Blessing marks Maui County’s acquisition of Kula Community Center property

A blessing Monday at the Kula community center marked Maui Countyʻs acquisition of the 7-acre property that includes the center, ensuring the area is held for public use in perpetuity. 

The County had leased the land since the early 1950s from the Von Tempsky family. The property includes the community center, tennis courts and picnic sites. The $950,000 sale closed Sept. 6.

The facility has been renamed the Von Tempsky Community Center Complex in honor of the Von Tempsky family. Members of the family have lived in the area for generations and supported the land acquisition by the County.

“Itʻs for all the people on Maui, and we are very happy and very supportive of this,” said Kim Von Tempsky, speaking on behalf of the family at the blessing.

Mayor Richard Bissen thanked the Von Tempsky family, as well as Kula Community Association members and Maui County Council members who worked toward the acquisition. “Now we are able to continue the legacy of this community space in perpetuity,” Mayor Bissen said.

Upcountry Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura said the community is benefiting from the familyʻs generosity and the vision of the Von Tempsky forefathers who saw the property as more than an empty parcel. “This is a testament of time,” she said. “It was a long journey, and here we are.”

Kim Von Tempsky said his great grandfather, Randal Von Tempsky, and brother Louis Von Tempsky were in their early 20s when they arrived on Maui and settled in the area in 1879. Together, the brothers bought the Kula community center property and other acreage in 1888, naming it Erehwon, which is “nowhere” spelled backward.

The family initiated the 99-year lease for $1 a year with the County so Kula residents would have a place to gather and have milestone celebrations, Kim Von Tempsky said.