(BIVN) – County officials and community partners celebrated the start of construction on significant upgrades for Kailua Park on Thursday.
The Kona park, also known as “Old A’s” for its location at the former Kona Airport site, will be getting several new facilities, including:
- Two new restrooms with showers at the beach park to replace the two that are closed.
- A new restroom next to the Makae‘o Events Pavilion to serve facility users and users of the canoe hales.
- A new concession building and a new restroom next to the ballfield across from the old terminal building.
- Demolition of the old terminal building and the construction of a new parking lot system in that area.
“With these improvements, we are investing in the health, wellbeing and quality of life of our community,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda in a news release. “We know that our residents have been looking forward to this for a long time. With this groundbreaking, we are making good on our commitment to get this project done, and once completed, it will make Kailua Park an even more welcoming and enjoyable place for our community to come together.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in early 2028. The contractor is Goodfellow Sun JV, LLC.
The County says it has other upgrades planned at Kailua Park:
This includes repairs to Kekuaokalani Gymnasium, which was damaged during the Kona Low storms in March 2026. A project to install a new gym floor system and new bleachers is tentatively scheduled to begin in January, and a project to replace the gym’s roof, harden its exterior against future storms, and improve air circulation will be put out to bid this month.
The County is also working on a project to demolish the former DMV building at the end of Kuakini Highway, which has been vacant and unused for years.
