Joseph Pluta serves as president of the West Maui Improvement Foundation.

LAHAINA — We all seem to agree that Covid has changed the world, and a “new normal” is evolving. The West Maui Taxpayers Association and the West Maui Improvement Foundation have once again determined to address these needs in the Spirit of Aloha, including bringing back a “repeat” of the past unprecedented realization of our community building its own fire station with private funds and gifting the facility to the county to staff and operate.

That’s what we did in Napili, and it’s time for a “Hana Hou” (one more time).

For the past 15 years, we have discussed the need to address the ongoing notorious fires in Olowalu that have destroyed homes and endangered lives, isolating our West Maui Community from the lifesaving access to the Emergency Room at Maui Memorial Medical Center in Wailuku.

The economic consequences of road closures have been measured in dollars at over $1,000,000 per hour, and after four hours, it’s exponentially magnified by over 400 percent 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 led to a historic meeting yesterday, June 1, with the mayor, his planning director and deputy planning director, budget chief, deputy fire chief, and landowner Olowalu Homes Inc. (OHI) 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 “NEW OLOWALU FIRE STATION FUNDRAISER” is your opportunity to be a part of the solution!

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 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: Preliminary Metes and Bounds Survey, Preliminary Engineering Report, Preliminary Drainage Report, and Archaeological Report.

We all agreed that the Memo of Understanding 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 and donation links: https://linktr.ee/wmif.

Please accept our gratitude for your continued support!