Ask the Mayor: Why Kihei Police Station Doesn’t Use Solar

The mayor answers questions from the public in this series.

By Mayor Alan Arakawa

Mayor Arakawa opens the new Kihei Police Station with Chief Yabuta, former Deputy Chief Hudson and Councilwoman Baisa. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Q: Just thought I’d drop you a line from Starbucks on Dairy Road, where I’m waiting for Tires Warehouse to replace the tire that was literally ripped apart on Hansen Road this afternoon. It stranded me in cane field pullout, and took hours before I could get my car towed for repair, where all of this will cost me around $300 to fix with a new tire, etc. I Cannot BELIEVE Hansen isn’t on the list to fix this year. What gives?

A: Sorry to hear about what happened. One of my staff members had a flat tire on Christmas Eve and had to change it in the rain so we are very sympathetic. The good news, however, is that Hansen Road IS on the list of projects this year. I included that announcement in my recent State of the County Address. Better yet, Hansen Road qualifies for federal aid, which means the federal government will pay for 80% of the project so we can rip apart the road and rebuild it from scratch.

My hope is that the extra steps taken to completely rebuild the road will take it from one of Maui’s worst to one of the best. It was a
long process to apply for federal funding, which took several years. Now that funds have been approved, we expect to start reconstruction work by fall or winter of this year. To view the State of the County Address online, visit: www.mauicounty.gov/Mayor.

Q: It is my understanding that the police station was completed well under budget however no solar power was incorporated in the building. Is
there a good reason why this renewable energy option was not put into this facility?

A: It was not for a lack of trying and we haven’t given up yet. We installed the conduit for a ground mounted photovoltaic system when the building was completed. However it was rejected by MECO based on circuit loading. We reapplied to MECO under the latest rules seeking a 400kW system and expect a response from them in the next 45 days.

Q: The condition of Kokomo Road in Ha’iku is terrible. There are so many potholes and bumps that it makes your teeth rattle. When is this road going to be properly resurfaced?

A: You know, between this question and the one about [Hansen] Road I’m beginning to think no one listened to this year’s State of the County address. I’m kidding of course but in the address we did take the time to mention Kokomo and Hansen roads specifically as two roads that were going to have major facelifts sometime this year.

That’s because both roads qualified for federal funding which means we can totally rehabilitate the roads and make them better than new. If you want to see
a good example of a rehabilitated road please drive to Haliimaile Road from Baldwin Avenue and notice the difference from what it looked and felt like before. Federal funds are a great tool and we must use them whenever we qualify for them.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email: [email protected], phone: 270-7855 or mail: 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.