Aloha Dear Friends of West Maui:
 
Please find enclosed the following with this Olowalu Fire Station Update:
 
OLOWALU FIRE STATION FLYER-INSURANCE
 
Statement by Mahealani Strong-Managing Agent-Insurance Associates Maui Inc.:
“Insurance premiums are calculated by balancing the estimated value of your property with the risk to insure it.  The distance from a Fire Station determines your “Protection Class”; the risk.  Lahaina town runs at a Class 5 whereas anything south of Launiupoko Beach Park all the way to Ma’alaea is Class 10. Home and Commercial Buildings included.
 
I have an insured paying $12,000 annually for his home insurance.  If I just changed his Class from 10 to 5, his rate drops to $8,000.  Now that he is a Class 5, I can use a different carrier that wouldn’t accept him as a Class 10.  The new Carrier quoted his home at $6,000.  Imagine saving $6,000 a year…every year!
 
Everyone wants to save money, but imagine the lives saved and the heartache of having to replace your home while cleaning up the debris from the memories you shared there?”
 
DONATION AND PLEDGE AGREEMENT
 
Launiupoko Property Owners, The Yarnolds, Pledge $100,000 towards development for Olowalu Fire Station initiative. Now they have been matched by property owners The Leffingwells who also pledged $100,000. That’s $200K in pledges. (With 18 more matching this, we will have the $2M needed. Now …this is exciting…Please join them!)
 
“We love living in Launiupoko and are delighted to see the WMIF’s program to privately fund and develop a badly needed fire station in our area.  We’ve decided to make a significant conditional pledge to support this effort. The past few years we have witnessed wildfires in our area, and the ongoing risks we face will continue without better proximity to fire protection as proposed by the WMIF. Their track record at Napili is an unprecedented success, and the opportunity to bring a state-of-the-art fire station to our area is one we should all embrace. 
 
A new fire station will reduce response times to the fires we see frequently in our area and should have the added impact of reducing the cost of our homeowner’s insurance.  By making this pledge contingent upon the fire station becoming operational we give the WMIF the ability to borrow funds and get this project done.  We ask you to make similar conditional pledges and join us in making this new fire station a reality.”--Dave and Adrienne Yarnold  --“We agree completely”—Dean and Becky Leffingwell.
 
 
NOW IS THE TIME TO BE PROACTIVE IN A HANA HOU MIRACLE IN PROCESS!  SEND YOUR PLEDGE AGREEMENT IN TODAY!  YOU HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY!
 
Please call me if you have any questions at 808-661-7990 or on my cell phone 808-283-4533.
 
Mahalo,
 
Joseph D Pluta, President, WMIF

Please find the following exciting updates on our ongoing successes in making the Olowalu Fire Station, (OFS), become a lifesaving reality.

1. SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30TH-2023 WESTIN MAUI HOTEL AND SPA 2ND GALA  
2. CONDITONAL PLEDGE INTENT FORM

We are excited to report that we have made arrangements with the Westin Maui Resort and Spa at Kaanapali to use their facilities for our next major Olowalu Fire Station Fundraising Gala. They just completed a $100 Million Property Enhancement and wanted us to benefit from using their highly upgraded Aloha Pavilion dining and entertainment area.

We will be sending invitations and details in the very near future. Save the date now and monitor our website at www.wmifinc.org for more information. We are actively seeking sponsorships. Please let us know if you are interested.

While it is clear that we almost lost Lahaina Town to fires originating at Olowalu several times, we were fortunate this past December because the wind was blowing in a direction away from town while it spread over 2000 acres and stayed mostly in the mountain area above us.  We may not be so lucky next time and hurricane season is rapidly approaching to potentially complicate matters.
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It's also clear that the property owners residing within 5 miles of our Olowalu Fire Station have the very most to gain from this added safety facility with lowering of insurance premiums; currently at the very highest at Fire Protection Class 10. (FPC10).  We have learned from the Hawaii Insurance Rating Bureau that up to 50% reduction in Property Insurance Risk and premium protection costs will occur once the Olowalu Fire Station is in operation for 6 months with a new FPC5 rating! That literally means that the 600 homes in the area can save thousands of dollars in reduced insurance premiums annually. That’s what happened in Napili and Kahana and Kapalua and will be enjoyed by Launiopoko, Makila Ukumehame, and Olowalu property owners.

