Maui Discussion

Managing Director Baz said the mayor does not believe Bill 60 will relieve crowds at Kahului Airport, reduce traffic on Maui’s roadways, or solve the problem of transient vacation rentals operating in neighborhoods. “Bill 60 will simply limit the choice of visitor accommodations in West and South Maui for the next 5-10 years,” said Baz.

“The law was passed before the global pandemic and the unforeseen impacts of COVID-19 must be considered. We must at the same time consider the intent of County Council, which unanimously passed this legislation, and the devastating impact single-use plastics have on the environment,” said Tamara Farnsworth, Division Manager with the County of Maui Department of Environmental Management, Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division.

“White and yellow splotches of paint are spread across nearly the entire cliff face from the top to the base and from one side to the other. A great battle happened in this Ahupuaʻa and it’s hurtful to see this kind of disrespect for our culture,” said DOCARE Lt. John Yamamoto.

The Maui ALOHA Shuttle service will start on Saturday, July 3, and run through July 17 as a pilot program subsidized by MVCB. It could be extended through the end of this summer.

The Maui Police Department and Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Protection & Sustainability Division have joined forces to remove 41 abandoned vehicles from Amala Place roadsides near Kanahā Pond State Wildlife Sanctuary and the County’s Wailuku-Kahului Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Kahului.

The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is expected to double every two weeks, and will likely become the dominant variant in the islands in about a month or so, according to Hawai‘i Department of Health State Laboratories Division Administrator Dr. Edward Desmond.

The Maui Police Department issued 387 parking citations and 83 warnings to violators on Hāna Highway between Haʻikū and Hāna town over a three week period from June 1 and June 23.

Hawaiʻi is expected to reach a 60% fully vaccinated rate by July 8, which will result in relaxed rules relating to travel and social gatherings.

More enforcement is needed to deter illegal parking on the Hāna Highway, as rural residents deal with an influx of visitors and limited resources.

A new set of amended emergency rules for Maui County were announced today and they are backdated to an effective date of June 15, 2021.

Maui motorists are advised that the posted speed limit on Piʻilani Highway between Uwapo Road/Kaiwahine Street and Līpoa Street/Līpoa Parkway will be reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph in both directions. The new speed limit signs were installed June 15, 2021 and are effective immediately.

The variant was detected in a specimen from an O‘ahu resident, who traveled to Nevada in early May. The person was fully vaccinated for COVID-19 prior to travel and had a negative SARS-CoV-2 test prior to departing Nevada. The person developed mild symptoms consistent with COVID-19 several days after returning to Hawai‘i and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. To date, there is no evidence of household transmission or secondary cases.

The signs warning of the $35 no parking citations and $200 parking violation surcharge under Hawaiʻi Revised Statute 291C-111 are being installed to reduce the temptation for drivers to illegally park on Hāna Highway.

An up to six-level state office building over a five-level parking structure is proposed for development on the site of the old Wailuku Post Office at 70 South High Street in Wailuku. The parcel is currently being utilized as a parking lot for the County of Maui with approximately 45 reserved stalls.

Managers at the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center on Maui are setting their marketing efforts on a new program that gives Hawai‘i-made brands and products an opportunity to compete for a chance to win a free “cart” or shop space at the center for three months.

Governor David Ige today set additional vaccination benchmarks for gatherings and restaurants. When Hawaiʻi reaches a 60% vaccination rate, social gatherings can increase to 25 indoors and 75 outdoors; and restaurant capacity will increase to 75% (with a maximum group size of 25 indoors and 75 outdoors).

Governor David Ige today unveiled a list of benchmarks he has set for lifting restrictions on travel based on the statewide vaccination rates in Hawaiʻi.

Maui’s post-arrival rapid testing program at Kahului Airport will end on Friday, June 4. Follow-up testing revealed that just five travelers were confirmed as positive–including three visitors and two returning residents. To date, the program cost between $2.5 and $2.7 million.

many vehicles are already reserved at most major rental companies through August, with the daily rental fee for available vehicles often being significantly higher than usual. “We have heard reports that some vehicles are being rented for as much as $700 per day,” said John De Fries, President and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

Heading into the Memorial Day weekend for travel, gas prices for Hawaiʻi continued to climb, reaching levels not seen since November 2014, according to the AAA Hawaiʻi Weekend Gas Watch.