On Thursday, Gov. Josh Green took it to Instagram to thank Keith Regan, director and comptroller of the state Department of Accounting and General Services, or DAGS, for sharing progress on the Hawaiʻi State Capitol’s new glass pool installation, where real water once surrounded the building in Downtown Honolulu.
During the 1960s, Architects Hawaiʻi Ltd. (AHL) had been awarded the $25 million contract to build the Capitol, "surrounded by a reflecting pool symbolizing the Pacific Ocean," according to Hawaiʻi Historic Foundation.
The state aims to complete the project by December 2026. “The glass installation will be made up of 6,000 total tiles – 3,000 on each side – and will include kinetic LED lighting that will interact with people,” the post read, “This will be an incredible space for future events at the Capitol.”
We had similar questions as those in the comments: “Who asked for this, how was it funded, and how much did it cost?”
According to past reporting from Honolulu Civil Beat, Hawaiʻi News Now and KHON, the community welcomed this during a period of public review and comment in August 2024, when DAGS submitted a Draft Environmental Assessment for the pool improvement project, per HNN. One reason for draining the pools a couple of years ago was to help reduce the odorous smells of stagnant, scum water. The pools have also leaked into offices below.
Seven-foot fences around the Capitol building went up in January 2021, due to concerns around increasing Covid cases, Civil Beat reported at the time. Sometime within the next year, the wooden perimeter we see today cropped up.
Those who visited last yearʻs art display at Capitol Modern were invited to participate in the design process alongside artist Solomon Enos, who was contracted by the state Foundation of Culture and the Arts. The art installation is part of a more than $33 million state appropriation from 2023 to fix the pools.
The appropriation under the public works section in the state budget for 2023. From plans, architectural rehabilitation of the waterproofing, design and installation, it would cost $33.5 million.
DAGS said the revisioned glass reflective pool is "practical, and cost-efficient," after several years of water leakage and ongoing repairs to the Capitolʻs basement, office and parking areas.
Regan, who is leading the poolsʻ execution, told Hawaiʻi Public Radio in November, that it cost “$150,000 to $200,000 a year just to continually maintain, clean, and operate those pools." In addition, Regan told HPR, “the art installation is designed to be removed if a new Legislature or community members decide that they want the water back in the reflecting pools.”
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
