The University of Hawaii’s Palamanui campus passed another hurdle late last week.
The five-day period for losing bidders to protest the contract award to F&H Construction ended Friday, with no bid protests, Rep. Nicole Lowen, D-Kona, said Wednesday.
The state House communications staff issued the statement about the contract award for the $22.7 million project, which is the first phase of the long-awaited West Hawaii college campus.
“Now we’ll finalize the contract with F&H and they’ll start work,” Hawaii Community Colleges Vice President John Morton said, adding he hasn’t yet spoken with the construction firm to see when they can begin construction. “They’re working to try to get the grading permits. I think they’re eager to get started. We’re eager for them to get started.”
The project’s first phase includes a culinary arts building and a health science and student services building. Right now, students attend classes in rooms scattered across a shopping center in Kealakekua. The new campus is expected to be about 24,000 square feet and should support about 700 students, UH officials said.
State legislators took university officials to task earlier this year, when legislators learned that bids for the project had come in significantly higher than the amount of money budgeted for the work. A lower bidder had initially been selected, but withdrew from the project.
Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, said at the time legislators made clear to university officials the Palamanui project had to come before several other projects in the works.
The university had about $17 million set aside for the project between state money and contributions from Palamanui LLC, the overall project developer. Even Nan’s low bid was $21 million, higher than the amount of money available. The gap between the available funding and F&H Construction’s bid was about $8 million. In February, the Board of Regents voted to use about $6.5 million in leftover revenue bonds for the Palamanui campus, which will be located mauka of the Kona International Airport.
The Palamanui campus will be the University of Hawaii system’s 11th permanent campus.
