Carleton Weimer would be proud.
Kahuku’s longstanding quest for an improved field and track are officially successful. State Rep. Sean Quinlan (Dist. 47) announced the news on Thursday via social media.
The House approved a new budget that includes a $5.35 million appropriation for Kahuku High School’s new track and field. Combined with a $4.55 million appropriation in 2019, the school now has the funding to execute a solution to the decades-old drainage issue at Carleton Weimer Field.
“Phase 1,” Quinlan wrote, “which is a series of drainage improvements, is already out to bid. This will include a retaining wall behind the boys locker room, installing underground storm water storage, and servicing existing dry wells.”
The communities of Kahuku, Laie and Hauula were immersed in graduation ceremonies on and off line on Thursday night. The celebration culminated with another classic parade through the community, and it may as well have been for the new project, as well.
“Awesome,” Kahuku football coach Sterling Carvalho said. “We got a ton of funding. Word on the street was it’s for the drainage. We needed to rip it up and do it all at one time.”
Over the years, many other schools received funding for new fields, but Kahuku needed enough to handle the flooding issue that derailed practices for multiple sports, especially during winter and spring seasons.
“Any time it rains, our field floods, as well as certain areas of the school. It’s been long overdue. It feels like we’ve been trying to get a field for the last 20 years,” Carvalho said. “Dave Lewis was a big help in trying to get funding. He actually coach a year here and he works in the community.”
There was some talk of moving the field to a higher elevation on campus. The annual moat around the field frustrated athletes and coaches, but in spring of 2020, there is finally good news for the island sports community. That moat around the field that made track practices impossible will be history.
“It’s going to be FieldTurf. That’s going to be huge for us. The quality of our practices for all our sports will improve. I feel bad for our track and field team. They have to go to the park and train on grass. That’s why there’s such an excitement that this is going forward,” Carvalho added.
The project will begin after the upcoming football season and be ready for the 2021 football season. That will mean no more improvising on the fly.
“Thankfully, Castle would allow us to practice there,” Carvalho said of unplayable field conditions. “Diane Tafuna, she’s one of the runs the district park and they’ve been very kind to Kahuku and allowing all our sports to practice there when it’s really rainy. We’ve been really fortunate that City and County allows us to use that field on the top.”
Kahuku and every other football program in the state has been waiting patiently for word on the fall season. Nothing is certain, though start dates have been drawn up by the HHSAA. Staying effectively safe from COVID-19 is a major priority whether teams are in Phase 1 or Phase 2 by NFHS guidelines. Applying standards for more than 100 student-athletes on a team will require extreme diligence.
“The main thing is we have a fall,” Carvalho said. “Our program capped roster size at 65 for varsity and 65 for JV. I’m just grateful that (the late) Uncle Tommy Heffernan emphasized cleanliness in the locker room. Constant cleaning up, mopping, sweeping and now, wiping down. He was very meticulous. That’s pride in the locker room.”
In Phase 1, locker rooms will not be used if Hawaii adopts the NFHS guidelines. Phase 2 would permit locker room use with social distancing.
Comments