$67K Awarded in First Round of Maui Small Town Planning Grants

The town of Waiehu on Maui is one of the communities that will benefit from the first round of small town planning grants issued by the County Planning Department. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Four projects on Maui were named as recipients for funds in the first round of county grants for small town planning.

The Planning Department issued the new “small town planning” grants for landscaping and signage for Makawao Town; road closures associated with the Second Friday in Lahaina Town Parties; to commemorate the completion of museum and waterfront projects in Historic Lahaina Town; and planning workshops for the Waiehu-Waihee community.

A total of $243,000 was budgeted for FY13 for projects that provide direct benefits to one of Maui County’s small towns, which have been identified as: Haiku, Hana, Kaunakakai, Keokea-Waiakoa, Lahaina, Lanai City, Makawao, Paia, Waihee, Waikapu and Wailuku.

The department requested that grants be kept in the range of $22,000 each, to provide each town with an equal chance at awards. Details of the initial award allocations are as follows:

• $22,000 – Makawao Community Association and the Makawao Merchants’ Association: to fund Makawao Town improvements including the purchase of benches, trash and recycling receptacles, gateway landscaping and gateway signs.
• $5,000 – Lahaina Town Action Committee: to secure block closures for several upcoming Second Friday in Lahaina Town parties.  If these closures are successful, then private sources will fund them for future events.
• $18,000 – Lahaina Restoration Foundation: will fund the Experience Historic Lahaina weekend event to commemorate the completion of two community-based planning projects – the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Museum and Orientation Center at the Old Lahaina Courthouse and the IMAGINE waterfront project.
• $22,000 – Waiehu Kou Phase 3 Association: for two planning and design workshops for the Waiehu-Waihee community that will result in a conceptual land use plan and rendering for active recreational uses including trails, bike paths, community garden, gathering place and community pavilion.

In addition to the funding announcement, Planning Dept. officials also set a March 14, 2013, deadline for applications to be submitted for the second round of grant awards. If any funding remains after the second-round awards, a third round will be open to any eligible town.

The following towns are eligible for second-round awards, because they did not receive awards in the first round: Haiku, Hana, Kaunakakai, Keokea-Waiakoa, Lanai City, Paia, Waikapu and Wailuku.

“Maui County is dedicated to preserving our island’s heritage, one small town at a time,” said Mayor Alan Arakawa in a media statement today. “These are good projects for our communities and I am sure there will be more to come in the future.”

Under the Request For Proposal guidelines, projects must meet several criteria including providing the following: direct benefit to the town, collaboration and community engagement, accountability of the applicant, project “ripeness,” proposed budget, manageable term and scope, and outreach.

The RFP and application form are available through the County’s website at www.mauicounty.gov/planning; under Hot Topics, select Small Town Planning Grants.

***Supporting information courtesy: County of Maui.