Deadline Extended for County Small Town Planning Grants

William Spence, director of planning, County of Maui. Courtesy photo.

By Sonia Isotov

The County of Maui today announced a deadline extension for small town planning grant proposals to Jan. 31. The original deadline for grant applications was Dec. 31, 2012.

A total of $243,000 was budgeted for fiscal year 2013 for the Planning Department to issue grants for projects that would provide direct benefits to one of Maui County’s small towns; each town’s award is expected to be approximately $22,000.

The small towns identified for the grant program are Haiku, Hana, Kaunakakai, Keokea-Waiakoa, Lahaina, Lanai City, Makawao, Paia, Waihee, Waikapu and Wailuku.

“These small towns are a vital part of our island’s heritage, and preserving them is critical to the health of our entire community,” said Mayor Alan Arakawa, in a written statement. “This new grant program reflects the need for grassroots planning efforts that can help breathe new life into our small towns.”

Front Street Lahaina. File photo.

Signed applications, project budget and other required supporting documents are required by Jan. 31 for the first round of awards.  A second deadline will be announced for the next round of awards.

“We have already received a number of inquiries, as well as several applications,” said Will Spence, the planning director for the County of Maui. “We need to give a little more time for our small towns to prepare applications, as this is a new program that is designed to provide funding for each of the designated communities.”

The first round of awards is set to be made in early 2013. Proposals will be accepted after this date, and towns that did not receive an award in the first round will receive top consideration for awards during the second round. After second round awards are made, any remaining funds will be awarded through June 2013 for any town.

According to the request, projects must meet several criteria: direct benefit to the town, collaboration and community engagement, accountability of the applicant, project “ripeness,” proposed budget, manageable term and scope, and outreach.

The RFP and application forms are available through the county’s website: http://www.mauicounty.gov/planning under Hot Topics. Planning Department staff members are available to give presentations to community groups.  For more information, contact the Planning Department at (808) 270-7735.