The U.S. Defense Department will contribute $96 million to replace an aging elementary school on a Marine Corps base in Hawaii.
The new school on Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the island of Oahu will replace the dilapidated Mokapu Elementary School, which had received a “poor” rating from the Defense Department.
The new campus is estimated to cost about $120 million. The state of Hawaii will allocate $24 million for the project, according to the Hawaii Department of Education.
The existing Mokapu Elementary campus was constructed about 70 years ago and consists of 12 permanent buildings and 10 portable structures.
The school has about 813 students enrolled, well in excess of the stated capacity--627 students.
The new campus will be able to accommodate about 975 students in grades kindergarten through six.
The new complex will be built on the site of the existing school, with students shifting to new classrooms as the construction is completed in phases.
The school will have a two-story administration/library building and a two- and three-story classroom building with 55 classrooms, cafeteria and a covered playground.
Construction could begin as early as October and is projected to take about four years to complete.
