$40M funding supplement for Wailuku center clears a hurdle

Cochran calls for hearing to be set to gather more public testimony

Bills to increase the appropriation for the Wailuku civic complex by $40 million passed the first of two required readings Thursday, although a public hearing will be held on the measures before final action is taken by the Maui County Council.

Council members voted 6-3 to increase the appropriation for the complex project, including parking and infrastructure improvements, in Wailuku town. Dissenting council members were Kelly King, Alika Atay and Elle Cochran.

The bill does not authorize the bond or release the funding.

This past spring, the council set aside $44 million for the first phase of the civic center hub, which includes major infrastructure upgrades in Wailuku town. The project will replace the Wailuku municipal parking lot with a multistory parking structure and a three-story building for retail stores, county offices and room for special events.

Before the vote, Cochran requested that a public hearing be held in Wailuku for council members to hear more from the public. Cochran alluded to testifiers at Tuesday's full council meeting who complained about the cost, questioned the urgency to appropriate more funding and wanted more project information.

Because Cochran garnered support from two other members for the hearing, Council Chairman Mike White said he would schedule the matter before final action is taken, which is a second-and-final reading on the bill.

As of late Thursday afternoon, no public hearing had been scheduled, according to White's office.

Thursday's meeting was a carryover from Tuesday's full council meeting, which was recessed following an all-day session in Council Chambers. Nearly 50 people testified. Council members finally began the meeting agenda Thursday morning and finished around 5 p.m.

King said she was waiting to see more data on the civic center complex project and said its final sketches have not been presented yet.

Council Member Riki Hokama said that, for him, the project began in 1985.

And, in the past, various plans for a single parking structure have failed.

"We rejected it. We wanted more out of this project," Hokama said.

So, support had been garnered for the latest plans. Those include a plaza, parking and other community spaces, along with infrastructure upgrades.

Hokama said he wants to get the appropriation going to take advantage of available construction labor and give project designers an idea of what type of funding it could receive. He has said the additional funding would make way for the project "to go vertical."

Hokama said the project "takes into account vision and guts to move forward."

"I'm tired of spinning on dimes. This is where we are spinning and spinning. This county cannot go backward," he said.

But Cochran said that the council approved the first half of the money for infrastructure upgrades, which she supported.

She added that testifiers have been saying they wanted more discussion and "more insight and clarification" on what the other $40 million would be spent on.

Atay said he was concerned that the council would establish a debt for future generations.

"We are making decisions that is going to be a bill for 30 years," he said, adding that the community is looking for affordable housing.

"So, I would say that is not only about Wailuku business people speaking. It's about Maui County people speaking," Atay said in advocating for the hearing.

On Tuesday, a number of testifiers advocated for the project, especially Wailuku business owners and landowners. They said parking is needed, and the complex would revitalize and bring other businesses to the area, even if that means dealing with construction in the meantime.

Multiple meetings about the proposed complex have been held for more than a year with business people and members of the public.

But community members remained concerned about the additional $40 million, and how it could be spent. Some said the project seemed out of place in Wailuku.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.