Members of the Mayor’s Office and Maui County Council attended the blessing and grand opening ceremony for the new South Maui Community Park Gymnasium on Dec. 9. The gym, located at 1501 Liloa Drive in Kihei, features more than 30,000 square feet of space and bleacher seating for more than 1,000. The gym includes two full-sized basketball/volleyball courts which can be divided into four cross courts with curtains. The air-conditioned facility has a category 3 hurricane shelter rating, a roof-mounted photovoltaic system, electric vehicle parking, and a recycled water irrigation system. There are also two offices for the Parks Department staff, three public meeting rooms, and one concession area. The nearly $21.4-million gymnasium also features a wireless sound and public address system, 170 parking stalls, and space for food trucks.
“I’m very excited to see this long-awaited gymnasium finally open,” Mayor Michael Victorino said during the grand opening ceremony. “It is shiny, brand new, and ready for basketball and volleyball action. I have no doubt that our families and keiki will enjoy countless hours of friendly competition on these gym floors. I can foresee this gym becoming a focal point of the South Maui community.”
The County Department of Parks and Recreation is opening application requests for the Winter/Spring 2020 season for a limited time. Application requests will be accepted from 8am Tuesday, Dec. 10 until 4pm Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. The limited tri-annual process is specifically for use of the new gymnasium facility during the season that runs Jan. 1 to Apr. 15, 2020.
This process will address requests for use of the new South Maui gym only, and will not allow for the expansion, retraction, or cancellation of any existing permits for other county parks.
All leagues and individuals requesting recreational athletic use of the South Maui Community Park Gymnasium for the Winter/Spring 2020 season should apply. Following the upcoming season, future applications for the gym will be accepted at the same time as the rest of the County’s facilities in the Tri-Annual Permit Process.
Applications will be accepted at the main DPR Permits Office located at the War Memorial Complex and at the South Maui permit office located at the Kihei Community Center. Complete applications may also be emailed to DPRpermits@mauicounty.gov. Applications must be complete to be processed.
Any applications not received in person or via email by 4pm Friday, Dec. 13, will not be considered. Applicants having missed the application window may submit standard permit applications for the new South Maui gym on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Jan. 2, space-permitting.
The Jan. 2 date will also mark the opening of reservations for the meeting rooms for the period of Jan. 2 to Apr. 15, 2020, and for special event applications, such as tournaments, up to one year in advance. To handle the anticipated volume during the initial first-come, first-serve period for the new facility, these applications will be accepted and processed at the DPR Main Permit Office located at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku from Jan. 2 to 10, 2020. Beginning Monday, Jan. 13, applications for the facility will be accepted at all permit offices countywide, for the same uses and reservation periods.
Application request packets will be available at all department permit offices and also on the County of Maui website at Mauicounty.gov/parks. Application requests will be reviewed in the priority order outlined in the department’s administrative rules (also available at Mauicounty.gov/parks).
