Ground was broken Monday morning for a new gym, play courts, and a parking lot at ‘Ewa Mahiko District Park at the former site of the Ewa Sugar Mill on Renton Road.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said that the $8.3 million project “will provide much-needed recreational facilities to a rapidly growing part of O‘ahu.”

It is scheduled to be completed in late 2011.

Construction will include a 10,440-square-foot gymnasium, multipurpose building, two basketball courts, four tennis courts, two volleyball courts, lighting for all courts, accessible walkways, a 235-stall parking lot with lighting and irrigation.

The design consultant is Yamasato Fujiwara Higa & Associates. The contract for construction was awarded to 57 Builders Ltd.