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Remember those quaint old days when the opening of Kulanihako'i High School and the controversy over its grade-separated crossing were two of the hottest stories in island news?
The Kihei school garnered front-page coverage in this newspaper when it held its first day of classes on Aug. 7. After countless construction delays, bureaucratic stumbles and wrangling, the long-awaited school finally had students and teachers in classrooms. It was the talk of the town for all of about 24 hours.
The next day, Aug. 8, wildfires fueled by winds gusting up to 74 mph decimated Lahaina and nearly did the same to sections of Upcountry and Kihei. At least 98 lives were lost and 2,200 structures destroyed in Lahaina. Twenty homes and more than a thousand acres of forest and pasture burned Upcountry. Kihei dodged a bullet, but just barely. The massive devastation pushed the high school and its crossing as far down the news cycle as stories can get.
The topics are set to make a return this week with the state Department of Education and state Department of Transportation scheduled to provide updates on the mandated crossing during an open house from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the school's cafeteria/multipurpose room. A presentation is set for 5 p.m. and representatives from both the DOE and DOT, as well as project consultants, will be available to answer questions and receive input.
We wish we could say south siders are excited to see what the DOE and DOT have to present. Or even that they are cautiously optimistic. After all the broken promises and attempts to duck out of building the mandated crossing, we get the sense that feelings in Kihei are more in the "guarded" and "wary" range.
A pedestrian overpass appears to be a forgone conclusion. That leaves what it looks like, where it is located, how much it will cost and when it will be completed. Can anyone blame the community for worrying there will be more interminable delays, or that the DOE and DOT will seek to do the bare minimum?
We hope Wednesday's presentation puts all those concerns to rest. All it would take is to meet some very basic goals. First and foremost, design and build something that keeps kids off dangerous Piilani Highway. Not only should students be kept from crossing the highway, they should not be walking or riding along its sides or crossing its narrow bridges. Provide an overpass that is affordable, attractive and situated where it will be used. Build something Kihei can be proud of, not a little-used eyesore that stands as a lasting monument to the frustration and anger that preceded its apathetic construction.
We urge all stakeholders and interested community members to attend Wednesday's meeting. Or to read about it in The Maui News, where the story will probably once again find itself on the front page.