Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most recently asked questions submitted to his office staff.
Aloha Mayor:
Q: Does a marijuana dispensary need to be registered with the County?
A: No, the County is not involved. Hawaii’s “Medical Use of Marijuana” program is administered by the State Department of Health (DOH). Thus, DOH is the authority that issues and enforces the dispensary law. You can visit the DOH website to read more about the medical marijuana program at http://health.hawaii.gov/medicalmarijuana/.
Dear Mayor Arakawa:
Q: Was a proper County permit approved and obtained for the recent construction of a chain link fence with barbed wire and a plywood structure inside the fence at the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission’s property located in the 2900 block of South Kihei Road? Also, is there anything that can be done to improve the appearance of this property, which has become an eyesore in the middle of a very nice residential and tourist area of Maui?
A: Yes, the Kaho‘olawe Island Reserve Commission (KIRC) received a Special Management Area (SMA) exemption for its “Mahina‘ai Nights” events, which are scheduled to occur on or around each full moon. This program is intended to introduce our residents and visitors to the work that the KIRC is doing, as most people do not have the opportunity to visit Kaho‘olawe to see this work for themselves. The first Mahina‘ai Nights were held on May 9 and June 2. The fencing is needed for these events (and their related supplies and equipment) to be kept secure; the structure is also used in support of these events. As these events are just beginning, the site will continue to be improved over time. And yes, the public is invited to participate in the volunteer work days that KIRC hosts at the Kihei site on the last Friday of each month– that would be a great opportunity to help improve the appearance of this area. More information can be found at www.kahoolawe.hawaii.gov.
Dear Mayor:
Q: Over a year ago our street, Hololani Street in Pukalani, was partially paved and speed bumps installed. However, the project appeared to have run out of money (?) halfway through and signs were installed reading “BUMP” where there are none, with half the road still unpaved. Hololani Street is a main street to access south Pukalani and I am wondering when the rest of the street will be paved and speed bumps installed.
A: You’re right, that’s exactly what happened, but the reason may not be what you expect. The paving was halted because the contractor ran into problems with the underlying subgrade material of the roadway: a highly saturated cinder material that was not suitable to support the new asphalt pavement layer. A change order was put in to use a geotextile liner to completely reconstruct the pavement, rather than just resurfacing the road, which was much more expensive than the original cost that the project was funded for. Core samples have been taken to determine the required treatment for the remainder of the road, and construction will resume once the test results are completed and funding is appropriated. Our Public Works department is also in the process of hiring a geotechnical engineer to take pavement core samples of various Pukalani Terrace subdivision streets, which need quite a bit of resurfacing work. The core samples will help our engineers assess the underlying material and hopefully avoid any other surprises like this one. I would like to thank the Hololani Street residents for their patience while having to deal with such a major inconvenience.
Want to Ask the Mayor?
Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email: AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, phone: 270-7855 or mail: 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.