Feds match sweat equity of Kamalani volunteers

By TGI Staff

The County of Kaua'i has executed a contract with Kauai Builders, Ltd. to start work on a new bike and pedestrian path at Lydgate Park.

The project will consist of a 10-foot wide concrete path that will run for two miles, a comfort station, maintenance building, landscaping, a south park entrance and parking improvements.

The total amount of the contract is $2.1 million.

A grant from the Federal Highways Administration of $2.6 million was secured for the project following the successful construction of Kamalani Kai Bridge by volunteers. The play structure is located south of the main section of Lydgate Park.

The FHWA approved $547,383 in credit for the required local match.

The credit is the estimated value of community labor used to build the bridge.

When completed, the path will connect the Kamalani Kai Bridge portion of the park with the main Lydgate Park area. A groundbreaking will be scheduled in the next month, and the project is expected to be completed before the end of this year.

The concrete path will be the first phase of the Kaua'i Health Heritage Trail. The trail would run the length of the island's East Side.

"We are so grateful to our community for their participation on Kamalani Kai Bridge, which has made it possible to stretch our dollars even further to enhance our beloved Lydgate Park," said Mayor Maryanne Kusaka. "As an administration, we have been proud to work with the Friends of Kamalani and the Federal Highways Administration."

The Mayor's office said phase two of the Kaua'i Health Heritage Trail will be a Kapa'a to Kuna Bay leg, for which design is underway. A federal grant secured by Senator Daniel Inouye has covered the design costs for this phase.

Phase-three will be a Lydgate Park to Kapa'a section of the trail, for which design funds are being sought.