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Lahaina Harbor needs to be rebuilt quickly, vessel owners say

Vessel owners want Maui County and state to move quickly in restoring ocean passenger business at Lahaina Harbor following the August 2023 wildfires that destroyed much of the town. Photo courtesy Maui County

Under a plan presented by Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, Lahaina Harbor is to be restored within three to five years at an estimated cost of $30 million.

However, some fishing vessel owners want the state and county to put the harbor toward the top of the list, noting that it generates income and employment.

“It should be higher up in priority,” said Jeff Kahl, a fishing boat operator and organizer of the annual Halloween Shootout billfish tournament.

Kahl said Lahaina Harbor is one of the highest grossing small boat harbors in the nation.

“It’s really disappointing,” he said of the absence of harbor activity. “I have a lot of friends that are out of work.”

Lahaina is entering the high season for whale watching, and David Hudson, a vessel owner and former state harbor agent, said enough of the debris in the harbor has been removed so that, during an emergency, a dozen boats found safe harbor from a hurricane earlier this year.

According to Hudson, more than 100 people were employed at the harbor, and he’s waiting on passengers being able to use its loading and unloading dock again.

“With that, you can put half of the people back to work in the harbor,” Hudson said.

Officials with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said they hope to have the loading dock reopened for loading and unloading passengers once Maui County allows for access into the area.

However, Maui County Deputy Director of communications Lois Whitney said that, according to the county and partnering agencies, Front Street is still not safe.

Whitney said the county is coordinating with numerous partners including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite the completion of several critical projects such as rebuilding the seawall, shoring up of historic buildings, resurfacing roads, reconstructing water lines and removing sea pilings from the shoreline.

Vessel and property owners say they’ve been using Front Street to access their properties via security checkpoints including driving past the Front Street area in front of the harbor and haven’t had problems. Hudson said the county might be able to provide a harbor passenger shuttle and a place to park at the Pioneer Mill Smokestack.

Announced Monday by Mayor Bissen and available at mauirecovers.org, the long-term recovery plan details 40 projects important to the recovery effort from the August 2023 wildfires.

The Lahaina Harbor projects include multiple phases in restoring the recreational and commercial activity including replacing front row piers and a dinghy dock where boats are tied in their slips, reconstructing the inner and outer marginal wharfs, and replacing mooring anchor blocks and steel and concrete piles, as well as repairing water system leaks.

According to the plan, the project consists of work in water, requiring careful environmental permitting and review.

According to county officials, demolition began this fall, and reconstruction is anticipated to be complete by September 2026.

The state said that reopening the entire harbor will depend on funding from capital improvement funds from the state legislature, special fund revenues, the federal highways emergency relief fund and possibly insurance.

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