KAILUA-KONA — Assuming they survive the haggling of conference committees later this month, tens of millions of dollars in funding and projects will be coming West Hawaii’s way in the months ahead.
A fast-growing Waikoloa Elementary and Middle School would receive $11 million for a new science building, under the Senate draft of the state budget for the next two fiscal years. The school received $1.6 million last year for design of Building J, which would give the middle school two modern science classrooms, an art classroom, a special education classroom and administrative space.
“The population of Waikoloa has been growing so much we haven’t been able to keep up,” said Kris Kosa-Correia, principal of the school of 800 students. “We have eight teachers in non-teaching areas — that means teaching in the dining room, the library, the workroom. We really need this building.”
Separate House and Senate proposals must still be hashed out and reconciled into a single spending package in meetings of finance committees from both chambers.
The Senate proposal contains $4.2 million to help Kona Community Hospital meet funding shortfalls. Another $8.3 million is slated for East Hawaii medical facilities.
Maui hospitals are in the process of converting to private management, which should free up more state money in the future to benefit the facilities that remain within the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, North Hawaii Sen. Lorraine Inouye said. Inouye is the Big Island’s sole representative on the Committee on Ways and Means.
The money could help blunt the impact of recurrent shortfalls such as the $6 million gap which led to the shedding of 34 position at KCH and the closing of the skilled nursing unit last year.
Other appropriations in the Senate’s proposed budget:
* $5.2 million for upgrades to the cold seawater circulation system at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
* $59 million statewide for shovel-ready affordable housing projects, with $5.5 million for West Hawaii and $6.7 for East Hawaii.
* $7.6 million for construction of a Department of Transportation road maintenance facility on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway near Mauna Kea State Park. The new base yard would cut down on staff commute time to the saddle area from base yards in Hilo and Waimea.
* $4 million for roadway design and construction of turning lanes and other features aimed at easing traffic flow into and out of Kawaihae Harbor and through the intersection of Kawaihae Road and Queen Kaahumanu Highway.
* $830,000 for repair and maintenance of the Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School.
* $30 million for air conditioning in public schools statewide.
* 33 positions funded by $1.7 million for the state Department of Health Vector Control Branch to combat dengue fever, Zika and other tropical diseases. The branch was severely depleted by cuts during the economic downturn starting in 2008. A breakdown of Big Island positions was not available Wednesday.
* 18 positions at small boat harbors statewide, allowing many facilities to have manned operations six days a week. A Big Island breakdown was not available.
On the losing end, a $1 million allocation to study the feasibility of a teaching hospital in West Hawaii was stripped from the House version of the budget. Kona Rep. Nicole Lowen, who introduced the item, said she may still be able to argue for adding back the money during conferences.