The ASCE Hawaii Section YMF recently assisted Kalani High School with a project to repaint their cafeteria.  The project was completed on Saturday, January 13, 2007, with a cleanup day that the YMF chaired.  The YMF members, along with other Hawaii Section members, Kalani High School alumni and current school staff members, washed and cleaned window screens, window louvers and the floor.  The work crew was rewarded for their four hours of arduous work with a luncheon sponsored by the school’s cafeteria manager.

The repainting project originated in the Spring of 2006.  The YMF was originally asked to coordinate the repainting of the lower portion of the cafeteria.  Two weeks before painting day, the school was informed that the State had recently passed a law that required the testing, of existing painted surfaces on State facilities, for hazardous materials, such as lead, prior to the surface being painted over or removed.  Due to the lack of funds for the testing, the school cancelled the project.

To obtain funding for the testing, the YMF worked with the school to apply for a grant from Hawaii 3Rs.  Hawaii 3Rs is a federally-funded program that provides grants to Hawaii public schools for repair projects, provided the labor is provided through a volunteer group.  A grant was successfully obtained, which included funds to complete the required testing.  The grant, also, funded the painting of the entire interior of the cafeteria, through a contractor, who was a Kalani High School graduate.  The delegation of the painting work to the contractor allowed the YMF to focus on the cleanup effort.

In his thank you letter, Kalani High School principal Gerald Teramae, one of the cleanup volunteers, said, “The students and school staff comment on how clean and bright the dining area looks.  This experience of working with the volunteers was ‘awesome’ and lifted our school spirit and pride.”