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

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

By Wendy Osher, Maui Now
June 7, 2022, 4:01 PM HST
* Updated June 7, 4:07 PM

Two West Maui groups have joined forces to launch a fundraising campaign in an effort to build a new fire substation in Olowalu, with plans to gift it to the County of Maui.
The nonprofit charitable organization, West Maui Improvement Foundation and the West Maui Taxpayers Association are raising funds to develop the substation, in the hopes of protecting life and property from “ongoing notorious fires” that have occurred at or near the location over the past 15 years.
The WMIF reports that previous fires “have destroyed homes and endangered lives,” isolating the West Maui community from life-saving access to the Emergency Room at the Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku

“The economic consequences of road closures have been measured in dollars at over $1 million per hour and after four hours, it’s exponentially magnified by over 400% due to cancelled flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, and the myriad of trickle-down associated impacts,” according to the WMIF.  The Foundation reflected on the potential impacts saying, “Isolation is potentially deadly. If one life is lost, how much is that worth?”
Multiple fires were sparked in August of 2018 when high winds from Hurricane Lane swept through the island, fanning wildfires in West Maui that charred 2300 acres.
West Maui residents are all too familiar with other incidents that have occurred over the years, forcing the closure of the Honooapiʻilani Highway for hours, and cutting off the main artery between West and Central Maui.

The organization reports that a similar effort to build and gift a station for the benefit of the community, made the Nāpili Fire Station a reality more than 30 years ago. According to County records, the Nāpili station was built in 1991, and currently has a total assessed value of $945,800, including $218,000 for the land and $727,800 for the building.

According to WMIF, the Olowalu station would be developed at a site selected by the Fire Chief, at an elevated location, approximately 200 yards up the road at the improved intersection of the Honoapiʻilani Highway near mile 14.5.

Modular building rendering. PC: via WMTA and WMIF.The organizations report that they are progressing toward a goal of getting the station built in less than a year through a land donation of two acres in Olowalu and a new cost saving modular station. A rendering shows a single bay, two bedroom station with an apparatus bay.

Modular building rendering. PC: via WMTA and WMIF.

The WMIF reports that ongoing advocacy by the foundation and the West Maui Taxpayers Association for an Olowalu Fire Station via a public-private partnership, led to a meeting last week that included participation from the WMIF, landowner Olowalu Homes Inc., the mayor, planning director and deputy, budget official, and deputy fire chief.
“There was a consensus at the meeting to begin necessary collaboration whereby the WMIF will raise all the necessary funds to develop a fire station,” the organization reports. 
According to the organization, the goal is to have the proposed fire substation to be fully paid for with private funds while the County will initiate land use approvals. The end result would be County ownership with improvement gifted to it from WMIF. “That’s what we did at Nāpili. We have a proven track record,” the organization reports.
Next steps include:

1. Conducting a preliminary metes and bounds survey
2. Obtaining a preliminary engineering report
3. Obtaining a preliminary drainage report
4. Completing an archaeological report

The WMIF reports that a Memorandum Of Understanding between the organization and Olowalu Homes Inc. for the land donation is a “work in progress.”
Through the hard work and cooperation from the Maui Fire Department, the County of Maui, Olowalu Homes Inc., the Maui Taxpayers Association, Mahanalua Nui HOA Fire committee, and numerous other individuals and associations, the WMIF reports that progress is being made in bringing the substation to reality.
As of today, $16,313 has been raised toward a $2 million fundraising goal. According to fundraising solicitations, the organizations are also working with the mayor and the County of Maui, and are looking into federal and state grants and other private corporation donations.
“Time is of the essence, and we are launching our fundraising to achieve our mutual goals for improving our health and safety for our West Maui Community,” according to a press release announcing the plan. “This is a win-win for everyone.” 
For updates and to make a donation, visit: https://linktr.ee/wmif
​

Property and station would be turned over to Maui County once it’s been constructed

Longtime West Maui resident Joe Pluta said fires in Olowalu and nearby areas are inevitable, and it’s not a question of if it’s going to happen, but “how many times it’s going to happen?”

“It happens all the time. It’s notorious. It’s something everybody would dread,” Pluta said Friday, noting large fires in the past, including in 2018 and 2020, that burned homes, structures and thousands of acres. “Is it tonight that it’s going to happen? Or tomorrow? What are you going to do?”

Pluta and the organizations that he leads, the West Maui Improvement Foundation and West Maui Taxpayers Association, have embarked on an approximately $2 million campaign to build a fire substation in Olowalu.

Currently, Olowalu, Launiupoko and Ukumehame are all outside a 5-mile radius of the Lahaina Fire Station and are therefore at greater risk of fire and life safety, the organizations said.

With the private monetary help, in turn, the county will initiate land use approvals. The ultimate goal is to have the ownership of the property gifted to the county, according to a news release from the foundation.

“That’s what we did at Napili. We have a proven track record,” the West Maui Improvement Foundation added in its news release.

Some 20 years ago, the foundation raised around $4 million for the Napili fire station, which was gifted to the county, Pluta said.

At that time, Pluta, along with the late Maui architect Uwe Schulz and CPA Ron Kawahara, took out second mortgages on their homes to get funding for a construction loan.

The late Colin Cameron, chairman and president of Maui Land and Pineapple Co., donated the land for the Napili station, Pluta said.

The public, seeing the idea for a privately funded Napili station, wasn’t “all talk story,” got behind the idea and gave donations, Pluta said.

“We just need everyone to get excited about this,” Pluta said of the Olowalu fire station campaign. “The entire West Maui community is so important economically to the County of Maui. We cannot have a devastating fire again.”

Maui County’s administration, including the Maui Fire Department, backs the idea. A meeting was held on June 1 with the landowner, the mayor and county planning, budget and fire officials, who agreed to the collaboration.

