The Kihei Community Association reviewed A&B’s 94.3 acre 500 unit residential project and will present to the community during the September 21st public general membership meeting.  We will seek your comments and participation at that time.  Please see an overview of the project below:

A&B North Kihei Residential Project Overview

Scott Broadbent, Maui Weekly

POSTED: June 24, 2010

One of life’s most fundamental needs, clean water, may soon be in short supply on Maui. And the way we dispose of our wastewater may be causing irreparable harm to our environment.

At the June 15 meeting of the Kihei Community Association (KCA), representatives of three environmental groups explained how our water is under assault from the land and the sea. And they sounded an alarm that critical issues need to be addressed now to avoid a future crisis.

Mike Moran, a KCA board member and co-founder of “Pump Don’t Dump,” Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie and Water Quality Consultant and Southwest Maui Watershed Planning Group member Robin Knox painted a grim picture of the current situation related to our water quality and coastal pollution, but offered ideas and potential solutions to deal with the issues.

Moran discussed the effects of allowing tour and charter boats to pump sewage into the ocean. “There are a myriad of reasons for the deterioration of our reefs and beaches,” he said, “including pesticide and insecticide runoff, injection wells and poor construction practices.” But, a major factor, he said, is that charter boats are continuing to dump untreated sewage or sewage treated with formaldehyde and bleach into the ocean, fouling our beaches in South Maui.

Moran said the Pump Don’t Dump group has had “moderate success” in drawing attention to the issue. Through their efforts, boats operating out of Ma‘alaea Harbor may pump sewage into pumper trucks for land-based disposal. The group advocates fixed or mobile disposal methods at all harbors and ramps with required usage by all boat operators.

Bowie explained how current practices, most notably disposing of treated sewage into injection wells, harms the reefs and environment, wastes water, threatens our health and harms our economy. She said the sewage, injected 200 to 300 feet underground at 15 wells on Maui, including three in Kihei, eventually makes its way into the ocean.

“Thirteen million gallons of treated effluent is pumped into the ground every day,” she said.

She urged attendees to support the “Don’t Inject, Redirect (DIRE)” Coalition, which is working to limit the use of injection wells while promoting recycling of wastewater, particularly while we are facing drought conditions, water rights issues and water shortages.

Bowie said that effluents flowing into the ocean promote the growth of algae, which chokes a basic economic engine of our tourism industry—our reefs. Algae, bacteria and chemicals used in sewage treatment are also making us sick, she said, citing an increase in staph infections and other waterborne illnesses, which puts Maui well above the national average in hospitalizations.

DIRE advocates the establishment of a series of high-quality effluent (R1) lines to utilize recycled, treated and reclaimed water for purposes such as irrigation. Although she acknowledges the cost for such a system would be high, she said we can’t continue “wasting million of gallons of water a day while things are bone dry.” In addition, she said, “It may actually be less expensive to develop recycling water systems than to develop new water sources.”

Knox gave an overview of watersheds, which she likened to the ancient Hawaiian land division system of ahupua‘a, which manages resources from the mountain to the sea.  She discussed the federal Clean Water Act which, she said “has a simple goal: fishable, swimmable water.”

Knox explained the distinction between “point and non-point” pollution sources. Point sources, she said, are more easily monitored. “These include pipes or wells where actual samples may be taken,” she said. Non-point sources are more difficult to measure. These include runoff from agriculture, construction sites and golf courses and contamination from cesspools and septic systems. Knox concurred that the use of injection wells is very problematic.

The three presenters fielded questions from the attendees. Most centered around obtaining funds to deal with the issues, raising community awareness and involvement and enlisting county and state elected officials in the effort.

“Just throwing up our hands and saying it costs too much doesn’t make sense,” said Bowie. Issues related to our water “have to be part of the budget. We have to demand our elected officials take care of this.”

“The mayor has said the issue is not a matter of money, but a matter of priority,” added Knox. Panel members said federal grants may be available and that use fees should be revisited. Bowie also suggested enlisting the visitor industry, which has a vested interest in making sure our beaches are safe and clean.

