The Community Answers the Call
June 23, 2026
The initial response to the proposed $1 million investment in VMAC was only the beginning.
After the City Council’s second reading, Bill 23 (2026) advanced to the Budget Committee, where the amendment would face another important test. This time, the VMAC Renewal Foundation had more time to organize—and the community responded in even greater numbers.
By the May 1 Budget Committee meeting, approximately 200 pieces of testimony had been submitted in support of the bill. Athletes, coaches, families, aquatic organizations, and community members spoke with a united voice about the importance of investing in the K. Mark Takai Veterans’ Memorial Aquatic Center.
Senior Advisor Nadine Takai-Day again provided oral testimony, joined by Foundation President Kevin Nakamura and Olympic coach Peter Andrews. Together, they spoke to VMAC’s importance as a place for water safety, recreation, fitness, athlete development, competition, and service to the broader community.
The message was clear: VMAC was not simply an aging pool in need of repair. It was an essential public resource with the potential to serve Hawaiʻi at a much higher level.
The Budget Committee unanimously approved the bill, advancing it to its third and final City Council reading.
In the weeks that followed, the Foundation continued building support. We spoke with athletes and families at meets and community events, worked through clubs and aquatic organizations, and called upon relationships across Hawaiʻi’s aquatic community. Although our official public unveiling was still months away, we leaned forward wherever necessary to ensure that this opportunity would not be lost.
By the June 3 final reading, the City Council had received 383 pieces of testimony supporting the measure.
Cole, Kacey, and Noah Schonhardt—our student photographer and fellow student-athlete—also delivered oral testimony. Their participation brought the campaign back to the voices at the heart of the Foundation: young people who had experienced VMAC’s challenges firsthand and believed in what the facility could become.
The City Council unanimously approved the bill, sending it to the mayor for final consideration.
On June 23, 2026, we were ecstatic to learn that the bill had been signed into law.
The final approval secured a $1 million public commitment toward improvements at VMAC. It was a major victory for the facility and for the athletes, kūpuna, first responders, families, recreational users, and community organizations that depend on it.
It was also a defining moment for the VMAC Renewal Foundation.
Still months away from our planned public debut, we had mobilized hundreds of supporters, coordinated testimony across multiple stages of the legislative process, and helped demonstrate the depth of community support for VMAC’s renewal. What began as an unexpected opportunity had become proof of what this young Foundation—and the community standing behind it—could accomplish.
Councilmember Weyer opened the door. The community rallied behind the opportunity. Together, we secured an extraordinary $1 million commitment for VMAC—and created new momentum for the much larger work still ahead.
