Funding Maui County Department of Agriculture

Aloha Council:

I’m writing in support of the funding needed to create ... The Maui County Department of Agriculture

As a person who lives and breaths agriculture, the creation of this Department spells HOPE for all of us. For how many years have we heard about Hawaii working toward Food Sustainability, while literally nothing was done.

The State of Hawaii does not adequately fund the State DoA and now the salary commission comes up with a budget for Director and Ass’t Director that is lower (by a lot) than other departments. That is shortsighted and sadly in alignment with past failures to adequately boost agriculture.

What positive developments can we anticipate from a thriving MauiCounty Dept of Agriculture?
Careers/jobs
Food/Health
Community development
Water resource conservation
Infrastructure development via federal funding…
Repair of watershed
Repair of water delivery system
Grants for young farmers

Maui County’s timing with the creation of this Department matches perfectly with the US Govt Infrastructure Grants.
The Maui County Dept of Agriculture needs to hire 2 grant writers…this is an opportunity…a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Let’s go for it…
Mahalo,
Bill Greenleaf
Greenleaf Farm
Makawao

Please fully fund the Dept of Agriculture for the 1st year

Aloha Chair Lee and esteemed County Council Members,

My name is Barbara Barry and I am an organic farmer in Ha'iku. I also serve on the Kula Agricultural Park Board. I am not a lobbyist.
I was waiting to testify tonight in person but as it was getting late, I wanted to shorten the list of testifiers this evening.

I was honored to be a part of the citizen focus/task force that reviewed the Department of Agriculture questionnaire answers from the Maui County citizens who took the time to fill it out.
There were many meeting to condense it into the form that was presented to you and I just want to let you know that the process to fund the different needs was arduous and challenging so as not to ask for too much the 1st year but to ensure that there was adequate staffing and support programs for this essential Department to have a strong foundation to build on for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years of the program. We believe our request was bare bones.
Since Maui County is detached from its land masses, the need to support the Department of Agriculture on all islands and in the remote area of Hana will require adequate staffing to be successful.

The Department has a very big job ahead of it and we all eat, so we can see the value of giving this Department the best chance of being successful by increasing the budget to $3 million which is a mere .3% of the massive County budget you are working on. This is very reasonable considering the goal of increasing food security in our Islands and supporting small to medium farmers and our younger farmers who are challenged by lack of affordable land and housing. This will also support emergency food storage in all Maui County Islands and remote locations like Hana, which is crucial for our food security.

I strongly support increasing the budget of the Department of Agriculture to support additional staff positions and funding for professional services.
In order for the Department of Agriculture to be a successful department, it must have sufficient staff to start addressing the needs of the community efficiently.
In addition to the positions outlined in the bare-bones budget for the Department of Agriculture.
I strongly support including the addition of two Grant Writers (funded), two Food Access Coordinator positions (funded) and a Waste and Resource Regeneration Specialist (unfunded) in the Department’s Budget as additions to provide the bare-bones capacity to meet the needs of this Department.
I ask also that the Department of Agriculture budget is increased to allow for professional services that will support the establishment of countywide emergency storage and food centers, emergency food banks in Lānaʻi, Molokai and Hāna, legal assessments of the current agricultural cross-sectors with Federal and State Agencies to negotiate and address agricultural issues, and the development of a streamlined County permitting process for the agricultural sector.
These actions are prudent to a successful start for the Department, will help build trust with our ag sector and help increase food security for our County.

Even with funding the additional positional and professional service, including making changes to fringe benefits, equipment, travel and mileage to accommodate for the additional positions will still allow the total funding for the Department to be less than $3 million dollars.

I respectfully ask that you support Councilmember Sinenci's Countywide budget priorities #1 & 2 and increase the budget of the Department of Agriculture to support the addition of these positions and professional services. This funding will be crucial to the success of the Department of Agriculture. An investment in this Department’s success is an investment in the success of Maui County’s farmers and ranchers.

Please help us when we need it most. To build a successful Department of Agriculture, it needs a strong foundation which we felt was reflected in the budget request.

Mahalo nui loa for your valuable support, Your hard work on this budget is much appreciated. Tonight's testimony was heartwarming.

Sincerely,
Ms. Barbara Barry
Ha'iku

Maalaea Waste Water Treatment Plant

To whom it concerns:

I write in support to include $9.5 million of funding for a new Ma'alaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility in the 2023 budge as proposed by Kelly King.

If you wish to protect the future of Maui and Ma'laea Bay, this really is a 'no-brainer' and should be ratified and passed as proposed as it would benefit all Mauians.