A builder complained that while his current development project has committed to utilizing reclaimed water, “the Department of Health has been difficult to work with and the process has been expensive and time-consuming.” He suggested simplifying the county processes related to utilizing recycled water.

All three presenters urged residents to get involved and said the current situation is unsustainable. Moran reminded attendees that it is an election year and the candidates are listening. “Write letters and make phone calls,” he said. “Tell them we want clean water!”

“We need to take a more holistic approach,” concluded Bowie. “Perhaps we should have a water marshal. Any way you look at it, we need a big change.” When it comes to clean water, she said, “We must rethink what we have been doing.”

(Left to right) Mike Moran, Robin Knox and Irene Bowie addressed questions related to water quality and usage on Maui at the June 15 K?hei Community Association meeting

Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie explained how current practices, most notably disposing of treated sewage into injection wells, harms the reefs and environment, wastes water, threatens our health and harms our economy. Shown in the photo above, a healthy reef (left) contrasts with a reef choked with algae and chemicals.

The KCA monthly meeting will explore some of these causes and some possible ways to rectify them. The DIRE Coalition, represented by Irene Bowie and S W Maui Watershed Advisory Group’s Robin Knox, as well as Pump Don’t Dump’s & KCA VP Mike Moran, will offer information to the community on some these concerns, and be available to answer your questions.

All are welcome on Tuesday, June 15th at 6:00 PM to talk story with neighbors before the presentation begins promptly at 6:30 PM. Food donations for the Maui Food Bank accepted. Get in the habit of attending KCA Community meetings on the third Tuesday of each month to make South Maui a better place for all. Mahalo.

Scott Broadbent, Maui Weekly

May 27, 2010
Ask lifelong Maui residents about their early memories of Kihei and you will probably hear tales of Suda’s Fish Market, the Maui Lu Resort and the long, bumpy trail, now known as South Kihei Road, stretching to Big Beach. Few of the hearty souls who made their homes along this dusty trail could have envisioned the four-lane Pi‘ilani Highway which now carries daily more than 16,000 residents and throngs of visitors flocking to the beaches and resorts.

K?hei Community Association (KCA) President Jon Miller has described K?hei’s growth over the years as “haphazard at best.” At the Tuesday, May 18, KCA meeting, an issue Miller is passionate about—transportation in and around K?hei—was discussed. Miller moderated a panel made up of Maui County Department of Public Works Director Milton Arakawa, Kathleen Kern of the Maui Planning Department and Charlene Shibuya from the Hawai‘i State Department of Transportation to discuss the issue in South Maui.

“How people move from one place to another has an enormous impact on any community,” Miller said in a recent interview. “It should be a pleasant experience. But when I drive on South Kihei Road, it is clear there wasn’t enough vision and planning.”

Miller said he recently started biking around K?hei. “It is clear why there are not a lot of people riding bikes and walking in our community,” he said during a presentation showing telephone poles and other obstructions in the middle of sidewalks. “Bicycling and pedestrian walkways have been afterthoughts,” he said, displaying a slide of a bike path abruptly ending at a curb.

Miller said the KCA has advocated a better transportation system for South Maui for years through its Planning Committee, which has developed specific general planning procedures and Road Design Standards for Kihei. Miller discussed the environmental and health benefits of green thoroughfares, and the problems and costs associated with an automobile-oriented society.

“Why is this important now?” Miller asked. “The state is currently planning major roads for our area. The county needs to make sure the state understands the growth” we will have in South Maui and plans accordingly.

Arakawa discussed the status of a number of current transportation-related projects in Kihei and gave an overview of the approval process for projects from inception to construction. While he said he understood the need for increased maintenance of current roadways, paths and sidewalks, and the importance of new thoroughfares and transportation systems, Arakawa repeatedly explained the reality of limited funding for his department.

“People are driving more fuel-efficient cars, which is a very good thing,” he said. However, he explained, this results in less revenue for maintenance and new projects from the fuel tax, which is the primary funding source.

