MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- After 18 years without renovation, the Staff Non-Commissioned Officers Club aboard MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, reopened its doors July 11, to reveal a long awaited $1 million facelift sponsored by Marine Corps Community Services.
The reopening ceremony began with remarks by leaders such as Col. Richard Roten, deputy commander of MCB Hawaii, and Sgt. Maj. Filipo Ilaoa, base sergeant major, as well as Mr. Dickson Alvarado, Staff NCO Club manager.
The crowd of onlookers stood in anticipation as Roten; Ilaoa; Master Chief Petty Officer Campbell Hughes, Facilities maintenance chief; Alvarado; and Mr. Vince Ching, a civilian contractor joined to cut the Maile officially opening the club.
As the crowd filed in, remarks of awe and surprise were whispered and escaped from many guests.
"I think it turned out fantastic," said 1st Sgt. Mark Drinkwater, director of the Staff Noncommissioned Officer Academy and chairman of the Staff NCO Club board. "The turn out was expected; everybody was very excited to see the establishment after an 18-year lull."
In celebration of the reopening, all staff NCOs and petty officers were invited to the club to enjoy free pupus, drinks and music.
BayFest rockers "Blue Fuse" entertained the crowd that evening, as well as the Navy Jazz Quartet during the afternoon.
Since the club had not had any renovations since 1985, the contractors had to do more than just a nip and tuck to bring it up to the 21st century standard.
The transformation began from the ground up, redesigning the exterior as well as the interior.
"We have made a million dollars worth of changes," said Drinkwater. "The place was completely gutted. It went all the way down to bare construction; even the walls were taken down."
The construction added a new 80-seat capacity dining room, intended for staff NCOs and their families. A dining facility had been requested numerous times by club members over the years, who found the only places they could go was the Officers' Club or out in town.
"The most critical change is the new dining area where staff NCOs and families can now enjoy a sit-down dinner and lunch," said Ilaoa. "It gives the staff NCOs a degree of conveniency that was not available to them previously. They can stay aboard the base to take their family out to eat. Or if they want to drink, they can walk home."
The dining room opened for lunch on Wednesday, for its first official serving.
At the moment, the dining room will only be in operation for lunch and dinner Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of each week.
Though almost everything in the club was either upgraded or replaced, the renovation to the Rocker Room took the bulk of funds.
About $40,000 alone was dedicated to replacing the wet bar in the Rocker Room with one made completely of Koa wood. More than $250,000 was spent on a state-of-the-art sound system, new plasma flat screen TVs, furniture and fixtures.
The club also hired an almost entirely new staff and chef to refresh the palette of its members.
As guests moved from room to room in the new establishment, they inspected the Hawaiian and Polynesian artwork and artifacts that adorned the walls, donated by the local community.
The staff has more changes in store, including live entertainment, new pool tables and dining hours.
"The staff NCOs and petty officers are one small family, and we need to know each other. We may be fighting next to each other one day," said Ilaoa. "Anyways, this is their place, and it's here to serve their needs.
"That is worth joining for," Ilaoa emphasized.