Five years ago Jerry Hucks had a vision of a place where archers and gun enthusiasts could hold matches in their respective sports and not worry about the danger from stray bullets and arrows.

Hucks died in 2002 at age 67. Meanwhile, plans have stalled for his proposed archery range at the Koko Head Public Shooting Complex.

"It's been an ongoing challenge," said Van Ohumukini, Koko Head Archery Club president. "It's been a wait-and-see."

Estelle Hucks, Jerry's wife, said that a week before Hucks died he was dictating letters to send to the mayor and to the City Council urging them to get the project going.

"Archery was an individual sport and youngsters, as he always called them, could compete against themselves. Archery was a passion for him," Estelle Hucks said. "Right up until he died he was talking about the range. He really wanted it."

Royal Contracting Co. Ltd. was awarded a contract for $432,950 to grade the area on the right side of the shooting complex and install a gravel access road, irrigation, landscaping and sidewalks.

But the project was delayed when the city did not obtain all required permits. A site picked out by Royal Contracting to dump the dirt from construction is now unavailable and the company is asking the city for more money, said Eugene Lee, deputy director of the city Department of Design and Construction.

"We're still negotiating with the contractor," Lee said. "We do look at reasonable escalation costs to compensate the contractor for the delay. If we cannot negotiate a fair fee after we verify the situation, then the question is should we proceed with the project or cancel it."

Hucks, a Hawai'i Kai resident, was a volunteer archery instructor at Koko Head District Park. He had lobbied the city and became a Vision Team champion to build a facility so more people could participate in archery. Hucks' vision was simple: get the city to agree to it and the archers would build a covered area and a storage space.

George Kong, state director for the National Field Archery Association in Hawai'i, said it's sad to see the project stalled with the planning and design completed.

Archers on O'ahu can use a small eastern portion of Kapi'olani Park, a new facility in Waikele and one in Kapolei.

"It wasn't supposed to be a real expensive project," Estelle Hucks said. "He worked so hard on it. I'd like to see something come of it."

The Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board has agreed to name the archery range after Hucks if it ever gets built, said Mary Houghton, board Parks and Recreation Committee chairwoman.

Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com.