KAILUA-KONA — Kohala High School has cleared another hurdle toward constructing STEM classrooms at its Kapaau campus.
The state Department of Education concluded in its final environmental assessment issued Wednesday that constructing the much-anticipated science and technology buildings that will provide enhanced classroom space for high school pupils will have no significant impact.
The state-funded project is needed to modernize the high school campus to meet DOE classroom standards, education officials said. Construction could begin as early as fall 2016. Brent Suyama, DOE spokesman, said design work should be complete early next year and $8 million has already been secured for the project.
“The building cannot come too soon. We’re so excited about it,” said Fern White, an English teacher who also advises the school’s robotics team, which recently earned one of six slots to attend the VEX Robotics World Championship in April. “We’re doing that (going to the championships) without the STEM building — imagine what else we can do with that?”
During the 2014-15 academic year, the school’s enrollment totaled 214 students.
“That STEM building is part of the promise that brings STEM into the regular school days and us truly to 21st century learning,” White added.
The project will replace a sub-standard science classroom with a cluster of single-story science, technology, engineering and mathematics buildings that will be connected with a covered walkway on 6.56 acres. The new 13,000 square feet of new classroom buildings include a physical science lab building, biochemistry lab building, natural resources building and a general classroom building.
The current science classroom will be renovated to create a new faculty center to include a work/meeting room, lounge, storage and two restrooms. The existing faculty center will be used as office space, according to the DOE.
Construction will be permitted between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding certain holidays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays; construction activities will not occur on Sundays.