Upgrades Coming to Kīlauea Visitor Center at VNP

Kīlauea Visitor Center in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park is scheduled for a major air conditioning system installation that will improve the comfort and safety of visitors and employees inside the busiest facility in the park.

Work on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) project is scheduled to start in early March with a completion date in summer 2020, although dates are subject to change. Visitors and tour operators will experience some disruption in services, but Kīlauea Visitor Center will remain open, and the park and its non-profit partner, Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association, are working to minimize impacts. Keep these tentative dates and in mind, and check the park website for updates:

March 4–25, 2020: The Hawai‘i Pacific Parks Association park store in Kīlauea Visitor Center will close and relocate to an alternate location nearby. Details such as location and operating hours will be shared once they are finalized.

March 16–20: New front doors will be installed, visitors may be directed to enter and exit Kīlauea Visitor Center through the auditorium door.

March 26–June 30: The auditorium will be closed, but the visitor center will remain open. Park films, including “Born of Fire, Born of the Sea,” will not be shown. A popular seven-and-a-half minute 2018 eruption video will continue to be shown on a television in the exhibits area, and is available online for free download. Some After Dark in the Park and other special auditorium programs will be rescheduled, or relocated to Volcano Art Center’s Niaulani Campus.

In addition to providing a comfortable temperature in the most-visited facility in the park, the new HVAC system will be equipped with air purifiers that reduce sulfur dioxide and other harmful volcanic gases when Kīlauea erupts again.

The project will cost approximately $571,450 and is funded with park entrance fees. The contractor is Regal Service Co.