The old pumping station in Kakaako, marked by graffiti, dirt and weeds, will be cleaned up in the next few weeks, according to Daniel Dinell, executive director of the state Hawaii Community Development Authority.
Kakaako Pumping Station,
104 years old, will get TLC
It won't be a full makeover, but the time-worn Kakaako Pumping Station is in for a bit of a facelift to smooth some of the historic sewage facility's wrinkles.
Despite its elegant architecture, the 104-year-old station has stood for years as a forlorn monument to official neglect along Ala Moana Boulevard, with its broken windows and weed-filled grounds.
But the facility, vacant since 1955, will be cleaned up "in the next few weeks," said Daniel Dinell, executive director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, which steers development in Kakaako for the state.
"We want to spruce it up a bit so it doesn't look so sad and neglected," he said.
Gravel will be spread and grass planted in the station's dirt lot to keep down dust and weeds. Graffiti on plywood panels used to board up windows will be painted over, and large bunches of weeds growing in the rain gutters and on the facility's smokestack will be poisoned. The touch-up will be provided through donated services.
Broken windows and roofing tiles will not be mended for now, Dinell said, adding that gaining approval for such structural work involves a long process since the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Dinell stressed the clean-up does not signal that any concrete plans are afoot to restore the site.
"I think we're a couple of years away from getting the thing restored, but it will get worse if we just let it go to pot," Dinell said.
A number of abortive plans have been hatched over the years to revitalize the building, ranging from a microbrewery to a tourist information center, but all have fallen through. A consistent sticking point has been the structure's location on land formerly owned by the Hawaiian kingdom and ceded to the Republic of Hawaii after the overthrow of the monarchy. State law says 20 percent of the revenue from such land must be paid to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
Still, Dinell said the HCDA has "30 or 40" proposals from parties interested in the site and its prime location and that the authority will begin to look closely at those later this year.
"We need to take a slow and deliberate course of action to find a use that really adds to the site," he said. "The site should be renovated and celebrated."
