On a misty Monday morning in Lahaina, Hawaiʻi, students, parents, teachers and staff members took a significant step back to normalcy. This first day of April was not for fools but for the young scholars attending the new King Kamehameha III Elementary School temporary replacement campus.
The Lahaina school, damaged beyond repair in the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, became an important project for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. After receiving a critical public facilities mission assignment from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, USACE handled the $78 million elementary school installation, subcontracting Pono Aina Management, a Native Hawaiian organization.
According to Col. Eric Swenson, USACE recovery field office commander, the Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors came together with the community, the school's leadership, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Education on short notice to form a team that would deliver on a promise to build a temporary school for the children. "And we did it in 95 days," said Swenson.
The school expects approximately 350 students to attend, but the campus can accommodate 600 students if necessary. It consists of 30 air-conditioned modular classrooms, an administration building, a library, a student support center, a cafeteria and play areas.
"Many think 95 days is a long time, but in the construction industry, it's merely a blip," said Swenson. "We got this work done quickly because the hands behind the tools were invested in the community and committed to delivering for their families, their neighbors, their neighborhoods and their community. For most, this was personal and something for which failure was simply not an option."
Col. Swenson was joined by parents, community members, and passersby to welcome the students as they were dropped off for their first day of school. Swenson waved at smiling kids and parents thrilled to reach this milestone in the recovery process.
"This road is incredible. It was an evacuation spot for all of us on August 9; everyone's cars were just lined up there. And now we have a school," said Amy McGill, whose daughter Victoria will attend the third grade at the temporary campus. "Having the peace of mind of a new facility, in case of, you know, anything happening in the future, is incredible, let alone a school to educate our children.
"Every day, we would drive up here to pick up our kids, and we would see the progress and see all the work being done; it was just incredible. It really is incredible," Said McGill.
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