Curtis Wong
Island Sands 606

Ma'alaea Regional Sewer Treatment Plant on Agenda for April 14 and April 18th, 2022 - Council Meeting - Our Letter of Support!

Dear Maui County Council Members,

I am sorry that I can not be on Maui in person and to attend the Council meetings of April 14 and April 18th, 2022 and am currently on the Mainland. I have owned developed property ( condominiums ) in Ma'alaea for over 38 continuous years. I use to own three condo properties on Hau'oli St. and now being retired and on fixed income my wife and I own two properties.

I have seen the operations of and failings of Sewer Treatment Plants at the Kana'i A Nalu condos where I use to own a unit for 28 years. The old injection well type of plants need to go and this should have been done a long time ago. It is terrible that the condos on Hau'oli St. still have to operate with these old style systems, injection wells and all the damage caused to the Ma'alaea Bay area and the natural ecosystem for the sea life, coral and also shoreline damage.

Our other condo is at Hono Kai Resort and it's STP has started to fail and the complex is in need of a temporary above ground type plant to keep the property up and running.

Collectively, all the properties on Hau'oli St and some of the surrounding sub-divisions homes would be better off and so would our environment to have a Regional Plant that all properties could connect onto.

I request as a long time owner and a taxpayer who pays thousands of dollars each year to Maui County, that the Council supports the investment , I believe it is 9.5 million dollars and move forward with the Regional Project for the Sewer Treatment Plant.

I own units at both Hono Kai Resort and at Island Sands and all of our district friends are also in support of this project. Let's get this started now ! Council Members, State Legislators and many more support this concept and the Regional System. Hopefully our Mayor will also join in to support the plans that are in place and the needed funding to get started.

Thank you for your time. You have two votes of support from my family and we will be listening in to see that the council votes in the affirmative for this funding. Council Member King is in support of this Regional Waste Water Treatment Plant and we request that the rest of the Maui County Council get on board to support her for an Affirmative vote to pass this agenda item.

Respectfully,

Richard and Elizabeth Dobbin
Owner's of Hono Kai and Island Sands condo properties in Ma'alaea, Wailuku, HI 96793

Ma'alaea Wastewater

I support replacing 24 outdated injection wells in Ma'alaea with new cleaner wastewater technology

This project which Councilwoman Kelly King proposes to begin funding, can be further funded by the Federal Infrastructure Bill. Maui Pono will provide land above and away from the ocean so that outdated polluting injection wells will be replaced by technology that will provide cost effective water quality exceeding standards.
Sincerely,
Mark Sheehan
Haiku, Maui
808/283-2158

Maalaea Regional Wastewater Treatment System

Dear County Councilmembers:

I am writing to urge your support of the proposed $9.5 million expenditure to develop a Regional Wastewater Treatment System for the community of Maalaea. This project is urgently needed to protect Maui County citizens and to restore the health of the Maalaea Bay ecosystem. Please vote in favor of this important project. Mahalo for your support. Sincerely, Theodore Roberts

Please include Ma’alaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility in the 2023 budget!

I am a home owner at 300 Hauoli Street ( at Ma’alaea Horbor area). While our current system runs great, due to diligent, patient, proactive management, we need this 2023 funding to insure the wastewater management for our home for the future.

Thank you,

Jean M. Phillips
300 Hauoli St.
Wailuku, HI 96793
(At Ma’alaea Harbor area)

We need a WASTE WATER Treatment Plant in Maalaea

Dear County Clerk:

I live in Maalaea, and have owned at the Milowai since 1993. We desperately need help to get sewage treatment. Running our own injection well system is a terrible burden; any new system will cost millions of dollars to build and then will be very expensive to manage. The current system we have at the Milawai on Hauoli Street is very burdonsome. Not only do we pay to have the system emptied regularly of sludge, but the water has to be constantly monitored. The whole thing is time consuming and expensive. Please help us. This has been a major issue for many years. There are a lot of people staying at Maalaea and those tourist dollars really help the county. Many thanks.

Frank Russo

I support replacing 24 outdated injection wells in Ma'alaea with new cleaner wastewater technology

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Tara Grace
808.870.1006

Funding for Ma'alaea wastewater treating system

Dear members of the Maui County Council,

Can anyone dispute the fact that the environment, particularly the coastal waters, the reefs and marine life, are some of Maui's greatest assets? What would Maui be without these treasures? What would be the impact on the economy of Maui, without this lure that brings so many visitors to the island to enjoy its environment? What higher priority might there be for County governance, than to protect those assets?

