WAIMEA — Waimea Middle School (WMS) parents will have a new location to drop off and pick up their children when the school year resumes next month. A turnaround is being constructed behind the campus on a 5.44-acre field accessible from Ala Ohia Road.
The gravel turnaround is intended to alleviate congested traffic that has often backed up at WMS’ east entrance on Lindsey Road weekdays when school is in session.
Goodfellow Bros., Inc. was hired by Parker Ranch as the project contractor. The construction should take several more weeks to complete.
“It will be made mostly of gravel with concrete curves in certain areas. The goal is to have the turnaround ready by Aug. 6 when school resumes,” John Makoff said, Goodfellow Bros.’ regional manager for the Big Island.
Parker Ranch owns the land where construction is underway.
“(It’s) part of the land exchange with the Department of Education (DOE),” Nahua Guilloz said, senior manager and corporate secretary for Parker Ranch and Parker Ranch Foundation Trust.
Parker Ranch first agreed to provide the land to the DOE in 2001, around the time when the company secured land use permits for the area where Lualai subdivision now sits. With Sen. Lorraine Inouye’s help, the legislature approved and authorized the land swap more than 15 years later in 2017.
In exchange, Parker Ranch will receive a smaller .78-acre parcel of state land. In the Waimea Town Center development plan, they propose using the land for a future extension of Lindsey Road. The land swap will be completed later this year or next year, according to Jonathan Mitchell, Parker Ranch’s manager-corporate development.
The idea for WMS’ new turnaround was first shared in a letter dated May 4, 2017 from Parker Ranch’s CEO and President Dutch Kuyper to Waimea Community Association members and residents. It also explained their intent to one day sell the gravel lot where parking and student drop-offs and pickups have been held up until now at the school’s east entrance, adjacent to the post office.
“Over a year ago, Parker Ranch came to WMS and Waimea Elementary School and Waimea Community Association (WCA) town meeting to advise us that they were going to have to sell the vacant lot adjacent to the campus (on the east side) where many of our school staff and families park,” Patti Cook said, WMS’ director of community development.
Kuyper also stated in the letter that Parker Ranch had listened to feedback from the community and wanted to collaborate with school leadership, the DOE and community to provide a solution. He and his staff proceeded to study the requirements to grade and gravel part of the 5.44 acres and conceptualized the idea for the new turnaround on a map also shared at WCA’s May 2017 meeting.
“There was mixed reaction because it’s quite a distance from campus. People were concerned that it would not be used because of the distance to walk and often inclement Waimea weather. But they proceeded with the planning,” Cook said.
Kuyper also stated in his letter, “The (new turnaround) would alleviate the parking and traffic circulation issues that exist on Lindsey Road in the lot next to the post office and alongside the schools, which may worsen with the possible fencing-off of that lot when it is marketed for sale or eventually sold.”
The remaining portion of the 5.44 acres along Ala Ohia Road can be used for future school expansions, if needed, once the exchange with the DOE is completed.