A bill about the demolition and debris removal related to the historic Lahaina Library and the Spring House is in a bill being presented to the Maui County Council. This photograph shows the Spring House after the Lahaina wildfire. Photo courtesy of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation

A bill related to the demolition of the historic Lahaina Library and Spring House that was ravaged by the 2024 Lahaina wildfire is on the Maui County Council’s agenda for Friday.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. at the County Building, 100 High St. If approved, the bill would allow Mayor Richard Bissen to enter into an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Historic Preservation officer regarding the demolition of the library and Spring House.

The purpose of the agreement is for the debris removal and storage of stone artifacts found in the library and Spring House wall system, said Kaponoai Molitau, the county’s director of Oiwi Resources.

“Timely adoption is crucial to meeting a January 2025 deadline due to debris removal federal funding,” Molitau said.

The Historic Hawaii Foundation has recommended preserving and reconstructing the Spring House. Foundation Executive Director Kiersten Faukner said the recommendation was made in July with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Faulkner said the Spring House was among the few remaining structures from the early missionary and whaling period in Lahaina.

“It’s really important,” Faulkner said of the building’s history.

The Spring House was built in 1823 by the Rev. William Richards, according to the Historic Hawaii Foundation. About 20 by 40 feet, the structure protected a well that provided fresh water to the Richards’ residence, the town and whaling ships that docked in Lahaina.

The Rev. Richards arrived in Hawaii in 1823 as part of the second company of missionaries and with the support of Keōpūolani, the wife of Kamehameha I.

He was the first pastor of Wailoa Church and a co-founder of the Lahaina Seminary established in 1831, the institution that taught royalty and also trained native scholars such as David Malo, John Papa I’i and Samuel Kamakau.

Built in 1956 on a former royal taro patch of King Kamehameha III, the Lahaina Library is within walking distance of the site that housed King Kamehameha III Elementary School.

It was the only state public library in West Maui.

Return of the fair?

The agenda for Friday’s meeting also includes a time-sensitive bill related to the Lanai Community Plan and a measure related to the possible return of the Maui Fair.

One of the bills would amend the fiscal 2025 budget for the county. According to documentation regarding the bill, the purpose of the bill is to amend the budget to increase carryover and savings in the general fund and total estimated revenues by $1.5 million and add a new appropriation for the Festivals of Aloha for the 2025 Maui County Fair in the same amount. It also aims to increase both total capital improvement project appropriations and total appropriations by $1,500,000.

According to a letter from the Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen’s office, in the fall of last year, the administration began discussions with the nonprofit Festivals of Aloha to potentially hold the Maui Fair in fall 2025.

The letter says preparation, planning and operational expenses will be needed soon, “so the administration requests that the council consider this matter as soon as possible. These funds will be used for a variety of costs related to the Maui County Fair, including transportation, entertainment and agricultural exhibitions.”

Other business and appointments

In addition to the historic Lahaina Library and Spring House and Maui County Fair, council members are expected to discuss a wide range of bills and resolutions following their inauguration and committee appointments on Jan 2.

Also on the agenda for Friday is a resolution applauding Maui County’s health care workers’ approval of a new contract following labor dispute with Maui Health.

Earlier in January, council members were honored during an inauguration ceremony, followed by a meeting to vote on committee chairs and discuss other issues. During the meeting there were a few changes, such as a change in leadership in the Housing and Land Use Committee with Makawao-Haʻikū-Pāʻia representative Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins taking over as vice chair of the committee, replacing South Maui representative Tom Cook, and a change of name for the Efficiency Solutions and Circular Systems to Komike Aloha ʻĀina.

The 2025-2027 committees and chairs are as follows: Chair of the Agriculture, Diversification, Environment, and Public Transportation Committee is Lanai Council Member Gabe Johnson; Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee Chair is Upcountry representative Yuki Lei K. Sugimura; West Maui Council Member Tamara Paltin is the chair of the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee; Uʻu-Hodgins will be the chair of the Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee; Kahului Council Member Tasha Kama will chair the Housing and Land Use Committee; Molokai representative Keani N.W. Rawlins-Fernandez will chair Kōmike Aloha ʻĀina; Cook is the chair of the Water and Infrastructure Committee; and East Maui representative Shane M. Sinenci will chair the Water Authority, Social Services, and Parks Committee.

For more, visit MauiCounty.us/council-meetings.