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Why are sports permits for parks taking so long?

Why, when Maui District Department of Health has trained public health personnel, are they not the major consult for parks permits to develop re-opening COVID-19 protocols for sports? Instead Maui relies on untrained permit clerks to make up new requirements based on their non-covid “expertise,” slowing down a permit process already fraught with delays and problems.

Why, when permits already take a long time, and their software is clunky at best, are permit clerks allowing contact sports and distance paddlers (paddling, soccer, outdoor-basketball, baseball and now senior baseball so the mayor can play) with rules that may or may not be required, and at the same time they ignore sports they’re not familiar with (e.g. swimming and diving) and they don’t contact swim teams, dive teams nor Maui District DOH for help?

Why, when Maui’s youth are climbing the walls, don’t we find special help for Little League Baseball to get their permits in order now?

Why, when protocols for swimming and diving based on national standards were sent to the mayor, parks and permits on May 10, has nobody been contacted while the mayor says “be patient, working on it” for three weeks now?

Why, even in normal times, does it take four months to review permit requests for sports?

Is a bureaucratic barrier behind mirrored walls that doesn’t respond to emails and phone calls the best way to encourage Maui youth sports? Or would reaching out to partner with all sports be better?

Malcolm Cooper

Makawao

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