Hoolokahi - Volunteers Helping Kauai
The Lihue Gateway Beautification Project is a unique volunteer effort bringing the people of Kauai together to enhance the beauty of the island. This project started back in August of 1995 when the county's beautification committee developed a vision to improve the intersection of Kapule Highway and Ahukini Road, the first intersection that our residents and visitors see when exiting the Lihue Airport. This vision also included the enhancement of the roadsides of these two roads for a total of three miles.
In the past, the county tried to start beautification projects but when they asked the state for help, they were turned down because of the lack of funding. The state was also concerned about the maintenance of these types of projects. They didn't have the money or manpower to help.
The mayor and the committee did not give up and continued to look for other ways to fund their projects. They heard about the federal government's Highways Enhancement Grant and decided to see if that could be the source of the funding for a new project that they were considering called the Lihue Gateway Beautification Project. Usually with federal grants, the government pays for 80% of the project while the county has to come up with the other 20%. The county did not have the roughly one million dollars to pay for their share of the estimated five million dollars it would cost to fund the entire project so they came up with a unique proposal. If the county provided volunteers to complete and maintain the beautification as their share in the grant, would the government provide the rest? The government was open to the idea so it was now up to the mayor and the committee to find the volunteers and come up with a plan. Mayor Kusaka spread the word about this proposal and got commitments from enough organizations around the island who promised to volunteer their time to make this project a reality. Organizations adopted sections of the roadways that they would help take care of, even after the project was done.
It took about five years of research, planning, negotiating, and convincing to get this project started because something like this had never been done before in the nation. Finally, in the summer of 2000, this project got underway and it is hoped that it will be completed in the summer of 2001.
At the intersection of Kapule Highway and Ahukini Road, they built three rock walls, one on every corner with the exception of the corner that is connected to the airport. That is owned by the state and originally they were going to keep it the way it looks today. However, after seeing how nice the other three corners are beginning to look, they are considering improving their corner as well and are talking about possibly building some sort of water display. The wall on the mauka (mountain) side of the corner closest to the town of Hanamaulu, will say, "Aloha - Welcome to Kauai". This is the wall that residents and visitors will see first on the right hand side of the road as they exit the airport. As residents and visitors enter the airport from that intersection, the wall on the makai (ocean) side on the left, will say,"Mahalo - Until we meet again..." These phrases will be made of ceramic tile that will be attached to the wall.
The color scheme for the plants that were chosen to be planted along the roadside are purple and yellow. Purple was chosen because that is the island's color and yellow was chosen because it helps brings out the purple. Peanut grass was chosen as ground cover because it's thick and tight and will make it difficult for weeds to grow. It also sprouts yellow flowers, is easy to maintain, and willl grow in any type of soil. Within the peanut grass, bougainvillea is being planted which will grow purple flowers. Behind of the bougainvillea, yellow eldorado bushes are being planted which will grow to a height of about six feet.
The plants will be watered with a special irrigation system that runs underground. The water is non-potable which means that it is not safe to drink but is okay for watering plants. This is a drip system that wets the ground beneath the plants so that only the roots get wet. This saves water because a regular above ground sprinkler system sprays water which may be blown by the wind and may not fully reach the plants. Also once the ground is soaked it could cause the soil to run off. Special sensors were also installed which will turn off the system when the soil is moist. This way, when it rains, the system will be turned off to save water. The water comes from a reservoir that used to irrigate sugar cane that was grown in that area in the past. Besides using non-potable water and techniques that conserve this valuable resource, green waste from the county's landfill was separated and processed into mulch which is used to condition the soil for the plants. This saves space in the landfill and recycles the green waste.
Besides volunteering their time and feeling good about their contribution to this project, some people are also learning a new occupation and getting paid for it. The county also applied for an Americore grant which allowed students at Kauai Community College to gain experience in the agriculture field by working with professionals out at the beautification site. The students were able to learn from their mentors, helped in the project, and even got paid!
As you can see, the Lihue Gateway Beautification Project is a unique experience for the entire island of Kauai which may change how federal grants are awarded to communities all across the nation. When completed, this project could serve as a model of how communities, no matter how small or large, can improve themselves with commitment, determination, hard work, and cooperation.