September 2020
Aloha!
I pray we are all doing our best to stay safe and healthy during this Covid-19 pandemic. I would like to share a few updates on actions recently taken by the Maui County Council. My work is focused on public health and safety, economic recovery, decreasing homelessness and increasing our housing inventory. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you think may be helpful in serving the Kahului district and the people of the County of Maui.
Me ke aloha pumehana,
Tasha
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'Imi Pono - the Greatest Challenge |
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Calling All Middle and High School Students |
The Maui County Council is searching for innovative solutions in the forms of student-generated ideas such as an invention, service, technique, application or product that could help bolster our economy. Students are encouraged to submit their initial application by October 15, 2020 and their final project entry by November 15, 2020.
Possible subjects include: healthcare; research & technology; sustainable food supply; culture and the arts; social services; government innovation; and affordable housing.
For extra points, students will need to explain how their idea can help create jobs, generate revenues, promote a clean, safe and culturally appropriate environment for Hawaii; and reduce our over-reliance on the visitor industry.
Final projects may be submitted as a video, slideshow, essay, mock-up of your product or other medium.
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Focus on Affordable Housing |
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Hale Kaiola – 100% workforce housing project with 40 for-sale units in 20 duplex buildings on 3 acres in North Kihei. Living area ranges from 731 sq. ft. to 1,240 sq. ft, with private yards and lanais.
Pricing and model type will vary according to Buyer income levels at:
80-100% AMI (12 units);
100-120% AMI (20 units);
120-140% AMI (4 units); and 120-140% AMI (4 units).
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Two affordable housing projects were approved recently by my Affordable Housing Committee. They will go on to further discussion and first reading at the full Council in September.
Many thanks to the dedication of the business, community and government partners that have worked hard to bring the projects thus far.
While it will take time for these projects to be ready for the public to buy and rent, these are important first-steps that help ensure they will be built for our residents and kupuna.
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Liloa Hale – 100% senior affordable housing rental community consisting of 117 one- and two-bedroom apartments, a community gathering area for residents and other amenities.
Rentals will be limited to seniors earning 60% or less of the AMI (Area Median Income). Project area is 3.61 acres south of Hope Chapel in Kihei.
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Reconstructing the Old UH Dorms to Provide Shelter for the Unsheltered |
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Above: Lt. Governor Josh Green has a pre-Covid conversation with Councilmember Kama and Mayor Victorino at the initial site inspection of the UHMC dorms. |
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Below: The dilapidated kitchens in the old dorms appeared worn but the overall structure was deemed salvageable. |
Phase 1 of the project to rehabilitate the old UH-Maui dormitories is well on its way to providing emergency shelter and wrap-around support services for 12 families. Funding was secured through a State-County partnership, with construction being done by Arisumi Brothers, Inc.
The 12 two-bedroom units are being reconstructed with $5 million of DURF funding (Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund) plus more than $800,000 for management of the units.
Mahalo to our State legislators, Mayor Victorino, the County Dept. of Housing & Human Concerns and the County Council members for working together to push this project forward.
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Addressing Concerns About Homelessness |
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Late last year my office convened a meeting at the site of the old Kahului Safeway to hear from the business community. County officials including Mayor Victorino and representatives from Maui Police Department and the Department of Housing & Human Concerns (DHHC) listened to attendees' concerns and shared their current initiatives and future plans to help reduce the number of unsheltered individuals in the area, and increase safety for businesses and their customers.
While this discussion took place pre-Covid, the concerns expressed have been a key ingredient in my work with the community. I have been working with DHHC on the most effective ways to incorporate the efforts by secular and faith-based community organizations into the County's "Housing First" program, which is aimed at providing shelter to the unsheltered.
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Kahului Roundabout Keeps Traffic Flowing |
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The newly opened roundabout at S. Kamehameha Ave. and Maui Lani Parkway is saving time and preventing accidents for the many hundreds of drivers that traverse that intersection daily. Here are a few tips on how to drive safely through a roundabout:
- Slow down when approaching and entering a roundabout.
- Yield to vehicles already in the roundabout and to anyone in the crosswalk.
- Use your turn signal immediately before your exit, just as you would when turning.
- Go right when entering in a roundabout and proceed around the central island in a counter-clockwise direction.
- Miss your exit? Just go around one more time.
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To watch a video on how to drive through a roundabout, click here.
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Residents Voice Their Priorities for County Government |
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In recent weeks, I have had the opportunity to speak with dozens of constituents at the Maui Sunday Market in Kahului. Many took a few minutes to complete a brief written survey about their concerns and what they felt the County's priorities should be. The results were clear: Homelessness, Affordable Housing and Health Care. If you would also like to share your priorities, please email or call me at the contacts listed below. I am grateful for the insights and will continue working to provide funding and policy guidance for these important issues.
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Native Hawaiian Issues in Progress |
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Protecting 'Iwi Kupuna
We are currently researching legislation to return authority over the inadvertent discovery of unexpected burial sites to the local burial councils.
Current regulations and procedures call for the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) to determine appropriate action. By allowing local determination and control over 'iwi kupuna, we can better preserve this invaluable cultural resource while caring for our ancestral predecessors.
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Anti-Discrimination Legislation for Native Hawaiians
My office is also working with Council Services to draft a resolution urging the Council to convene a working group to develop recommendations to create Hawaiian Nationality as a protected class for purposes of Hawaii's anti-discrimination laws. The State Legislature is already considering a similar resolution, and I am eager for the Council to discuss this ground-breaking potential policy.
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General Election 101: Charter Amendments On the Ballot |
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The General Election ballot will include seven charter amendment questions passed recently by the County Council. To cast an informed vote on each of these significant proposals, be sure to read each question carefully and consider the financial costs to the County, long-term impacts and other ways the changes could affect our community. To view the questions online, click here:
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