​While fundraising Gala’s are wonderful, a meaningful conditional pledge from property owners is perhaps the most significant for securing financing of the OFS.  Pledging is a common practice in the banking industry. Laws and regulations regulate it to ensure fairness and transparency for both the borrower and the lender. It’s “Out of the Box” thinking that makes so much sense for our ultimate success. There is absolutely no risk making known your intention to commit to a conditional pledge. And, the pledge funds can be from Savings in Costs that keep paying dividends beyond what the pledge amount may be.

Please help us help you. We are hard at work securing necessary land use entitlements with project engineers and consultants.  The very least we ask of you is send us your conditional pledge commitment by downloading & completing this form, and mailing to PO Box 10338, Lahaina, HI 96761.
​

​And/Or, if you haven’t already done so, please be a part of the solution and send your best gift donation to the WMIF today. You will be glad you did. Please call me personally on my cell 808-283-4533 if I can respond to any questions. 

Warm Regards, 
Joseph Pluta, President

The nonprofit West Maui Taxpayers Association has been an influential force in supporting a number of public improvement projects in West Maui since its inception in 1979, including the West Maui Senior Center at Lahainaluna Road and the Lahaina Bypass.
As a volunteer board member and now president of the organization representing more than 2,000 members, Joseph Pluta strives to make sure West Maui gets its fair share of improvements while striving to keep taxes reasonably equitable.
With assistance of his other board members, he has successfully supported the development of the Lahaina Aquatic Center, obtained a million dollar grant for matching federal and county funds for the creation of the Lahaina Skateboard Park, and successfully lobbyied for state funding to keep affordable housing at Front Street Apartments, where some 250 tenants faced eviction.
The Association has also helped to raise millions of dollars in private funds to develop the Nāpili Fire and Ambulance Station, handing over the facility as a gift to Maui County.
Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Pluta who has served as the association’s president for the past six years.

As a board member and then president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association, Joseph Pluta has had his hand in a number of projects, supporting the residents in West Maui, including the Lahaina Aquatics Center, the first county olympic swimming pool on Maui. He’s helped in funding a skateboard park as well as the Napili Fire and Ambulance Station.Maui Now: A People Of Maui InterviewKUBOTA: What lies ahead?

​PLUTA: We are working on a Hana Hou repeat of private funding to develop our second fire station, this time at Olowalu. We already have a donation pledge of two acres of land from the landowner, Olowalu Homes Inc.
KUBOTA: What’s happening to your Association’s hope to develop the first hospital in West Maui?
PLUTA: After receiving support from the Kāʻanapali 2020 Planning Committee and a 15-acre land donation, we successfully obtained the “Certificate of Need” for the West Maui Hospital from the state Health Planning and Development Agency. This process was in conjunction with plans by the Newport Hospital Corporation and its president Brian Hoyle. Mr. Hoyle subsequently formed the nonprofit West Maui Hospital Foundation, an entity driving the modified project forward after many years of seeking financing for the project. We understand that a multi-million dollar special purpose revenue bond issuance will permit a modified West Maui Hospital to become a reality when secured.

As a move to develop a new county fire station at Olowalu, Pluta has been working with members of the West Maui Improvement Foundation to raise development funds for it, including this entertainment and dancing event in January.KUBOTA: How important is it to have a hospital and/or air ambulance in West Maui?
PLUTA: Health and Safety is our highest priority. On any given day, the lack of a hospital in West Maui places 80,000 people at severe risk. They’re more than one hour away from our only 24/7 Acute Care Emergency Medical Services at Maui Memorial Health in Wailuku. Lives are lost and tragic medical outcomes result because of this inability of residents to receive timely, acute care within the “golden hour.” We’re looking for equitable, humane care for residents and visitors to West Maui, where more than 50% of the county and state income on Maui is derived from taxes.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADKUBOTA: What’s the status of the application for a cancer center in West Maui?
PLUTA: The Association is also supporting a state Certificate of Need application for a Maui Cancer Center in Lahaina, where cancer patients can be treated conveniently and without travel hardship in West Maui.
KUBOTA: What’s happening with the coastal erosion problem faced by the nine condominiums at Kahana Bay?

