FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      February 14, 2006

Release No. M-13-06

TEENS GIVE MAGIC ISLAND COMFORT STATIONS A MAKEOVER

            Two comfort stations on Magic Island will get a makeover this week, thanks to 25 members of YouthBuild Seven, the current class of the City’s YouthBuild Honolulu program.

            Mayor Mufi Hannemann will preside over the official kickoff at 8:45 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, February 15) at the comfort station on the Diamond Head makai end of Magic Island. Work actually begins on the one on the Ewa mauka side today. Both will be done by Thursday afternoon, when the mayor will attend the closing ceremony at 4 p.m.

            The students will repair and renovate the comfort stations under the supervision of City carpenters, painters and plumbers. In addition, the floors of the comfort stations will be recoated with a new easy-maintenance covering by GP Maintenance Solutions. The third comfort station will be made over later. (Assignment editors: You can shoot your “before” pictures at that comfort station, on the Ewa makai end of Magic Island, tomorrow.) 

            “It’s a training makeover, not a makeover competition,” said Lester Chang, director of the City Department of Parks and Recreation, which manages Magic Island as part of Ala Moana Beach Park. “In the end, the comfort stations will get a much-needed facelift and the young people will get some training and will be able to show off what they’ve learned so far.”

            YouthBuild Honolulu aims to help high school dropouts between 17 and 24 earn their high school diplomas while learning construction trades. The program is run by the City Department of Community Services Office of Special Projects and is funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The work will be done by YouthBuild Seven, the seventh YouthBuild Honolulu class.

            “Les Chang approached us about getting some help, and we thought it would be a great thing,” said Ernie Martin, director of the DCS Office of Special Projects.

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Contact:

            Bill Brennan, 527-6928

            Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767