The new Hilo Judiciary Complex, named “Hale Kaulike” (House of Justice), will open for business on Monday, March 30 at 7:45 a.m.

All court services currently provided at the Judiciary’s Waiakea Office Plaza and Kilauea Avenue locations will be relocated to the new courthouse.

All of the Judiciary’s phone numbers in Hilo will remain the same.

The 175,000-square-foot complex is located on the Kaiko`o Mall parcel located across Aupuni Street from the Hilo State Office Building and the County of Hawaii’s Aupuni Center. Acquisition of the site was funded by capital improvement appropriations made by the Hawai`i State Legislature.

The new facility consists of a main, three-story structure with a basement floor and an adjoining one-story wing. There are seven general purpose courtrooms, two family courtrooms, a law library, holding cells, witness rooms, attorney interview rooms and a grand jury meeting room.

The Hilo Judiciary Complex is a significant improvement to the Judiciary’s existing facilities in Hilo, as it provides much needed public and operational spaces, modern and technologically equipped court facility features, and updated security provisions.

Individuals can pay fines and file documents on the first floor. The District Court is on the second floor and the Circuit and Family Courts are on the third floor. There are also 400 parking stalls for the public and court employees.

“The Hilo Judiciary Complex along with a long overdue Kona courthouse make up the two major judicial centers planned for the Big Island,” said Third Circuit Chief Judge Ronald Ibarra. “By consolidating all of our court operations in East Hawai`i into a single efficient, secure, modern courthouse, public safety and service will be greatly enhanced.”

Durrant Media Five designed the new courthouse and Swinerton Pacific served as the project’s general contractor.

The new Hilo Judiciary Complex is the third major Judiciary facility to be constructed since the mid-1980s. The first, the Abner Paki Hale Courthouse in Kane`ohe, O`ahu, opened in March 2003. The second, “Pu`uhonua Kaulike” (The Sanctuary of Justice), a Judiciary complex in Lihu`e, Kaua`i, opened in August 2005.

A building and artwork dedication ceremony will be held at the courthouse on Wednesday, April 1 at2 p.m.