Jim Lally, a community advocate for higher education and UH Foundation Board member.
HAWAIʻI ISLAND — In a significant step forward for the planned Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui campus, University of Hawaiʻi officials accepted a ceremonial check for $9.68 million from Pālamanui LLC to begin construction on the first phase of the campus. Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui has been in the development stage for eight years and will be the first permanent physical facilities for the UH System on the west side of the island of Hawaiʻi.
The initial contribution of more than $5.2 million was delivered to the university this week by Pālamanui LLC, a partnership between Hunt Companies and Charles R. Schwab. An additional $4.4 million has been placed in escrow and will be released to the university upon completion of the mid-level road connecting Kona Palisades to the new campus, which the university is building and expects to complete in April.
"A college education creates opportunities for a better life," said Board of Regents Vice Chair James Lee. "Community colleges, with their low cost and open access, are the entry point for many who have traditionally been left out of higher education. We are gratified by and appreciative of the efforts of all who helped bring this promise to the residents of West Hawaiʻi."
"This new campus is a powerful example of the university’s efforts to bring higher education and access to a college degree to underserved areas," said President Greenwood. "We are absolutely committed to doing that as part of the university’s mission. The new Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui campus will provide educational pathways to a better future not just to Hawaiʻi island residents, but to the residents of the entire state."
Pālamanui LLC will soon begin infrastructure improvements worth another $10 million to connect to electricity and water lines. This necessary infrastructure will increase the Pālamanui investment to nearly $20 million and will enable the completion of the planned first phase of the campus.
"On behalf of Hunt Companies and Charles R. Schwab, I am thrilled to announce that Pālamanui has honored its commitment to provide the financial catalyst to make the Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui a reality," said Colón. "This campus has been a dream for many in the West Hawaiʻi community for a long time, and it is especially gratifying to know that our efforts will guarantee its fruition."
Comprehensive building plans should be completed in February. UH will apply for building permits and put the first phase of the project out to bid in the first quarter of 2012. A blessing, groundbreaking and the start of construction are anticipated this summer with completion expected in 2014.
Hawaiʻi Community College Chancellor Noreen Yamane said, "Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui will build and expand upon providing access to higher education opportunities, train a skilled workforce and support economic development in this region provided by the UH Center at West Hawaiʻi. In the spirit of E Imi Pono or ʻseeking excellence,’ our Hawaiian values and culture will provide the foundation for Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui to serve all segments of our island population. This is truly a dream come true!"
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About The University Of Hawaiʻi System
Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state’s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 55,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information about the University of Hawaiʻi System, please see www.hawaii.edu.
About Hawaiʻi Community College
The University of Hawaiʻi currently serves the west side of Hawaiʻi island through the University of Hawaiʻi Center in West Hawaiʻi, one of three University Centers established by the Board of Regents (BOR) in June 1996. The center provides access to multiple disciplines, and serves as a receive site for courses, course sequences and/or a limited number of complete BOR-authorized credential programs that originate from other campuses of the University of Hawaiʻi System.
In addition to Hawaiʻi Community College programs, the center facilitates the delivery of baccalaureate and master’s programs to West Hawaiʻi. Students may apply/register for distance education courses found at other community colleges in the UH System. Hawaiʻi Community College serves West Hawaiʻi at the UH Center in Kealakekua with classrooms, a nursing learning center, a dining room/kitchen, computer lab, library, learning center and administrative offices. Distributed Learning HITS and video conferencing classrooms provide West Hawaiʻi students the opportunity to attend live classes locally while pursuing a degree through the UH System.
For more information on how you can support the Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui campus in West Hawaiʻi, please contact Cordy MacLaughlin at (808) 344-8782 or [email protected].
The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. Our mission is to unite our donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi's aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaiʻi and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhfoundation.org
About Pālamanui LLC
Pālamanui is an innovative mixed-use community located on 725 acres mauka and about a mile north of the Kona International Airport. The property is located adjacent to 500 acres of state land that has long been earmarked for higher education and intended to be the site of the Hawaiʻi Community College Pālamanui campus.
The name Pālamanui, meaning an enclosure of abundant education, inspired the design philosophy behind this master-planned development. This mixed-use community, thoughtfully designed around a central town center and connected with an extensive network of walking and biking trails, will have 1,116 homes. It also features over 230 acres of open space, a 70-acre business park, a 20-acre regional park, and a 55-acre dry forest preserve.
Pālamanui LLC is a partnership between Hunt Companies, Inc., Mr. Charles R. Schwab and local Kona contractor Guy Lam.
About Hunt
Founded in 1947, and operating in Hawaiʻi since 1991, Hunt Companies, Inc. has become a leading national privately-owned real estate developer, investor and manager. Hunt’s focus and experience is in sectors such as public-private partnerships, military housing, mixed-use, multi-family housing, master-planned communities, government build-to-lease programs, retail, and office. The services Hunt provides to these sectors include Investment Management, Development, Construction Services, and Asset and Property Management Services. Hunt and its affiliates have $10 billion in Assets Under Management. These assets include 114,000 multi-family housing units, 4.3 million square feet of commercial, 1.5 million square feet of industrial and 1.8 million square feet of retail. Hunt’s expertise is also comprised of over 89,000 housing units built, thousands of acres of land developed, and over 400 projects completed in 32 states. Development project costs have been in excess of $6.3 billion, with over $8.1 billion in construction costs. Hunt’s 2010 gross revenue was over $900 million. Hunt Companies, Inc. is headquartered in El Paso, Texas, with regional offices in Honolulu, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Memphis and London. For more information, visit www.huntcompanies.com.
