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Two-story clubhouse plan for Waiehu to be unveiled

Public can see conceptual vision for municipal course at two events

This is a conceptual rendering of a new two-story clubhouse at the Waiehu Municipal Golf Course. The county is looking to build a new clubhouse with the current 56-year-old building suffering a variety of infrastructural and functional problems. The sketches and concepts will be available for review at the Wailuku First Friday event on Friday on Market Street and on Wednesday at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku.

A two-story clubhouse with community rooms to accommodate golf tournaments and private banquets are part of conceptual ideas being floated for updating the single-story, 56-year-old Waiehu Golf Course Clubhouse.

The clubhouse suffers from a range of infrastructural and functional problems and has never been upgraded, according to conceptual plan information from the county. The clubhouse has no space to host major tournaments, lacking room for a tournament headquarters or a banquet facility.

Other issues include inadequate water and septic systems, restroom facilities and restaurant space. And a cart storage area, which was retrofitted into two separate spaces, creates inefficiency.

So this week the county Department of Parks and Recreation will be unveiling its conceptual sketches for a new clubhouse at the Wailuku First Friday event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the plaza next to Iao Theater. Plans also will be available for review from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Velma McWayne Santos Community Center in Wailuku.

County staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions and to take in the public’s ideas and comments.

“One of reasons the parks department does these interactive sessions is it allows people to ask questions directly of the design team,” said David Yamashita, parks department project manager. “The conversation is invaluable, and we always learn something when we have the chance to listen to people who live in the area, who golf, or who would visit the clubhouse, perhaps for dinner when the new facility is built.”

Yamashita said parks staff and the design team will review the community’s comments, look for common themes and see if they can be worked into the clubhouse design.

The parks department then plans to submit a budget request to the County Council — though not in the new fiscal year that begins July 1 — to complete an environmental assessment and to go through a special management area approval process.

Funding also is needed to prepare construction documents and to secure funds for construction, which is probably three years away, he said.

The first floor of the conceptual plans mainly keeps current facilities in place with some adjustments. The restaurant remains on the far Waihee side of the clubhouse. Heading south from the restaurant are the restrooms, pro shop and starter facility on the Kahului side of the clubhouse.

A Maui Golf Hall of Fame display between the dinning area and pro shop would be added.

Cart storage would be consolidated into one 4,500-square-foot area behind the pro shop and starter area. The kitchen would be moved to the back of the clubhouse rather than in its current location between a banquet room and dining room.

The kitchen would be expanded from 686 square feet to 1,180 square feet and the dining/bar area from 1,981 square feet to 2,300 square feet, said Peter Uchiyama, an architect for the project.

The pro shop would nearly double in size from 1,162 square feet to 2,140 square feet.

Overall, the single-story, 13,100-square-foot clubhouse would grow to nearly 25,000 square feet — 12,000 square feet with a 3,200 square foot lanai on the ground floor and 5,800 square feet with a 3,100 square foot lanai on the second floor.

The second floor would consist of two “community rooms.” One would be 1,700 square feet with a kitchenette and the other, 3,300 square feet. Two restrooms are planned for the floor as well.

The new facility would be able to accommodate neighborhood events, activities and celebrations. The County Code recently was changed to allow special events, such as receptions at the course, which could allow the county to raise additional revenue.

The plans also call for reuse and partial rehabilitation of the existing structures and integration of renewable energy sources and natural ventilation. Native landscaping would be used throughout the site.

The plans were developed based on input from the community between March and July with the conceptual plans drawn up from August to October. Funds for the plans were allocated by the County Council in fiscal year 2017.

Other major improvements are ongoing to the more than 87-year-old course, the only golf course owned by Maui County. Work is being done to improve the course turf, and the course is now able to accept credit cards.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

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