Op-Ed: Perspective on rebuilding King Kamehameha III Elementary closer to its original location

Op-Ed: Perspective on rebuilding King Kamehameha III closer to its original location
co-authored by Howard Kihune Sr. and Howie Kihune Jr.

“The Hawai‘i Department of Education is deciding whether to rebuild King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina or to rebuild near Kapalua Airport, an 18-minute drive away. The school should be rebuilt in Lahaina because this location is best for families and it respects the will of the people of Maui.

First, rebuilding near Kapalua Airport is a transportation disaster for families.

There are 180 days in the school year. With 72 minutes driving from Lahaina to Kapalua Airport and back each school day, parents will spend 216 hours commuting each year. That’s nine whole days that could be spent with family, volunteering in the community, or getting civically engaged. This cost to quality of life can’t be underestimated, especially for families still rebuilding from the tragic fires.

And not all parents have cars. Many rely on public transit or multimodal transportation to pick up their children from school. The Kapalua Airport site doesn’t work for these families because there aren’t reliable transportation options.

• Honoapiʻilani Highway is unsafe for bicyclists, as it does not have any protected bike lanes and motorists drive more than 40 mph. Plus, it’s a 30-minute bike ride each way from Lahaina to the Kapalua Airport site.
• The Maui Bus Route 29 runs once an hour. It takes 45 minutes to get from Lahaina Cannery Mall to the Kapalua Airport site. And then another 45 minutes to get home to Lahaina.
• Walking is not an option, as it would take you about 2 hours to walk one way.

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Advocates for the Kapalua Airport site argue that students can rely on school bus service, but is that really an option? Just this year, the DOE canceled school bus routes statewide because of a bus driver shortage. And even when school bus service is running, students must wake up 45 minutes early and get home 45 minutes later than they might otherwise. Do we want our children spending an hour and a half each day sitting on a bus? Some parents in Lahaina still have trauma of being separated from their children on the day of the fire. Locating the school far from their homes is unconscionable.

Second, rebuilding near Kapalua Airport violates the will of the people of Maui.

A recent DOE survey found that 67% of respondents wanted the school to stay at the original location. This isn’t possible because of environmental concerns, so rebuilding the school nearby in Lahaina is the second best option. It’s also the option that accords with the will of Maui’s citizens.

The will of the people of Maui is expressed in many plans and official government documents. For example, the Maui General Plan 2030 promotes “Smart Growth” which includes walkable neighborhoods with a variety of transportation choices. Locating Kamehameha III near Kapalua Airport violates these principles that the people of Maui County have written into their plan for the future.

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The West Maui Community Plan was recently adopted in 2022. It promotes “walkable, mixed-use community centers” with increased “multimodal transportation options.” It’s hard to justify locating a school where there are few multimodal transportation options, given that the people of West Maui have made clear that they value multimodal transportation.

Finally, the new King Kamehameha III school site could serve as the center of a new community that creates housing options for the people of West Maui.

Alarming statistics show that most people displaced by the fire were renters. Building rental housing around the new school could provide a stable foundation for these families to rebuild their lives in Lahaina.

Moku‘ula is the piko of Lahaina and was the royal residence of King Kamehameha III. It is only right to keep the school that bears the King’s name near his home.

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The Department of Education is hosting a meeting on Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. in the cafeteria of the King Kamehameha III Elementary School temporary site at 100 Akahele St. I encourage all community members to show up and make their voices heard. If you can’t make it in person, you can submit your feedback online at bit.ly/KKIII-site.

This decision should be made in the interest of the people of Maui and our future generations.

We should rebuild King Kamehameha III Elementary School in Lahaina.”

Howard Kihune Sr. is a businessman, alumni of King Kamehameha III, and former chair of the Maui County Council.
Howie Kihune Jr. is President of ʻĀina Lani Pacific, a workforce housing developer.

*****Views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect or represent the opinions, policies or positions of Maui Now.*****