Its Hawaiian name refers to a Hilo breeze upon which the fragrance of the earth is carried.
Its Hawaiian name refers to a Hilo breeze upon which the fragrance of the earth is carried.
Hale Alahonua, the new, $32.5 million University of Hawaii at Hilo dormitory building is set to welcome 300 residents when it opens its doors for check-in on Aug. 20. Once everyone is moved in, they will go through a weeklong orientation period, followed by the commencement of classes Aug. 26.
In order to be ready in time for its residents, the dorm project, which broke ground in June 2012, had to be fast-tracked, said Robert Yamada, project construction manager with SSFM International. Project architects and engineers were on call to deal with last-minute problems that regularly arise when such a complicated and wide-ranging build is underway.
Hale Alahonua represents Phase I of UH-Hilo’s University Village project, combining student housing with more common-area spaces such as study and computer rooms, as well as shopping and activity areas that will be added in Phase II.
In a Tuesday tour of the facility, UHH Director of University Housing Miles Nagata explained that Hale Alahonua is an attempt to construct high-quality dormitory housing with greater privacy for students, whose most common request is a single bedroom, as well as provide convenient common rooms throughout the building to help foster a stronger sense of community and socialization among students.
Hale Alahonua consists of one large hallway that includes multiple lounge areas with four separate study rooms, a front office that includes a mail room and post office boxes, a laundry room, a common kitchen, two pool tables, and plenty of seating and table options.
The building will be outfitted with wireless Internet connectivity, Nagata said.
The main hall joins three building units — A, B, and C — housing a total of 150 suites with 300 beds. There are two larger apartments for university staff members on either end of the building. Meanwhile, seven of the student dorms will house student resident advisers.
Eight of the units provide accessibility features for students in wheelchairs, while 16 were designed to cater to visual and hearing impaired students.
Work on the dorm building continued on schedule this year, despite an ongoing investigation into the university system’s procurement process for capital improvement projects.
A subcontractor alerted university officials and state legislators earlier this year to a number of alleged infractions involving university system construction projects overseen by Office of Capital Improvement Director Brian Minaai, including Hale Alahonua.
UH-Hilo officials said they cannot comment on the allegations until the investigation is completed by the state Attorney General’s office.
Among the concerns — raised by subcontractor Dennis Mitsunaga of Mitsunaga & Associates Inc. — are that shortcuts were taken in the construction of Hale Alahonua, as well as careless workmanship, that could result in maintenance problems or safety issues.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.