Recently, Mayor Richard Bissen informed a Maui County Council committee that the site selected to hold debris from last year’s Lahaina fire will not store it permanently.

Instead, the debris will be at the Olowalu site only until a permanent spot is identified and a landfill built there.

As someone who was born and raised in Lahaina, (Lahainaluna, Class of 1958), I do not believe a permanent site to hold the toxic materials can be found and built on Maui.

East Maui’s mountainous terrain and its lack of adequate infrastructure removes it from consideration as a permanent landfill area.

On the other hand, I don’t believe anyone would support building the permanent site for the toxic debris in West Maui where the disastrous fire killed 100 people and destroyed thousands of homes and businesses.

Central Maui has become off limits for the toxic landfill since there are currently housing subdivisions that have been built or are being built in Waihee, Waiehu, Wailuku, Waikapu and Kahului.

Mayor Bissen, if a permanent site for the toxic materials cannot be found on Maui, what is your fallback plan? As a starter, I respectfully request that you form an ad hoc committee that will quickly comb Maui to see if there are, in fact, any locations on Maui to develop a site for the toxic materials.

William T. Kinaka

Wailuku