Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the most-asked questions submitted to his office staff.

Question:

On Oct. 8 or 9, the lifeguard station at D.T. Fleming Beach Park was scheduled to be demolished. This station in particular is an icon in our small West Side community, as it bears a mural of a beloved longtime resident who passed away in 2007, Ron Cassidy. This may not seem an important issue in the big scheme of things, but to people who frequent this location and live in our community, it is. Is there a way the mural can be saved? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Answer:

Thank you for asking about this, as I have heard a lot of misinformation being circulated in the community. Over three years ago, several county lifeguards asked our Risk Management Division to inspect the tower for safety considerations. After the inspection, Risk Management recommended the replacement of the tower with a new tower similar to the other portable towers in use in Maui County. To keep the public and our lifeguards safe, a new, state-of-the-art tower was requisitioned and purchased, and in fact was specially designed by the manufacturer as a new, larger-capacity model called the “Maui Tower.” The tower has been delivered to D.T. Fleming Beach and is being installed, with all logistics planned to allow work crews to carry out the demolition, delivery and installation of the new tower in a timely and coordinated manner. As for the beautiful mural painted by acclaimed local artist Ronaldo Macedo, it was carefully removed prior to demolition, and plans are being made for the permanent installation of this meaningful tribute to a beloved member of our community. To view photos of the mural and the new tower, visit my blog on the county website at www.mauicounty.gov/Mayor (click on “Mayor’s Update”).

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via e-mail at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov or phone 270-7855.