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Letters to the Editor

Tax incentive misses mark for transient rentals

The mayor’s plan does not take into account the many housing units which were recently reclassified as short-term vacation rentals even though they are in fact not STVRs. The current property taxes on a typical two-bedroom condo in Maalaea are currently around $12,000 to $13,000 per year, even if it’s never rented out. If “shared sacrifice is necessary at this time,” perhaps those property owners classified as residents who pay less than $1,000 per year in property taxes should participate in the sacrifice. Frank Pace Maalaea

Why not mobile homes for temporary housing?

Been reading your many articles on the temporary housing problems for the victims of the Lahaina fire.  Across the USA, when a natural disaster affects a certain area, causing a need for short-term housing, FEMA has brought in mobile homes for the victims.   These mobile homes can be placed on their property and provide them a sense of community. Have not seen this option mentioned once.  A mobile home can accommodate a family and provide more space than a small, short-term condominium.  They are easily assembled and can be placed on cargo ships from the mainland.  ...

Build above Kahana instead of rebuilding Lahaina homes

If I was in charge of restoring Lahaina homes, I would get control of about 3,000 acres of land above Kahana and create 2,000 one-acre lots. I would offer these lots to anyone who has a burned-up lot in trade for theirs. There are thousands of unused vacant acres of land above the highway that would be ideal for new homesteads. Allow two homes per acre lot and use septic systems with leach fields for each house. The bulldozers can start right away making roads and trenches for water and electric lines. I think this can be started much quicker than trying to detox Lahaina ...

Toxic fire waste would be left to leak wherever it lands

Regarding the toxic waste pollution from the Lahaina disaster reminded me of something I read recently. Looking at the Central Maui landfill reinforces the same thought. There is no place to throw away. Throwing things away might remove them from under your sink, yard and so on, but I have watched that pile in Puunene grow into two huge piles now. I’m old enough to remember the popular song about the Makawao dump which is now a subdivision. Bottles and cans, old pots and pans. Rummaging around the dumps seems to have been outlawed when they were consolidated in ...

The power of community

In this season of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to the countless organizations and individuals who have stepped up to help the hungry in Maui County. In the face of adversity, the true character of a community emerges, and nowhere is this more evident than here on Maui in the wake of the devastating wildfires. The outpouring of support and generosity has brought to light the incredible impact that collective gratitude can have on a community in need. Before the fires, the statistics painted a stark reality: one in 10 people were food insecure in Maui County, with an alarming one in four ...

Disputes now settled with weapons, not fists

When I was growing up many years ago, if you had dispute with someone, it was settled outside. The famous saying was you like go outside. Today, the saying you like beef or you like throw is not the same. If the guy is twice the size of you and threatening you, I can understand the use of weapons. Many disputes today are settled with knives and guns, not settled with fists. Years ago, I was on a job site and two guys had a dispute and they ended up settling the dispute outside. People on the job site stopped working and everybody watched the beef. The supervisor was not ...