“We definitely support the idea from WMIF and would like to see them be successful in completing this project,” Deputy Fire Chief Gavin Fujioka said Thursday.

“Having a fire station in Olowalu will allow MFD to have a quicker response to any emergencies in this general area. It’s somewhat in the middle of both bordering districts and this area is highly frequented by local residents and tourists,” Fujioka said.

He added that MFD is initially looking to have two personnel at the station, but more could be added in the future.

Getting a new fire truck for the station could take longer than two years, but a relief truck could be used in the meantime, Fujioka added.

Pluta said they allowed Fire Chief Brad Ventura to pick the site, which is approximately 200 yards mauka from the road at the improved intersection of Honoapiilani Highway near Mile Marker 14.5 and just mauka of Camp Olowalu.

The 2-acre parcel is owned by Olowalu Homes Inc., of which Pluta said developer Peter Martin is a major partner. Pluta added that if funds are raised for the station, Olowalu Homes will donate the land.

In an email Friday, Martin said he has been working with Pluta and has signed an agreement to donate land for the station in Olowalu.

While Martin “gets so much bad press,” Pluta said people shouldn’t steer away from the campaign, because the station was the organizations’ idea and the land that was picked just so happened to be Martin’s.

Pluta said that home and property owners in the area will benefit as first responders will be nearby and not only provide protection from fire but assist with medical emergencies.

That could also mean residents could see lower insurance rates, Pluta explained, pointing out that insurance rates are higher when homes are farther away from a fire station, and sometimes fire insurance won’t cover a home that is too far away.

In addition, donors to the project could benefit from tax deductions.

“It’s the best investment that you could make, period,” Pluta said.

The Lahaina Fire Station is 8.8 miles and a 15-minute drive from Olowalu General Store, according to Google Maps. The Wailuku Fire Station is 15.4 miles and a 25-minute drive from the store.

Pluta said the organizations are saving on the construction costs on the station as it will be a modular design, with the larger components built on the Mainland and shipped and assembled on-site.

This is why only around $2 million will be needed, he said. The Napili station was a brick-and-mortar building that cost $4 million at the time but would likely be much more expensive now, Pluta said.

For the Olowalu substation, the building process is quick, as it could take around 45 days for the parts to be built and shipped and another 75 days or so for the assembly on-site.

Donations may be made via check payable to the West Maui Improvement Foundation, with the fire station noted in the memo, and sent to WMIF, P.O. Box 10338, Lahaina, HI 96761.

Donations may also be made online via https://linktr.ee/wmif.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at [email protected].

Source: https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2022/06/campaign-begins-to-raise-2m-for-fire-station-in-olowalu/

West Maui Improvement Foundation
P.O. BOX 10338, Lahaina, HI 96761 l  Phone: 808-661-7990 l  Fax: 808-661-7992
Visit www.WestMauiImprovementFoundation.org
 
 
Federal tax identification number is 99-0275775
The Mission of the WMIF, with 501-C-3  Public Charity designation 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi) from the IRS,
is to improve the West Maui Community by receiving and expending funds
​for the erection and maintenance of public buildings and services as well as community facilities.

WMTA – WMIF COMMUNITY -- UPDATE JUNE 2022--
A TIME TO COME TOGETHER WITH ALOHA =  (Always, Love, Over Hate, Always) ​

or the past 15 years, we have discussed the need to address the ongoing notorious fires in Olowalu which have destroyed homes and endangered lives isolating our West Maui Community from the life- saving access to the Emergency Room at Maui Memorial Health Center Hospital in Wailuku. The economic consequences of road closures have been measured in dollars at over $1M per hour and after 4 hours, it’s exponentially magnified by over 400% due to cancelled flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, and the myriad of trickle-down associated impacts.  Isolation is potentially deadly., If one life is lost, how much is that worth?
It has been established that the need for another fire station is greatest at Olowalu. Ongoing advocacy for another fire station in Olowalu via a public-private partnership has led to a historic meeting yesterday, June 1st with the Mayor, his Planning Director and Deputy Planning Director, Budget Chief, Deputy Fire Chief, and Landowner Olowalu Homes Inc. with the West Maui Improvement Foundation Inc.
There was a consensus at the meeting to begin necessary collaboration whereby the WMIF will raise all the necessary funds to develop a fire station at Olowalu at the site selected by the Fire Chief. That’s at an elevated location approximately 200 yards up the road at the improved intersection of Honoapiilani Highway near mile marker 14.5. 
​
The flier “NEW OLOWALU FIRE STATION FUNDRAISER” is your opportunity to be a part of the solution!
The goal is to have the proposed Fire Sub Station to be fully paid for with private funds while the County will Initiate land use approvals to facilitate the end result of having the ownership of the property and improvement gifted to it from the WMIF. That’s what we did at Napili. We have a proven track record!
We agreed to work together towards the steps that need to be taken for this sorely needed lifesaving facility and to immediately undertake steps to do the following:

1. Preliminary Metes and Bounds Survey
2. Preliminary Engineering Report
3. Preliminary Drainage Report
4. Archaeological Report

 
We all agreed that the MOU between WMIF and OHI for the land donation was a work in progress and that it would comply with a new tri-lateral agreement and be extended as long as may be necessary to accomplish the realization of the Facility to be gifted to the County to equip and staff with support of the County Council as may be required.
Time is of the essence, and we are launching our fundraising to achieve our mutual goals for improving our health and safety for our West Maui Community. This is a Win-Win for everyone. We have already done the impossible before.       It’s time again.  Visit our website for updates & donation links https://linktr.ee/wmif
Please accept our gratitude for your continued support! 
 
 
Mahalo, 
Joseph Pluta
President