KAILUA-KONA — Phase two of the building of West Hawaii Civic Center is moving forward as officials and community members gathered to celebrate the start of construction on the long-awaited Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
On Wednesday, Kumu Keala Ching blessed the site where the building will soon be erected. A ceremonial dig followed the blessing with county officials shoveling dirt with shovels and o‘o outside the campus facing Kealakehe Parkway.
Prior to the ceremony, Mitch Roth, county prosecuting attorney, spoke to the crowd. He said the move is great for the prosecutor’s office.
“We’re really looking forward to making this our new home,” Roth said.
Currently located in Kealakekua, the prosecutor’s office for West Hawaii encompasses a space of about 8,500 square feet. The new building will be two stories at 15,761 square feet. The project is slated to be complete by April 8, 2019.
Hawaii County Deputy Managing Director Barbara Kossow said the building would initially accommodate 30 employees, designed to meet needs up to the year 2033.
The construction of a new prosecutor’s office has been on the books for several years. Roth said once the Judiciary started on the new courthouse they were able to start plans on Kona’s prosecutor’s office, which will be located about 3 miles away.
Construction of the new courthouse, located on Makala Boulevard, began in October 2016. Jan M. Kagehiro, spokeswoman for the judiciary, said the building is on schedule to be complete by late spring 2019 with a planned opening in late summer.
Currently, there are four different courtrooms in three different locations in Kona. The new courthouse will have five courtrooms in one building.
North Kona Councilwoman Karen Eoff said the council first started appropriating funds to the construction of the new prosecutor’s office in 2014.
“It really completes the intention of the Civic Center to have offices centrally located — centralized services that will help the community,” Eoff said Wednesday.
The Kona prosecutors have also been anticipating this ground blessing. Deputy Prosecutor Mark Disher said they’re all excited it’s finally happening.
“A new facility allows room for growth and having tools to do our job without having to worry about the little things,” Disher said.