Kern discussed the prospect of charging developers an “impact fee” to help raise funds for transportation projects. She said studies are currently underway to determine how new development will impact our roadway system. “Impact fees would not be a panacea,” she said, but could augment current funding sources.

Shibuya reminded the attendees that there is a great deal of competition for funding for highway projects statewide and of how complicated the process is, alluding to Arakawa’s presentation.

During a question-and-answer period, the panel discussed issues ranging from potholes to mass transit.

The panel was asked about the possibility of a rail system on Maui. “We need alternate means [of transportation],” said Arakawa. “But it can be very expensive and complex, like we are seeing in Honolulu.” Arakawa advocated continuing to improve the Maui Bus system as an appropriate alternative, noting the meteoric rise in ridership in recent years.

Shibuya urged everyone to read the Maui Island Plan and support organizations like the KCA in efforts to oversee development and transportation related issues. “The government has a much easier time moving a project ahead if the community is behind it,” she said.

Shibuya also fielded a question about the proposed Upcountry to South Maui roadway. She said the project is moving through the Environmental Impact Statement study phase, and the project will be designed to be completed in three phases. She said no construction is currently planned due to financial considerations.

The North-South “Collector Road,” which would run through Kihei parallel to the Pi‘ilani Highway, is also currently on hold. “The collector road has had a long, checkered history,” said Arakawa. He explained that federal funds are not available until issues related to the total number of lanes on the collector road, Pi‘ilani Highway, South Kihei Road and perhaps even a new mauka highway, are settled. The funding requires 12 total lanes to address long-range transportation needs, he said.

Shibuya said the potential extension of Pi‘ilani Highway is not under consideration and probably will not be until development issues such as Wailea 670 are permanently resolved.

Arakawa explained how his department utilizes a software system to evaluate which roads get resurfaced and repaired. He invited community members to contact his department to report problems such as potholes.

Miller urged residents to get involved. “It is important to get our transportation issues on the map right now,” he said. “If we address this issue now, we can ensure K?hei will be a great place for visitors and the people who live here.”

To underscore the aesthetics of a landscaped transportation corridor, KCA President Jon Miller presented this photo of the Liloa-Lipoa intersection near Safeway. The bottom photo shows a digitally altered view with landscaping and bike paths. Note that the stop sign has been removed in favor of a roundabout.

A panel discussed transportation issues in South Maui at the May 18 meeting of the Kihei Community Association. Pictured, left to right, are KCA moderator and President Jon Miller, Charlene Shibuya, Kathleen Kern and Milton Arakawa.

Next month’s meeting on June 15 will address our near shore ocean water quality issues.

See next week’s Maui Weekly for a professional extensive report on this 5/18 meeting.

Look for additional coverage and a professional summary in the upcoming issue of Maui Weekly.

“KCA wants to speak for the community,” says president Jon Miller, “ so we first need to hear what are your concerns for this natural gem. Come to our open mic so we know your opinion.”

In these difficult financial times, the less fortunate on Maui are in dire need. Food donations for Maui Food Bank are strongly encouraged, so please bring some non-perishable food items to the meeting. In addition, free cloth grocery bags furnished by County Recycling Section will be distributed. Be there when doors open at 6:00 PM, before the prompt start at 6:30 PM.

Proposed prison facility and reintegration programs discussed at Kïhei Community Association meeting. “No matter where they go, they are all coming back to the community.”

Scott Broadbent, Maui Weekly

POSTED: March 25, 2010

Even in the best of economic times, building new prisons can be controversial. Convincing the public that spending $235 million for a new facility on Maui during an unrelenting recession is proving to be a challenge.

At the Tuesday, March 16, meeting of the K?hei Community Association (KCA), seven panelists argued both sides of the issue.

Tommy Johnson, deputy director of the Hawai‘i Department of Public Safety (DPS), argued in support of the new Maui Regional Public Safety Complex which would ultimately replace the aging Maui County Correctional Center (MCCC). The facility, which would be built on a 38.8-acre parcel behind the Maui National Guard Armory off Mokulele Highway, would serve two populations: “pretrial” or jailed inmates and “furloughed” inmates—felons re-entering the Maui community.

