Remodeling Maui
For residents of the Valley Isle, there is little doubt that Maui has been undergoing serious change over the past several years. There is the new build out around the airport, the closure of HC & S, and a question of what will happen to its workers and the land. Will condos be coming to the Makena resort after its scheduled closer in July? Not to mention the transition of Maui hospitals from the state to Kaiser. Meanwhile Maui’s population continues to grow. As part of our series “Renovating Maui” we’re looking at these and other issues to determine their implications for Maui’s physical, economic and human landscapes.
What’s Happening On Maui? John Harrison
Longtime Maui residents say you can’t help but see - and feel - the changes in the island. In the last 50 years, Maui’s population has quadrupled and the forecast in the next 50 shows tens of thousands more will call Maui home. But for now, who exactly is on Maui - where are the transplanted residents coming from? To answer the question of “Who’s on Maui?” we called John Harrison, the Program Director for Research & Analysis at the Maui Economic Development Board. He’s also been a Maui resident for almost 20 years.
Maui Mayor or Maui Manager? Mike White
The many changes on Maui are on our agenda this week, starting with an effort to get the question on the November ballot of whether Maui should have manager instead of a mayor. Before the weekend, it was again considered by the Maui County Council. Councilmember Mike White joined us.
Maui’s Jobs Market: Linda Chu Takayama
On Maui life is changing. Today we look at Maui’s job market. With the challenge of the HC & S closure plus the Makena resort and Sports Authority soon to close, what is the outlook for displaced workers? With construction and visitor expectations near the top of the curve what can those workers and those starting their work lives on Maui do to better prepare? Linda Chu-Takayama is the State’s Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director and she discussed that issue with us.
Transfer of Maui County Hospitals to Kaiser: Dr. Ronald Boyd
It may be a little clearer, but the injunction delaying the transfer of Maui County hospitals still stands. The three financially beleaguered hospitals including Maui Memorial are run by the quasi-public Hawaii Health Systems Corp. They were to pass into the hands of a division of Kaiser on July 1. Union rancor over the deal landed it in court and now it may be the end of summer before the transition completes. To continue our look at how life on Maui is changing, we spoke with Dr Ronald Boyd, Chief of Staff at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
Homelessness on Maui: Maude Cumming
With Housing and Urban Development funds moving to organizations focused on creating permanent housing, many groups in Hawaii providing temporary shelter are now scrambling. On Maui, that directive is at odds with the preference of Mayor Alan Arakawa who in past has told us he favors increasing temporary shelters. All this week, we’ve been looking at how life on Maui is changing and although there is wide appreciation for mitigating homelessness on Maui as on other islands, there seems to be a lack of unified vision to do it. Early this morning we called Maude Cumming- she’s the Chair of Bridging The Gap, the Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care for the neighbor islands. We asked her whether HUD’s focus is making Maui options easier - or more difficult.
Maui’s Tourism Industry: Terryl Vencl
All week, we’ve heard from different voices on Maui about the changes the island is undergoing and how Maui is well, different from other islands. If you missed any of the segments, we’ve compiled them into a podcast - it’s on our website.hawaiipiblicradio.org. Getting visitors to recognize Maui’s special qualities is clearly working: last year Maui logged a record number of visitor arrivals and an increase in both daily spending and days spent on Maui. That’s the reason, the tourism industry is driving some of the change on Maui - the airport area is just one example and the impact of other Maui changes will also affect visitors’ experiences. TerrylVencl is Executive Director of the Maui Visitor’s Bureau and joins us now.
Maui Land Use: Michele McLean
We often hear that land should be zoned according to its highest and best use, but conflicts over what that means often translates into challenges that take years to complete. In a small place, growing as quickly as Maui’s population has expanded, what to do with Maui’s finite land continues to drive the county’s plan; and rankle at least some part of the community. The widening housing gap and more people forecast to come to Maui in the next decades are part of the claim on land - and water. There’s also the question of how agriculture will be reinvigorated and what happens with the HC & S land. Michele McLean is Deputy Director of Maui County Department of Planning and she’s on the line now.
Environmental issues on Maui: Albert Perez
We’ve spent this week considering how Maui is being remodeled- by its ever-growing, often transplanted population and the visitor industry - and the claims of each on land and infrastructure. The natural tension between offering what many residents and visitors want and conserving the place they enjoy particularly shows up in the environment. For almost 20 years Maui Tomorrow Foundation has worked in partnership with other community organizations to focus on quality of life. In March, the group published a report on Maui’s farming future on the heels of the announced closure of H C & S and the end of sugar. Albert Perez is the Executive Director of Maui Tomorrow and is on the line now.
Maui Series Wrap-up: Dick Mayer
This week we’ve focused on how Maui is coping with change - and in many sectors, driving it. The snapshot of we’ve seen is part of a continuum of real life for Maui resident and former economics and geography professor, Dick Mayer. For much of his 49 years on Maui, he has helped to plan its future, and he will be the first to say things have not exactly gone as plan. We thought we’d give him the last word - Dick Mayer ...welcome back to the program.
Additional Information:
County Statistics: http://www.medb.org/community-profile/county-statistics/
Maui Community Association Plans: http://maui-communities.weebly.com/community-plans.html
Development Projects: http://maui-communities.weebly.com/projectsdevelopments.html
Agricultural Lands of Importance: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/gis/maps/mau_alish_large.pdf
Historical Land Use for Agriculture: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/gis/maps/alum_mau.pdf
Large Landowners: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/gis/maps/maui-kahoolawe_large_landowners.pdf
State Owned Lands: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/gis/maps/maui_state-lands.pdf
