New Aiea Library Will Offer More Event Space, More Parking

An illustration of the interior of the new Aiea Library. Rendering by Glenn Miura of CDS International.

An illustration of the interior of the new Aiea Library. Rendering by Glenn Miura of CDS International.

The new Aiea Library is set to open this month and will celebrate with a grand opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The new facility at the former Aiea Sugar Mill site replaces the older branch on Moanalua Road.

“We’re very, very excited. The Aiea community has been waiting for this library for decades,” said Keith Fujio, special assistant to the state librarian.

By the early 1990s, it was evident that the community was outgrowing its library, as more housing and schools continued to spring up. Parking in the area always was an issue, and library patrons often had to fight traffic to get in and out of the lot.

The new library has space for 78,000 books, 8,000 DVDs and CDs and 12 public computers with Internet, along with a room for library and community events. The building has been designed to reduce electricity costs with high-efficiency air conditioning and photo-voltaic solar panels.

Fujio predicts “a lot of happy people” at the grand opening.

The new library sits on 17,200 square feet of land at 99-372 Pohai Place.