HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-05-27PlanningDepartmentannouncesWaimea400StudentDesignChallengewinnersandupcomingcommunitymeetingsDEREK S.K. KAWAKAMI, MAYOR
MICHAEL A. DAHILIG, MANAGING DIRECTOR
News Release
For Immediate Release: May 27, 2021
COUNTY OF KAUA‘I
DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING
KA‘ĀINA S. HULL, DIRECTOR
(808) 241-4050
Planning Department announces Waimea 400 Student Design Challenge winners and
upcoming community meetings
WAIMEA – The County of Kaua‘i Planning Department has announced the winners of the
Waimea 400 Student Design Challenge whose ideas will be integrated and presented during the next
round of virtual and in-person community meetings scheduled for June 17 and June 23.
Team Akamai Design placed first and Team ZZ placed second in the community voting contest
held in May.
The Waimea 400 Student Design Challenge was to engage students in collaborative design and
problem solving as it relates to land use planning. Nine student teams from Waimea High School
competed in the challenge to envision the 417-acre parcel referred to as the “Waimea 400” between
Kekaha and Waimea. Students were asked to review information about the Waimea 400 project site
online, to consider community preferences for future uses of the parcel, and to provide a conceptual
plan for the site.
The community voted between May 6 and May 14 for the two plans they felt were most
innovative, considerate of site conditions, and most fitting for the West Kaua‘i community.
Sophomores Peyton Siliado III, Dane Lo, and Kale Kakuda of Team Akamai won with an in-depth
site plan that included housing, community gardens, a solar farm, fruit trees, and a BMX bike track.
Seniors Za Zsa DuBose, Denise Dumlao, Cailin Pasion, and Kaye Serapio of Team ZZ garnered
second place with a detailed and colorful rendition showing a variety of housing types, sports and
recreational facilities, pathways, amphitheater, splash pad, and ideas for economic development for the
West Kaua‘i community.
Prizes for the winning teams were generously donated by Greg Askew, owner of Ono Pops, and
Wanda Irving, shift manager at Ishihara Market in Waimea. All students and coaches received a
certificate of participation signed by Mayor Derek S. K. Kawakami.
“We are so impressed with the high creativity, innovation, and professionalism of all the student
projects submitted for this competition,” said Mayor Kawakami. “We hope that the students enjoyed
working together to plan for the future of this very real and large community space, and that they will
stay involved as the concepts are implemented. Mahalo nui loa to Team Coaches Peyton Siliado II, Jon
Lucas, and Tiani Kajiwara for working closely with their students and coordinating final submissions with
our county project team.”
Some of the ideas from the student projects will be integrated into the conceptual site plan
alternatives, which will be presented during the next round of virtual community meetings scheduled for
Thursday, June 17, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration for this meeting is available at the project
website: www.waimea400.com.
Following the virtual community meeting, the Waimea Public Library will host an outdoor, in-
person Talk Story session about the conceptual design alternatives on Wednesday, June 23. Please
contact the library branch manager, Michelle Young, at 338-6848 if you would like to attend.
For more information on the Waimea 400 Master Plan, please visit www.waimea400.com or
contact the Planning Department at 241-4050 or by email at waimea400@gmail.com.
If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please contact
the Planning Department Long Range Division at 241-4050 or waimea400@gmail.com as soon as
possible. Requests made as early as possible will allow adequate time to fulfill your request. Upon
request, this notice is available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille, or electronic copy.
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