Ask the Mayor: Why are Our Public Bathrooms in Such Bad Shape?

The bathrooms and parking lot at ʻĪao Valley State Park. File photo by Wendy Osher.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff.

Aloha Mayor,

Q: Why are our public restrooms and fountains in such an unhealthy state? I am especially disgusted by the sad state of affairs at the bathrooms at the county sub-station next to ʻĪao Theater. I am thinking about starting a website, “mauibathrooms.com,” and having people post photos of our restrooms all over the island. Maybe we can shame them into being cleaned properly. For now I’m hoping something can be done internally.

A:  Our Parks Department has been working diligently to get all of our parks bathrooms renovated throughout Maui County. As you can imagine, this is no easy task with the reduced funding we were allotted by the budget the County Council passed. The department must evaluate and prioritize restrooms based on use and state of disrepair, and must take into consideration bathrooms that have cesspools, which are even more costly to repair. What’s more, we need the public’s help to assist us with the never-ending vandalism to our restroom facilities, which takes away funding that could be used for renovations.

Old Wailuku restroom is on the list for this fiscal year’s budget and parks staff hopes to start the renovation process soon.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

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