×

MFD working on planning, design of Haiku fire station

Chief: Project could be completed in 2026 in ‘best-case scenario’

Haiku Association President Lucienne de Naie (from left) introduces guest speakers Ike Duru, Maui County Mayor’s Office representative; Maui Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura; and Maui County Council Member Nohe U‘u-Hodgins during the association’s meeting last week at the Haiku Community Center. There, Ventura shared updates on the long-stalled fire station for the area. — The Maui News / DAKOTA GROSSMAN photo

HAIKU — The Maui Fire Department hopes to finalize funding for a Haiku fire station by 2025 and have it operable by around 2026 in a “best-case scenario” for the long-stalled project, Fire Chief Brad Ventura said.

The department is in the planning, design and zoning phase to establish a new state-of-the-art fire station on a portion of a county-owned, nearly 28-acre property located near the corner of Hana Highway and East Kuiaha Road across from the Valley Isle Memorial Park. The site was previously a mushroom farm.

Plans for a Haiku fire station have been years in the making, Ventura said during a Haiku Community Association meeting last week at the Haiku Community Center.

In 2007, the county purchased the parcel with the intent of building a fire station on an approximately 6-acre site.

The nearest fire services for the Haiku, Peahi and Pauwela area are the Paia and Makawao Fire Stations, which are located about 6 and 8 miles from the proposed site, respectively. These stations are considered undersized for serving the increasing need, according to the project’s environmental assessment.

A map from the project’s environmental assessment shows the proposed location of the Haiku Fire Station near Valley Isle Memorial Park. — Munekiyo Hiraga graphic

The project, which was rekindled in recent years, previously received pushback from Haiku community members who were concerned about the location and some of the proposed project features, including wind turbines, a helipad, and a storage structure, planners said at a community meeting in 2021.

In hearing the community’s concerns, Ventura said last week that planners have removed much of the high-profile structures from the property’s design, such as the off-site windmills, helicopter landing pad and towers.

“One of the biggest challenges of this project that I’ve heard, because I haven’t been involved the whole time, is basically opposition,” said Ventura, who was appointed chief in 2021 after 19 years of service with the department. “Opposition always slows things down. We do want to include people, talk to people and show people what we want to do out there. … I think we’ve done a lot of the changes to the property to kind of reduce the profile and have it blend in a little more over there versus having it be a large sore thumb.”

The apparatus bay where the fire trucks would park is the highest structure left on the property, Ventura said, adding that the neighboring structures will be much “lower profile” office buildings, a housing area and a kitchen. According to the environmental assessment, none of the structures on site will exceed 30 feet.

There will be two water meters for domestic needs and a 40,000-gallon, 7-foot-tall water tank for fire professional uses, Ventura said.

The projected costs to build the fire station have increased over the years but ultimately will be determined by “what we design there,” Ventura said. The department anticipates the funding to finalize by June 2025 and then construction can commence thereafter.

The fire station is roughly estimated to be done and operable by 2026.

“This is the best-case scenario timeline that the consultants were able to provide us, so that I could share with you our hopes for this project,” he said.

In the near future, MFD is working with county departments to obtain funding for the next fiscal year to demolish old long-standing structures on the property and remove abandoned vehicles that attract “less-than-desirable activity.”

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
     
Support Local Journalism on Maui

Only $99/year

Subscribe Today