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OHA updates trustees on Halawa–Luluco interpretive-development project as construction approaches
Summary
OHA staff reported completion of planning phases, construction procurements for Luluco and upcoming Halawa bidding, and outlined closeout and stewardship plans under a 1987 MOA and later amendments.
Ardina Saarinen, the Halawa–Luluco interpretive development project coordinator, told the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Committee on Investment and Land Management that phases 1 and 2 of the decades-long Halawa–Luluco interpretive development project (HLID) are complete and phase 3 construction is underway, with the project approaching final closeout.
Saarinen said the HLID project was created under a cooperative agreement in 1999 and is governed by a 1987 memorandum of agreement (MOA) required for Section 106 compliance under the National Historic Preservation Act; the MOA has multiple signatories including Federal Highways (the primary funder), the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) as landowner, and OHA as a recognized Native Hawaiian organization.
“Phase 3 is in progress. We procured our construction managers. They've completed all pre-construction tasks and final construction documents,” Saarinen said, describing work to obtain revocable permits, stewardship-management-plan closeouts and next steps for construction and project closeout.
Saarinen reported project finance and procurement milestones: the HLID program budget was established at $11,000,000 with federal highways funding 90% and HDOT 10%; OHA has billed HDOT more than $6,500,000 from fiscal year 01 through March 2025 and estimates approximately $4,400,000 in project funds remain. She said $3,000,000 of remaining funds had been earmarked for construction but that recent bid awards and cost estimates exceed that earmark. Saarinen stated that the general contractor RFP for Luluco closed and an award of $4,800,000 was made for Luluco construction, with notice to proceed expected June 25 and a stewardship-groundbreaking ceremony set for July 5. For Halawa, engineers’ cost estimates came in at $2,100,000 and the bid opening was scheduled for July 14, with a likely groundbreaking in December or January depending on contract negotiations.
Saarinen described stewardship and long-term operations expectations: stewards selected for Halawa include Nakupuna Aime Nakakau'ohalawa and Clara Sweet Matthews (identified as the last remaining kupuna in that group); for Luluco, the stewards include the Luluco Farmer Association and Aloha Health and Learning Center, which have formed a collaborative relationship with the umbrella organization Aina Momona. Saarinen said the long-term goal is stewardship self-sufficiency, with stewards running educational programs and securing external grants and operating independently with HDOT once construction and closeout are completed.
Saarinen emphasized the need to finalize project closeout in collaboration with HDOT, Federal Highways and OHA compliance staff and noted that OHA’s remaining role after closeout would be limited to MOA compliance issues. She said staff proposed a closeout matrix outlining cooperative-agreement tasks and deliverables and that return of remaining HLID inventory to HDOT is among the last closeout steps; closeout had been extended multiple times but staff are targeting mid-2026 for final closeout.
Trustees thanked staff for the update and asked for follow-up detail about HDOT’s long-term responsibilities; one trustee asked that DOT-related kuleana be discussed at a future meeting.
No formal action was taken; the presentation was informational and staff said they would follow up on trustees’ questions.
