LAIE, Hawaii — New six-foot blue rock walls mark the continued construction of the wide boulevard leading from the oceanfront to the Laie Hawaii Temple. The $5.5 million beautification project, for which ground was broken by President Gordon B. Hinckley on Oct. 25, 2003, is designed to change the Hale La'a Boulevard into a scenic, inviting gateway to the temple.
During his three days here last fall in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Polynesian Cultural Center, President Hinckley gave his blessing to the start of a new front entrance project for BYU-Hawaii that integrates with the boulevard plans. In Hawaiian, hale la'a means "sacred house."
"We're simply thrilled with the project. You always wonder how something like this is going to translate from plans, but so far the rock wall work is exceeding the kind of impact we anticipated," said R. Eric Beaver, president and CEO of Hawaii Reserves Inc., which manages Church-affiliated property here and oversees the Hale La'a Boulevard project.
"We're starting to see how stunning the whole project is going to be, and also realize it will be even more dramatic when the landscaping goes in," President Beaver continued, pointing out the first of many stately palm trees will be transplanted in several weeks. He added that Utah-based Bodell Construction, which built the IMAX Theater at the Polynesian Cultural Center and several other chapels in the area, is the general contractor.