(BIVN) – Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi has been awarded a $74,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to support the Miloli’i Community Enrichment and Historical Center.

The OHA Kulia grant will be used to provide appliances and equipment for the certified kitchen in the center, “so that Miloliʻi can have its own charter school and to allow the community to prepare food for the community and to cater food,” the OHA grant announcement stated.

“On behalf of the entire Miloli’i community, I would like to thank OHA for their support of this project” said Gail Garoutte, Project Manager.

The community center has been years in the making. According to Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi:

Pa’a Pono Miloli’i was founded in 1980 to preserve and perpetuate Native Hawaiian culture. In 1984 the Division of Land Management presented the Miloli’i Ho’opuloa Community Development Plan to the Land Board which was developed by the residents of the village to address issues of land preparation, financing, residential construction and the development of economic, recreational, cultural and historical resources. Within the plan, provisions were made for a community center, picnic area, visitor center, library-museum and a canoe hale which would be built on accretion land from the 1926 Ho’opuloa lava flow.

The OHA grant is in addition to Governor David Ige’s April 10 release of $200,000 in construction funds for the same project. Those funds went to Kalanihale, the other non-profit in Miloliʻi, Garoutte said.

“I want to thank Governor Ige for his support of this very special community,” said State Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha, whose district includes Mioliʻi. “Throughout years of change, Miloliʻi has stood as a community with an unshakable commitment to its own unique traditions and way of life. This Community Enrichment and Historical Center will afford the opportunity to share their tradition with residents and visitors alike. We look forward to a center in Mioli’i as enriching and inspiring as the community it represents.”