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• Ocean Safety Department Holds Groundbreaking Blessing For First Operations Station To Be Designed And Built For The Lifeguards In Their 107-Year History

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HONOLULU – Today, Honolulu Ocean Safety made history with a ground breaking ceremony for the first facility designed to be built for the lifeguard service in its history. A blessing by retired lifeguard and Kahu, Dennis Sallas, took place on a parcel of land perched along the Lanikai hillside, overlooking Kailua Bay and Kailua Beach Park. The facility will be a hub for lifeguards’ Windward operations, which covers the area between the Mōkapu Peninsula and Waimānalo Bay.

“Our Ocean Safety Department is home to the best watermen and women in the world and we are so very proud of each and every one of them,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “This building is long overdue and represents much more than just a physical space. This new facility, the first dedicated build for Ocean Safety in its 107-year history, represents our commitment to our incredible Ocean Safety team who keep a watchful eye over beachgoers along O‘ahu’s 227 miles of shoreline.”

The single story center will sit on roughly 10,000 square feet of land. The building itself will 800 square feet, consisting of two offices, a bathroom, a kitchenette, a board storage room and two roll-up garages for trucks and skis to be stored. The station will be a safe place for lifeguards to store their rescue and medical equipment.

“This has been a historic week for Ocean Safety with the announcement of our new department and with today’s blessing to kick-off construction at our first facility designed for and built for our lifeguards and community. It took a lot of hands to get us here today and we want to thank all those who made this happen and the public for its unwavering support,” said Acting Chief of the Ocean Safety Department, Kurt Lager.

Construction is expected to commence June 3rd, with work being conducted Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A temporary construction fence to mitigate dust will be erected during the first week.
“Today’s ceremony is a longtime coming and I see it as a huge step towards ensuring all of our lifeguards have the facilities necessary for them to protect the public,” said Tony Ho, retired Ocean Safety lieutenant.
Bowers and Kubota Consulting and CC Engineering and Construction were awarded the contracts. The total cost of the windward facility is $2.5 million, with its opening expected in summer of 2025.

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