Ma'alaea's wastewater problem is a concern for the County, the community and the greater environment which it affects. The opportunity is before you to serve all three constituencies at the same time, by supporting Council Member King's budget amendment to the Maui County Fiscal Year 2023 Budget, to include $9.5 million to construct a decentralized regional wastewater treatment facility for the Ma'alaea community. It's the responsible thing to do and the time is now.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael & Diane Michaelis
150 Hauoli St
Wailuku, HI 96793

Ma’alaea regional plant

I am asking the County Council to include $9.5M in the county budget to build a Ma’alaea regional waste water plant. As an Island Sands owner, and Board member, I would like to see the condos along Hauoli St get off their injection wells and do our part in stopping the polluting of Ma’alaea Bay and help it recover.

Randall Urban
150 Hauoli St
Island Sands 102
Wailuku

Maalaea waste water treatment

Aloha,

We respectfully ask you to allocate $9.5 million to the county budget to build a Maalaea regional waste water treatment facility. This would solve the injection well problems, help our marine environment to recover, and provide irrigation water to replace the fresh water the community buys now for irrigation.

Our family has owned at Maalaea Banyans for over 30 years, and I am currently President of the Maalaea Banyans AOAO. We are working with Maui Green and Beautiful and the Maalaea Village Association to make Maalaea as desirable and ecologically friendly as possible.

We really appreciate your assistance in this matter.

Mahalo nui loa.

John Uhl

New waste water treatment plant needed in Maalaea

Aloha County of Maui,

Maalaea urgently needs its own waste water treatment plant. Thousands of people visit and live in Maalaea. Please make a commitment of $9.5 million to fix the waste water treatment issues.

With Condominiums and the commercial businesses operating their own WWTPs and injection wells for effluent disposal, with no primary treatment, Ma’alaea Bay is being negatively impacted.

Effluent disposal through injection wells is no longer viable or acceptable and is drawing increased scrutiny. It is being phased out, statewide.

We as a community can do better. By improving waste area treatment, we can eliminate the use of injection wells for disposal, provide recycled water for community landscaping needs and/or agriculture, and thereby reduce consumption of Maui’s precious fresh water supplies.

Ma’alaea Bay, a place where humpback whales come to have their babies, is listed by the EPA as an impaired body of water and suffering from severe coral loss. Improving Ma'alaea Bay’s water quality is critical to restoring coral growth. Healthy Coral reefs are essential to protect the community from shoreline erosion.

Please consider this important project to improve Maalaea and the health of the bay.

Mahalo,
Tara & Rob Smith
Owner of units at Hono Kai & Island Sands

Testimonies received from BFED Committee.

Regional Wastewater System

To whom it may concern:

We are so proud to be new condo owners in Maalaea. We purchased a beautiful property in Hono Kai and have been really enjoying hosting visitors in Maui. Our unit is almost 100% booked and provides housing to dozens of visitors to the island every year. Each guest brings thousands of dollars to the Maui economy and they all share the tax burden during their stay. The whole Maalaea area needs a way to treat the water and care for the environment. Please construct a plant and support the Maalaea community and Maui as a whole.

Warm regards,

Dylan and Erin Slatton
Hono Kai C3

Hona Kai Waste Water Plant

To whom it may concern,

I am an owner of unit A14 in Hona Kai at 280 Haouli Street Wailuku. We desperately need to be connected to the HI wastewater system. We need you to include $9.5 million in the County budget for a new Ma'alaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation facility. The Department of Health has already recognized this as a significant issue that needs to be addressed asap. Please please please address this issue in your budget planning.

Thank you

John Cope

Hona Kai Waste Water Plant

To whom it may concern,

I am an owner of unit A14 in Hona Kai at 280 Haouli Street Wailuku. We desperately need to be connected to the HI wastewater system. We need you to include $9.5 million in the County budget for a new Ma'alaea Regional Wastewater Reclamation facility. The Department of Health has already recognized this as a significant issue that needs to be addressed asap. Please please please address this issue in your budget planning.

Thank you

John Cope

RE Polluting Injection Wells

I support replacing 24 outdated injection wells in Ma'alaea with new cleaner wastewater technology
terry mcauliff
Kihei

Support for Maalaea Regional wastewater plant

I would like to provide my support for the $9.5M wastewater treatment plant in Maalae'a. This will help Improve our coastal waters and mitigate the current water pollution.

Mahalo,
Tim VanOver
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Mahalo,
Tim

Maalaea injection wells

I am a condominium owner at 20 Hauoli St. in Maalaea. I would like to ask the Maui County Council to include $9.5 million in the County budget to build a Maalaea regional plant and fix the injection well problem.

Thank you.

Gayle Carter
20 Hauoli St., Unit 213
Wailuku 96793