools came from Jamila’s non-profit organization, the Waimanalo Construction Coalition.  Even the plum tree that provides shade was nursed back to heath by Pukiki Tree Service at no cost to the community.

But perhaps the greatest contribution came from the inmates themselves, who learned some important skills and life lessons while working to complete the lookout.

"Being that we made mistakes in our past this is a way to give back to the community,” said inmate Sam Grace.  “It's a blessing for a lot of us.”

“Some of us (are) operators, some of us journeymen, masons, mason tenders,” added inmate Koa Keliikoa.  “It just opened our minds up more (and) let us see what it's really like (to work).”

Have a news tip?  Contact Andrew Pereira at 368-7273.  Follow Andrew on Twitter at Khon_Reporter