GOV. GREEN, HDOT AND U.S. ARMY SIGN 50-YEARS LEASE FOR KAWAIHĀPAI AIRFIELD

GOVERNOR GREEN, HDOT AND U.S. ARMY SIGN 50-YEAR LEASE FOR KAWAIHĀPAI AIRFIELD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HONOLULU Kawaihāpai Airfield (HDH), formerly known as Dillingham Airfield, has a new 50-year lease signed by Governor Josh Green, M.D., the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT), and U.S. Army Garrison Hawai‘i (USAG-HI). The new lease will take effect on July 6, 2024, at which point airfield operations will resume as usual, including uninterrupted water connection to the tenants. Off-airport consumers who live nearby will continue to get water service as outlined below.

Governor Green stated, “Kawaihāpai Airfield plays a significant role in a healthy, diversified economy as well as in aircraft training for civilians and the military.” “I’m pleased that Dillingham’s many stakeholders can unite with the state to maintain Dillingham as a resource for civil aviation and achieve a mutual solution for water delivery.”

Col. Steve McGunegle, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Hawai’i, stated, “This joint effort between the Corps of Engineers Honolulu District, the state of Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, and the local community represents the commitment we all have to the local community, local vendors, and the diverse set of users of Kawaihāpai Airfield.” We also want to emphasise how important it is for the airfield and the surrounding community that Aqua Engineers has joined the team to manage the Dillingham Public Water System (PWS) as a third party.

HDOT and the Army have been collaborating for the last ten years to resolve lease-related concerns that have prevented HDOT from obtaining federal funding at Kawaihāpai Airfield. In particular, HDOT officially notified the Army in July 2023 that the state may

not continue to operate HDH unless three critical issues were resolved. Working together, HDOT, the Army Garrison Hawai‘i and the Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District reached agreements on each of these conditions.

 

First, HDOT required a long-term lease and Joint Use Agreement so that HDOT could remain eligible for federal grants to support infrastructure improvements and continue deferred maintenance work in support of ongoing civilian operations. Second, HDOT required a new lease that would provide sufficient rights and powers to satisfy the department’s obligations under federal law and pursuant to federal grants.

The third need stated that HDOT would no longer be in charge of running and maintaining the Dillingham PWS, but would still need access to the water needed to maintain and operate the airfield. The Dillingham PWS provides water to around thirty users, including some homes and Camp Erdman, in addition to HDH tenants. HDOT has always maintained control over the airfield’s water system, but doing so would be in violation of federal financing rules.

The Army has established a separate five-year licence with locally based Aqua Engineers to be the operator of the Dillingham PWS starting on 6 July 2024, in support of the new lease. Current water customers at the airfield and in the surrounding neighbourhood will continue to get service thanks to this new arrangement. Inside the five-year term of the license, the Army will work with Aqua Engineers to secure a long-term agreement for the continued operation of the Dillingham PWS.

The collaboration between the U.S. Army Garrison and the Department of Transportation in Hawaii is amazing. The community will benefit greatly from this 50-year lease, and it will improve readiness throughout the Pacific, according to Lt. Col. Christopher “Ryan” Pevey, Commander of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Honolulu District. “I’m thrilled that this general aviation airport will remain accessible to the greater community.”

The airfield is regularly used by the Army for training exercises and exercises involving ground operations and aviation, including freight planes, unmanned aerial systems, and helicopters. At the airfield, the Army also conducts the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Centre, a massive training exercise that is essential to maintaining regional military readiness.

The companies run by civilians and owned at the airfield cater to visitors and local patrons for their recreational aviation interests including glider flying, free-fall parachuting, sightseeing and occasionally, trips to neighboring islands.