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LETTERS for the November 15 issue

By Staff | Nov 15, 2018

Land stewardship should be enforced

This is regarding the letter written by an unknown writer in the Oct. 18 edition of your paper.

In the letter was a very well-known, but ignored, issue regarding proper stewardship of vacant land. I have lived in my home for over 30 years. I have endured cane fires, controlled and uncontrolled, throughout the years. It just came along with living in a rural area. But this latest disaster is unforgivable.

I am 70 years old, but every year I take my walk-behind lawnmower and try to mow a 100-foot strip of weeds so that there is a small firebreak behind our home in the dry, weed-filled abandoned canefield just as a small precaution for the inevitable stray brush fire.

This past disaster proved that land stewardship is absolutely necessary, and that if not voluntarily done by the landowners, it must be governed and ENFORCED by a government agency.

Accountability and responsibility come along with owning these “cash cows,” as land prices continue to put money in the owners’ pockets without proper land management.

The proof is the loss of our simple home that we have lived in for many years. Now, the costs that it has meant to those of us who have lost the use of our simple, humble homes is unjustifiable.

Proper land management of fallow or actually ignored and bank rolled land is truly proof of this fact. We all know that the people who own these large mismanaged lands should be held accountable for their maintenance. I have not read anything as a follow-up to the letter writers’ views in your paper. It should (in my opinion) actually be an entire article regarding the effects of proper land stewardship and financial responsibility if not performed up to a safe standard. Please make some noise and be heard regarding this issue!!

Those of us who lost our hard-earned and loved homes on Lahainaluna Road have been hung out to dry and not even contacted by the powers that be, who are responsible for the highly flammable tall weeds and growth that took several of our homes, leaving us to find our own way to finance and rebuild for the future.

The Red Cross was quick on the scene and handed out small redeemable coupons at our local markets, but what if your home is gone or unlivable? The land owners need to step to the plate and be held accountable (and not rely on the very much-appreciated charities to do the pono thing).

It has only been two months since the ground was burned bare, but look at the new three-foot-tall weeds that

are growing and will hopefully not be the next big fire disaster.

GARY WOODWARD, Lahaina

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Bring back Mom and Pop stores in Lahaina

I finally entered Lahaina’s Safeway after their lengthy renovation. The store is so large that after attempting to find certain items, I really wanted to just leave.

We need to bring back Nagasako’s, Ben Franklin, Ikeda’s, Craft drug store what has happened to my quaint town of Lahaina?

I am becoming a hermit in Napili!

SU CAMPOS, Napili

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Mahalo for supporting Lahainaluna Senior Projects

On Friday, Oct. 19, Lahainaluna High School seniors presented their Senior Projects to rooms full of community judges. These presentations were the culmination of this year-long project, which also entailed a research paper and a 20-plus-hour mentorship. Projects included architecture, coaching youth sports teams, learning the guitar, marine biology and volunteering with the DLNR, just to name a few.

The Lahainaluna High School Senior Project Committee would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all the individuals who made this day possible. We would like to thank the staff members of Princess Nahi’ena’ena Elementary School who assisted in evaluating projects. We would also like to thank the Lahainaluna High School PTSA, Lahaina Starbucks, Lahaina Cannery Safeway and Royal Lahaina for donating food and refreshments, and to also all the community members who volunteered your Friday to judge projects – thank for your time. Finally, a special mahalo to all mentors who volunteered to oversee our seniors. We hope that the Class of 2019 has made you proud.

This endeavor is truly a reflection of our tight-knit community and is a shining example of what makes Lahaina such a special place to live and grow. Mahalo, Lahaina, for your outpouring of love and support for our students.

LAHAINALUNA HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PROJECT COMMITTEE

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Rotarians appreciate help from businesses

Mahalo to the local business community for donating a wonderful variety of silent auction items for the recent Oktoberfest hosted by the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise. As a result, three Maui County residents will each receive a $2,500 vocational scholarship next spring. These scholarships will give residents an opportunity to get job training that they could not otherwise afford.

Over the past three years, the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise scholarships have helped train an auto mechanic, two farmers, a chef, a barber and an airplane mechanic.

Mahlao to everyone who attended, donated, volunteered or otherwise supported Oktoberfest 2018.

Interested scholarship applicants should check online at www.lahainasunriserotary.org in early 2019 for the application.

BRIAN BEACH, President, Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise