Planning for old school, community on Saturday
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Outlining more fully the role and place a restored old Kaupo School could have in the remote southeast Maui community and possible grass-roots community planning efforts will be discussed at a meeting Saturday called by the Kaupo Community Association.
The association has secured $1.1 million for the restoration of the two-room classroom and teacher cottage built in 1922-23, according to association member Jonathan Starr and the Historic Hawai'i Foundation.
Starr said Wednesday that the largest chunk of funds, $975,000 from the state Legislature, will be available soon when permits are ready. The association also received a $70,000 Freeman Grant from the Historic Hawai'i Foundation for historically correct doors and windows, $30,000 from the Maui County Office of Economic Development for design drawings and another $25,000 from community donations.
The goal of the project is to make the buildings, which are currently unsafe and propped up, look as close as possible to the way they appeared in 1923, but much stronger to meet current building codes and to be handicap-accessible.
The buildings will be a place for community and local family events, public meetings, health and cultural classes, and a showcase for historic photos and artifacts of Kaupo history, Starr said.
But the school, which was a center of the community until it closed in the 1960s, could be more, possibly an infrastructure hub. There is talk of building a water storage tank, wastewater and photovoltaic systems and having refrigeration and internet access.
Starr also sees the old school as a shelter and command post for flooding, brush fires and earthquakes, events that have at times cut off Kaupo from the rest of the island.
Many properties in the community of about 100 full-time residents are off-the-grid and fewer than 20 families have water meters on the system managed by the county Department of Water Supply and Kaupo Ranch, Starr said. The "Kaupo Rule" prevents the issuance of new meters and has stemmed development while also preventing families from getting water.
Funds for these infrastructure hub projects are not funded yet but work is ongoing on planning and fundraising, he said.
"This is a first discussion as part of programming for the community center as well as the community itself," Starr said about Saturday's meeting. He observed the diverse community of "people from all sides of society . . . getting more cohesive" around the historic restoration of the school. "We thought the next step is to ask people . . . what they want Kaupo to look like," he said.
Starr said he often hears residents say they do not want to see Kaupo change, adding that "a lot of people love it as it is." But places do change, so this planning process aims to assure that the changes that do come are not by chance.
Starr noted that a lot of the land in the area is owned by Kaupo Ranch, which has been supportive of the way of life in the village, but he wonders whether future leaders of the ranch will have the same view.
Linda Clark, president of the community association, asked: "How can we as a community ensure that this unique place will be preserved for current and future generations? How do we ensure our natural and cultural resources will remain intact for those yet unborn to enjoy and gain sustenance from? How do we protect the rural subsistence lifestyle we rely on?
"At a pivotal moment in time, we have the opportunity to come together as a community to define our shared hopes and dreams: to identify our needs and concerns, work toward innovative, collaborative solutions and to celebrate our assets and build upon our individual and collective strengths."
Major issues among residents center on the quality of the road and accessibility to the community during brush fires and flooding, the growing number of tourists driving on those dusty roads, outsiders spearfishing off the coast where residents get their food, and hunting, Starr said.
There is no budget for planners, said Starr. He is not sure if there will be a planning document created at the end.
"We are doing it ourselves . . . mirroring how we have seen it done professionally," he said. "Honestly, we are not professionals, but we love this place so much.
"We don't know how this will turn out."
Calling the process "community planning at the grass-roots level," Starr said Kaupo is "trying to be a model for a small rural community in Hawaii . . . that is trying to pull itself together and trying to control its future."
The meeting will be held on the old Kaupo School grounds beginning at 10 a.m. Kaupo residents, descendants and property owners are encouraged to participate. There will be an Easter egg hunt following the meeting and a potluck.
* Lee Imada can be reached at leeimada@mauinews.com.