Johnson, who attended via conference call due to what he called “budgetary constraints,” said the new facility “would return 300 inmates currently on the Mainland” to Maui and allow them to benefit from reintegration programs. Johnson also said the new facility would result in construction jobs, long-term staff positions, increased tax revenues and expenditures to local vendors.

Retired Maui Police Captain George Fontaine also voiced his support for the proposed facility. “MCCC is severely overcrowded,” he said. “When it was built in the early ’70s, it was out in the middle of cane fields. Now it is surrounded by subdivisions.” He said this has led to problems with drugs being smuggled in, and added that overcrowding means inmates are being released without reintegration programs. “A larger, state-of-the-art facility would allow better services for people,” Fontaine said.

Second Circuit Court Judge Shackley F. Rafetto, founder of the Maui Drug Court program, took a pragmatic view. “No matter where they go, they are all coming back to the community,” he said. While the judge expressed concern over the distance from Pu‘un?n? to the courthouse and a potential problem finding qualified staff, he said he supported the new complex if rehabilitation and reintegration programs “were built into the expanded facility.” Rafetto said that the success of the Drug Court program has proven these programs are effective.

Former inmate Danette Arrojo underscored that point. Arrojo, who said she has spent five years in jail, is now an honor student at University of Hawai‘i (UH) Maui College. “There is a saying that prison is a revolving door,” she said. “That’s true if there are no programs. The main thing that is needed is money to educate inmates about how to change their lives.”

Deputy Prosecutor John Kim discussed how his attitude toward the justice system changed after he was assigned to Drug Court. “When I first started, it was all about punishment,” he said. “We just wanted to throw them in jail. But as I sat through Drug Court, I could see how much they turned around. It was touching to see the change.”

Kim said he supports the expansion, mainly because of the overcrowding at MCCC. But he also said reintegration programs are essential and need to be given time to work. “A lifetime of addiction can’t be changed overnight.”

“Poverty breeds crime,” said Social Worker Netra Halperin. “This is a national problem.” Halperin cited statistics showing that 85 percent of crimes nationally are alcohol- and drug-related. “Only 11 percent are getting treatment,” she said. By offering treatment and rehabilitation programs, Halperin said there would be more intact families and “more public safety for our community.”

Building new correctional facilities “is making us poorer, not safer,” said attorney Carrie Ann Shirota. “We spend $40,000 a year to incarcerate a person and $10,000 to educate a child.” She said there would be dramatic, positive results “if we were to flip that formula.”

Shirota, who is the first Maui resident and only one of two in the state to be awarded a George Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowship, drew applause from several in the audience when she said, “Let’s not waste money on a system that doesn’t work.”

During a spirited question and answer period, the differences among the panelists became even more pronounced.

Halperin and Shirota criticized the current practice of sending inmates to the Mainland and contracting with the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), a private corrections management company based in Nashville, Tennessee.

“CCA shareholders make money by filling prisons,” said Shirota, “and they make money from people returning to prison.” Shirota again drew applause when she advocated directing funding toward reintegration programs. “We need to reinvest in our own community,” she said.

Judge Rafetto defended DPS. “When we wanted a dormitory facility [for the Drug Court program], they agreed,” he said. “DPS has been very helpful and responsive.”

Judge Rafetto also lauded UH Maui College for their efforts. “They have done a tremendous job of outreach,” he said, resulting in an increasing percentage of inmates and former inmates attending college.

“I’ve been on both sides of the fence,” said Arrojo. “It will be hard to train people who have criminal thinking to go from negative to positive. I have come a long way because of reintegration programs.”

Judge Rafetto sounded a positive note. Whether a new facility is built or not, “Dysfunction can be corrected,” he said. “I believe that 99 percent are redeemable.”

Panelists discussed the pros and cons of a new correctional facilty that would be located near the Maui National Guard Armory off Mokulele Highway. Panelists included George Fontaine, Judge Shackley F. Rafetto, Danette Arrojo, John Kim, Netra Halperin and Carrie Ann Shirota; Department of Public Safety Deputy Director Tommy Johnson participated via conference call.