After breaking ground in summer 2023, Ka‘ōhao Public Charter School’s cafeteria renovation is slated to wrap this November. The $12-million project in Lanikai was completed in three phases over the course of the past two years by general contractor Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd. (RSI).
The completion of the new cafeteria building will mark the end of the three-phase project. The approximately 10,000-square-foot single-story building includes a large dining space, kitchen and restrooms as well as an additional two classrooms.
“Ultimately, the project was both successful and rewarding for all involved,” said RSI Project Manager Geraldine Magsano. “Everyone, from the school staff to the contractors and consultants were willing to adapt and communicate openly. This made the whole process feel more collaborative and rewarding.”
Early Phases
The first two phases of the project involved renovating the existing cafeteria into administrative space and a nurse’s office, followed by a demolition of the previous administration building to make way for the new cafeteria.
“The [previous] cafeteria was a small facility that could only fit one grade level at a time,” says Keoki Fraser, the school’s director.
“The new cafeteria and dining hall will allow the school to have large gatherings with the student body,” says Fraser. “We will be able to hold meetings with everyone, do plays and performances. The building will also have two classrooms that will be home for our art and STEM [science, technology, engineering, math] class. Our school will finally be able to develop these classes which are a big part of our mission.”
Constant Coordination
One of the main challenges was coordinating deliveries around the school drop-off time for both the safety of the students and ease of delivery.
“We had to deliver either before 7 o’clock in the morning or after 9 o’clock in the morning,” says Magsano, noting that most deliveries happened earlier to avoid interrupting school activities and minimize risk.
“We would have to coordinate with each subcontractor for different days,” Magsano says. An early start time also aided in avoiding traffic and roadwork in Lanikai.
“The project is located in Lanikai which is essentially one way in and one way out — additionally, roadway improvement work leading to the school was taking place at the same time as our construction, making the delivery of larger materials significantly more challenging,” says Magsano.
“Scheduling exterior work required coordination to ensure student safety and minimize disruption,” says Magsano. “The proximity heightened safety protocols. We ensured the gates were closed and instructed all contractors not to leave or enter [the] jobsite or schedule any deliveries during these times.”
Magsano says the open communication and coordination between all contractors and the school allowed any issues to be “addressed constructively and efficiently.”
Project Highlights
One of the project’s highlights and focal points are the exposed stained glulam trusses in the dining area.
“The exposed trusses add both a structural elegance and character … to me [they’re] the centerpiece of the whole project,” says Magsano.
The trusses were already partially assembled upon delivery and, because of their size, extra effort was required for both delivery and installation.
“We had to get a police escort to get [them] into the site,” says Magsano, who noted the delivery was done around “three or four in the morning.”
“I think it took … two days to install these,” she adds. “We needed to get a crane to get them up and prep prior for … [the] materials to come in.”
While the exposed truss design was primarily for aesthetic purposes, overall the building was also designed and constructed to function as a hurricane shelter for emergency use.
Magsano says the process of submittals to ensure the building met hurricane standards was difficult, but they ultimately ensured that the materials and design were “hurricane-rated.”
Kevin Hasuike, general manager of Affiliated Construction Group — subcontracted for concrete masonry unit (CMU) walls and columns as well as keystone and precast concrete sills — says the building is “designed for resilience.”
According to Hasuike, the rebar and grouting all meet hurricane shelter specifications and have passed rigorous inspections.
Karl Kamada of Affiliated Construction Group, senior estimator and responsible managing employee, commented that “the cohesion of CMU to concrete to wood beams was excellent.”
Kamada says that the cohesive finished product “required exceptional planning and workmanship,” particularly with grouting schedules and material deliveries — an obviously common obstacle during the project.
For Keiki and Community
“The project faced its fair share of challenges and unexpected twists,” Magsano reflects as the project nears completion, but says that throughout the process effective collaboration and communication was key.
The renovated administrative building and nurse’s office along with the new expansive cafeteria building provide space to accommodate more programs and extracurriculars for the school. Fraser says that “the goal and the wish was to create a space that could better serve the school and community.”
For Ka‘ōhao Public Charter School, the new cafeteria building is much more than a space for meals: it’s an
opportunity.
