Preschool/kindergarten announced for Kakaako

As we reported earlier this month, Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) executive director Anthony Ching said in a public meeting that there would be an announcement about a new, projected preschool-kindergarten building as part of the Kakaako redevelopment plan.

Well, that announcement was made yesterday. Duane Shimogawa of Pacific Business News reported that Seagull Schools would open a new location within Kakaako Waterfront Park. The preschool would accommodate 150 children, ranging from 2- to 5-years of age, inside a renovated “warehouse that’s currently being used as storage for maintenance equipment.”

The nonprofit private schools’ executive director Chuck Larson was quoted as saying that a conceptual design for the Kakaako school was just completed. Shimogawa went on to report that “the plan is to open the new school in two years with permitting and regulatory issues still needing to be resolved, such as signing a lease with the (HCDA), conducting an environmental assessment, building permits and the design process.”

This will be the seventh Seagull School in the state, with a current count of six on Oahu and one on Hawaii island.

As for the possibility of a new school for kindergarten-age children, that hasn’t been addressed yet. Ching mentioned at the public meeting that nearby Royal and Queen Ka‘ahumanu Elementary Schools are either at or near capacity, so “there will be a need to augment the needs” in that area.