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West Side residents urge OHA to back Hawaiian cultural centers and local refuge spaces
Summary
A string of public comments at the OHA Nanakuli meeting pressed trustees to prioritize Hawaiian cultural centers across the Moku, identify land for evacuation/refuge use, and partner with legislative and homestead bodies to secure funding and sites.
Several community members told the trustees that the West Side needs dedicated cultural centers and local refuge sites designed and run by Native Hawaiians. Kalei Nihipali Salcedo urged OHA and DHHL to support a culture and arts center for the 96792 area and called for such centers in each Moku: “We like to have a culture center, a culture art arts center in our community… Every Moku should have 1,” she said.
Austin Salcedo, speaking for the Makaha Hawaiian Civic Club, said local organizations back the proposal and asked trustees to schedule a dedicated session with homestead and neighborhood associations to map lands that could serve as evacuation or refuge areas and host cultural programming. Testimony pointed to potential funding avenues including NAHASDA and state CIP monies and emphasized that community‑led design could also provide evacuation, education and fire‑mitigation resources.
Trustees acknowledged the requests, highlighted recent OHA grants to Hawaiian‑focused charter schools in the district, and suggested working with area legislators and DHHL to identify state CIP or other funding paths. No formal commitment to a specific site or appropriation was recorded during the meeting.
