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The State of Aloha

The oceanside entrance to Old Maui High School starts at the intersection of Holomua Road and Hana Highway between Hookipa Beach Park and Kuau. From the highway it is another unassuming T-shaped intersection on the north shore. If you aren’t paying attention because you’re checking out the waves or if you’re zoning out, you’ll cruise right past it.

But once you turn up Holomua Road, it changes. The road is girdled with old trees that have grown so tall that their branches have spread across the road and have created a dark and shady sylvan tunnel for nearly a mile and a half. Between the trees you can still see the vast cane fields that carpet Maui from Kihei to Maliko Gulch. Holomua crosses old, decaying concrete bridges and intersects with beat-up cane roads. Then the trees come to an abrupt end. On the other side of the tunnel, there’s a clearing and you have arrived at Old Maui High.

Any local will tell you that Old Maui High is a special place. First of all, it’s an architectural treasure. The frontal facade and the tall arches are the work of Maui’s own Charles W. Dickey, a famous architect.

The school opened in 1913. For many children of plantation workers, this was the final stop in their formal education. Many didn’t make it that far and had already entered the workforce. Those that stayed on in high school joined social clubs and sports teams. They earned a diploma and a few moved on to college. Others entered a trade.

Kahului Railroad even created a train route for students. It started in town and moved east, picking up students along the way. Then it continued east to gather kids from Haiku, Kuiaha and Pauwela. A few students rode horses to school.

Old Maui High School alumni were the movers and shakers in the early days of statehood. Elmer Cravalho and Hannibal Tavares graduated at that campus. Perhaps the most famous alum is Patsy Takemoto Mink, our congresswoman and liberal firebrand for decades.

The school held classes there from 1913 to 1972, when the new campus opened up in Kahului. After that, the campus fell silent for decades. Weeds, vandalism and neglect took their toll on the buildings.

But volunteers and concerned alumni formed the Friends of the Old Maui High School in 2004. The group was committed to bringing the campus back to life in some form or another. It started with a cleanup. The weeds and graffiti are gone now and today the campus looks fantastic. A fire in 2001 burned away the roof of the main building and now it stands like a wonderful ruin.

More than five years ago, the state turned the property over to the county, which is paying the nonprofit group to maintain and repair the campus. With all that effort and energy into revitalizing the grounds the question remains: What do we do with it?

It’s a tough one to answer. The campus is dear to many people’s hearts. It’s a part of Maui’s modern political history and still looms large in the personal histories of local families.

Perhaps that’s why so many people were sensitive and outraged at the county when it offered a very reasonable 60-year lease at $1 a year to a company associated with California lawyers.

TEACH Development wants to work with the county and the state to convert Old Maui High School into something new. The only problem is that it’s still a little unclear what that something is.

Back in 2014, the county was supposed to grant the lease but action was deferred. At a meeting held in the Paia Community Center earlier this month, TEACH wanted to reach out to folks to share its vision for Old Maui High.

It wants to create a place that promotes wellness, a sustainable environment and education. That meant conference rooms, some farms, youth camps, a museum and a restaurant.

But folks were skeptical. Hundreds showed up to air their grievances against TEACH. Many worry that TEACH is just shibai for developing a new commercial space in an idyllic location. The fears raised at the meeting that night were not unreasonable. What will happen to the already frustrating traffic situation coming in and out of Paia? What exactly is TEACH going to teach?

The future is uncertain for TEACH at Old Maui High. It’s still waiting for that lease from the county — the County Council has yet to act — and the nerve struck this month may mean more protesting and anger.

So maybe TEACH is too vague for residents to comprehend or get behind. Maybe Old Maui High shouldn’t be a wellness center with conference rooms and a restaurant. But if not that, then what should we do with it?

* Ben Lowenthal is a trial and appellate lawyer who grew up on Maui. His email is 808stateofaloha@gmail.com. “The State of Aloha” alternates Fridays with Sarah Ruppenthal’s “Neighbors.”

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