The West Maui Taxpayers Association supports owners of nine condominiums at Kahana Bay to establish a “Community Facilities District,” enabling restoration and stabilization of the beach through county bonds. The bonds would be repaid through special taxes levied upon property owners within the District.PLUTA: We’re supporting the Kahana Bay Steering Committee’s effort to raise money for beach restoration and stabilization. The Committee wants the county to designate Kahana Bay as a “Community Facilities District,” enabling funding of restoration and stabilization through county bonds. The bonds are repaid through special taxes levied upon property owners within the district. The Maui County Council has to work with the county administration to officially authorize this “Community Facilities District” which will enable necessary financing for the Kahana Bay Restoration. These nine condominium properties are valued at over a billion dollars with tremendous tax assessment income to the county government. We need to preserve and protect the tax base at Kahana Bay which will pay for this restoration and benefit everyone with improved beach access and enjoyment. T-groins have been recommended by experts in studies, and we fully support them as the most beneficial to all concerned.
KUBOTA: Any other projects you’re supporting?
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADPLUTA: We are supporting the extension of the Lahaina Bypass North to Kāʻanapali. The current Keawe Street terminus is a disaster, overburdening a county connector Road. We’re also seeking a relaxation of certain infrastructural improvements in the development of housing for workers. It is essential that the county and state recognize investing in the infrastructure associated with proposed housing developments to enable them to be truly affordable.
KUBOTA: How important is providing workforce housing in West Maui?
PLUTA: More than 7,000 workers travel on Honoapiʻilani Highway daily to work in West Maui. The average West Maui worker spends three extra hours a day simply getting to and from work. The lack of housing has gotten to the point that businesses on the West side cannot obtain the workers they need and are closing or reducing services.
KUBOTA: Any ideas on what’s could contribute to a housing solution?
PLUTA: The county and state-owned lands need to be utilized and also in public-private partnerships to realize and participate in addressing the economic realities of housing costs.
KUBOTA: What are you most proud of in terms of your association’s accomplishments?
PLUTA: I have been a part of miracles that have saved lives literally. I am most proud of the Nāpili Fire and Ambulance Station, which we privately funded and gifted to the County of Maui.

West Maui Taxpayer Association supporters at a meeting.KUBOTA: How did you come about living and settling in West Maui?
PLUTA: My first job on Maui was to be the general manager of the Papakea Resort in 1979. During my first year on Maui residing here, I fell in love with the island and its people and wanted to make this my permanent home and raise my family here.
Maui is heaven on earth.

Help the West Maui Improvement Foundation Spread the Word on the Olowalu Fire Station efforts by purchasing a t-shirt to wear around town, wherever you are.  

Cost per t-shirt is $25 ($10 will be tax deductible) + shipping 

Images not to scale, and shirt style may differ

West Maui Improvement Foundation Raises Money For Much Needed Olowalu Fire Station 
​HONOLULU-HI (KITV-4) The West Maui Improvement Foundation President, Joseph D. Pluta was on Good Morning Hawaii talking about the non-profit's efforts to raise money for a much needed Fire Station in Olowalu.
The Foundation in 1992, raised private funds of $6-million-dollars to build the Fire and Ambulance Station in Napili, which has saved many lives since its inception. Now, the West Maui Improvement Board board agreed to raise funds to build a Fire Station in Olowalu.

Link to Video: 
https://www.kitv.com/video/news/west-maui-improvement-foundation-raising-money-for-much-needed-olowalu-fire-station/video_a434902d-7269-5da0-85d5-ce9a93549792.html