Plans to open the Waipahu Festival Marketplace at the site of the old Big Way on Waipahu Depot Road have been pushed back two months after construction workers discovered an underground spring beneath the site.

Slated to open this month, the long-awaited project designed to reinvigorate the sugar plantation town and serve as a source of income for the Waipahu Community Association is now expected to open sometime in September, said Wayne Ogasawara, the association's board president.

Contractors were taking out the existing flooring for the building when they discovered the underground water source, Ogasawara said. "They came upon a whole bunch of water that just wouldn't go away," he said. "They had to come up with ideas as to how to eliminate that problem and what they did was dig a bigger trench around it and filled it up with gravel so at least the pipes would be sitting on a solid bed."

The solution should fix the problem permanently, but it is costing the project not only 60 days, but $35,000 in additional change order costs, Ogasawara said.

Myrna Feliciano, association executive director, said the marketplace lost a couple of tenants as a result of the delay but that they have nearly all been replaced with new ones.

Literally translated from Hawaiian, Waipahu means "gushing water," so the discovery wasn't entirely surprising, he said. "The area is full of springs, and that's the reason why I guess at one time it was full of rice paddies and taro. It's been a pretty productive area."

Newly hired marketing consultant Kula Abiva said he intends to incorporate the pre-plantation history of Waipahu into the marketplace's appeal, noting that the natural springs of the area drew Hawaiian dignitaries into the region.

"We want to re-educate people about the significance of Waipahu," Abiva said, adding that the various cultures associated with the O'ahu Sugar Plantation will also be highlighted.

The plan is to draw both Hawai'i residents and visitors, he said.

Part Ala Moana Farmers Market and part Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, the market will feature 6,300 square feet of leasable retail space with about 30 stalls and kiosks selling produce, and Hawai'i-made arts and crafts. Some of the kiosks will go to startup entrepreneurs.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.