WAIKIKI, Hawaii (KHON2) -- The long-awaited renovation of Waikiki's historic Natatorium is finally moving forward. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You Despite its deteriorating facade, the Waikiki Natatorium's storied history is evident even to first-time Ohio visitors Carole Oberholtzer and Jill Dutton. "I think it's a beautiful facade. Definitely worth preserving," said Oberholzter. The future is here with exoskeletons in Hawaii "Preserving history is important and then just reading about the different records that have been set here, all the Olympians that have been here it actually portrays the Hawaiian heritage. I think it's multi-faceted and important to keep," said Dutton. The City agrees and after decades of starts and stops, plans to renovate the site to almost its original design have been approved. "It's a treasure that has sat dormant for too long and we want to you we want to gift it back to the city," said Andy Sugg, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Honolulu Mayor. "This administration is not in the business of tearing down a war memorial. There's just no way that we would." The preliminary design presented back in 2019 will keep renovate the facade, bleachers and the perimeter deck, but open the ewa and makai sides of the basin to keep the ocean flowing through, eliminating the problem of stagnant water. The total cost of the project is estimated to cost about $35 million, with the city funding the design phase. Pride month brings bears into the spotlight "Over the last couple of years we've invested almost a million dollars just in the design phase of it and all the EIS and all the planning and permitting stuff," said Sugg. As part of an agreed upon public-private partnership, the rest of the money is up to the Friends of the Waikiki Natatorium to come up with. "We believe it's possible. We've been cultivating potential folks and of course, on the national level, we've got opportunities for federal funding that we just have to apply for," said Mo Radke of the Friends of the Waikiki Natatorium. The Friends said restoring the Memorial to its place as a national treasure is critically important to not just veterans but the community. "Ask your kupuna. They'll tell you. They'll tell you what was important about going to a gathering place and being able to safely mingle with your friends, and families and the folks that are from your neighborhood," said Radke. "Regardless of your timeframe of service, it warms your heart to see people remembering and respecting the service that you had and your predecessors had and it also helps for future generations, too, because this is how we treat those who sacrifice." Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here The final plans for the natatorium are expected to be approved fall of 2025. If all goes well, construction would begin in early 2026 with the hope of having most of the project done by the 100th anniversary of the natatorium in August 2027.