Olowalu Fire Station Fundraising Gala, Jan. 7

The West Maui Improvement Foundation will host an Olowalu Fire Station Fundraising Gala on Friday, Jan. 7, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Kāʻanapali.

Organizers say seats are selling briskly to the event, which features Gretchen Rhoades and the House Shakers Band at the resort’s oceanview Halona Kai Terrace lawn.

Vacation packages will be auctioned at the event, and there’s also an opportunity to “buy now” via the www.wmifinc.org website.

Vacation packages include Las Vegas, NASCAR, Wine Country and more —all at substantial savings from retail prices and with tax deductible advantages.

Event tickets and sponsorship opportunities are still available.

Funds raised will go toward the private development of a new fire substation in Olowalu, with plans to gift it to the County of Maui.

Organizers plan to develop the substation, in the hopes of protecting life and property from “ongoing notorious fires” that have occurred at or near the location over the past 15 years.

The WMIF reports that previous fires “have destroyed homes and endangered lives,” isolating the West Maui community from life-saving access to the Emergency Room at the Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku.

The organization reports that a similar effort to build and gift a station for the benefit of the community, made the Nāpili Fire Station a reality more than 30 years ago. According to County records, the Nāpili station was built in 1991, and currently has a total assessed value of $945,800, including $218,000 for the land and $727,800 for the building.

The Olowalu station would be developed at a site selected by the Fire Chief, at an elevated location, approximately 200 yards up the road at the improved intersection of the Honoapiʻilani Highway near mile 14.5.