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Plans are slowly evolving for a multimillion-dollar project to reuse and develop the Old Maui High School campus.
Developers envision it as a place for education, environmental businesses and nonprofits, social causes as well as community events, including cultural festivals and workshops.
TEACH Development, a Hawaii limited liability corporation, formed especially for the project, would preserve the historic Hamakuapoko campus and buildings. Those include the administration building, designed by famed architect Charles W. Dickey, said Jason Hobson, the company’s chief development officer.
TEACH stands for technology, education, agriculture, community and health. It was chosen by Mayor Alan Arakawa’s administration through a request-for-proposal process to use the 23-acre property. Currently, it sits vacant with Maui County paying the nonprofit Friends of Old Maui High School from $65,000 to $100,000 annually to maintain and to do repairs on the campus established in 1913.
The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development sought proposals for the property and reviewed them.
Teena Rasmussen, director of the office, said that over the years many nonprofits and groups had wanted to relocate to the campus, including the Friends of Old Maui High, which wanted to preserve and develop the campus. But none had enough money to do the necessary work, such as install a septic system for wastewater treatment and re-establish water service with enough water pressure for fire protection.
But the for-profit TEACH has the ability to take the project on, and this may be the campus’ best chance to be preserved and used by the community, Rasmussen said.
Hobson said it’s too early to estimate a project completion date because studies still need to be done and permits obtained. The same goes for the project costs, although estimates put it at around $40 million to $50 million.
And, there are community concerns about the project.
During a meeting Friday of the Maui County Council, testifiers raised questions about increased traffic on Hana Highway near Hookipa Beach Park and Holomua Road, which leads to the school campus. People also were upset over what they said was a lack of community input and outreach.
Some were concerned about TEACH asking for various “contributions” from Maui County, including road improvements, historic tax credits, low-interest loans and expedited entitlements, licenses and permitting – among other things.
TEACH officials said they would not solicit project funding from the county.
Later, the council took up a resolution to allow the county to enter into leases with TEACH Development for the campus. Lease terms are for $1 per year for 60 years. The matter was referred back to the council Economic Development, Energy, Agriculture and Recreation Committee for further review, said committee Chairman Don Guzman.
“Although the TEACH Development proposal was strongly supported by the county’s Office of Economic Development and appeared to have a lot of support at the August meetings of the (committee), some permitting and financing issues have arisen that remain to be resolved,” Guzman said in an email statement Tuesday.
On Monday, Hobson said he understood why the leases were referred back to the committee. However, he noted that there had been much opportunity for public review of the project. The request for proposals on the project was issued in late 2014, and there were two council committee meetings over the last 18 months, which “have been very public,” he said.
Still in the end, “additional public comment and input will ultimately make the project stronger,” Hobson said.
He added that the Friends of Old Maui High School board has thrown its support behind project plans because TEACH carries out the group’s master plan from 2007. That plan was prepared by Chris Hart & Partners after several years of community engagement and local focus groups.
Regarding traffic concerns, Hobson said that before any new development can be undertaken at the site, a full environmental assessment is required. That includes traffic studies and the environmental impacts of the development, he said, and those have not been done.
He added that once the lease is approved, there would be a six-month site investigation period to perform soil and water testing, to review and assess existing infrastructure and buildings, and to engage the community.
The TEACH Center would feature technological advancement, including in agriculture, water, energy, bio-energetic soil remediation, food systems and biomaterials, which would help farmers, food entrepreneurs and inventors, Hobson said.
The center would be a collaboration of local nonprofits and businesses, he added.
It would feature jobs, education and training in renewable energy, energy efficiency, construction, teaching, health, permaculture, agriculture and water technology, according to information provided to the council.
The historic campus would be preserved and educational activities and working space would be incorporated into the existing buildings. The administration building would host the Patsy T. Mink Alumni Reception Center and the museum for Friends of Old Maui High School archives, Hobson said. Mink, the trailblazing late congresswoman, graduated from the school. She was class valedictorian in 1944.
Regarding water issues, Hobson said wells would need to be drilled at the site, and the project’s water system would be designed to implement a state-of-the-art catchment, treatment, recycling and reuse system to showcase the responsible handling of the water.
Water pressure would be an issue if the project were to connect to the county water system, he said. The nearest county connection is on Hana Highway, a mile away.
According to TEACH, its early developments would be self-funded with private equity. Other sources of funding for future projects would include tax credits, private- and public-insured loans, project-specific partners and grants and sponsors.
TEACH owners and officers are residents from Maui, Oahu and the Mainland, Hobson said. It would be expanded to include more Maui residents and businesses.
Hobson, a Maui resident, is a developer of affordable housing and is an attorney specializing in public-private partnerships, energy efficiency financial historic tax credit and finance.
The project architect is Oahu resident Glenn Mason, who has done projects in Maui County.
Mark Chasan, the chief executive officer, is an internet entrepreneur involved in renewable energy development and financing. In 1995, he formed Emusic, which was the first online retailer that offered downloadable music files, according to his blog.
Rasmussen said her office received three proposals for the campus, one was incomplete and could not be considered. One was for a new charter school, but there wasn’t evidence of financial capability, she said.
TEACH had a strong management and financial team, detailed business plan and had an expert in historic preservation on the team. It also acknowledged all the infrastructure problems and offered solutions. She said TEACH was picked because it fit with the executive order from the state that the property be used for education, social services and/or agriculture.
In 2010, the executive order put the property under Maui County’s jurisdiction instead of the state.
Rasmussen said TEACH has asked “very little” of the county in return. It has asked for Holomua Road to be repaved from Hana Highway to Baldwin Avenue and sought a tax abatement for five years on the property, she said.
The county would benefit immediately because the annual grant to Friends of Old Maui High would no longer be needed to maintain the property, she said.
“This grand and historic campus deserves to be a vibrant and dynamic place again where ideas are born and challenged, projects are developed and launched, and people are inspired by the possibilities of cross-cultural collaboration and innovation,” Rasmussen said.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.